The Hungarian capital is home to Time Out Market Budapest, the culinary and cultural hub that brings the best of the city together under one roof. Located within the historic Corvin Palace on Blaha Lujza tér, Time Out Market Budapest comprises 11 top-class dining outlets, three bars and five event spaces, for some 540 seated guests. Find out more!
Among the outlets at Time Out Market Budapest, Szaletly evokes the flavours of Sunday lunch in the Hungarian home, created with modern technology and attuned to today’s gastropub scene. We talk to chef Dániel Bernát about his earliest beginnings, the balance between tradition and innovation, and the momentum of Time Out Market Budapest.
Where did your passion for cooking start?
As a child, I cooked for myself after school, I learned to make pancakes from the old lady next door and I experimented by watching culinary shows on TV. I cooked a lot with my grandmother and mother – she understood early on how to turn ingredients into dishes to be served at table.
How would you describe the philosophy of the Szaletly kitchen?
There is a Japanese saying that exactly covers what we do: you can only preserve your tradition if you constantly renew it. For us, this means that we provide familiar flavours that can be recognised at first glance – only silkier, more precise, using today’s technology. We don’t take things apart, but rather push the elements together, making goulash that is hearty yet simple at the same time. The goal is that you close your eyes and you could be at home on Sunday lunchtime, and with your eyes open, you feel that something extra: precision, attention, professionalism. In short, preserving tradition and education – subtly raising the bar so that the guest is happy to come to us, while always taking things one step higher.
How do you translate this ‘tradition + education’ principle into daily practice – specifically on the plate?
French or German cuisine has been codified for centuries – from the proportions of béchamel to technique. This is not the case with Hungarian cuisine. The István Czifray book is often referred to, but we hardly know that cuisine today. For example, pea stew was not made with flour, but thickened with its own ingredients, like fish stock – nobler, purer. Our task is to bring this level back, while teaching with taste: delicately, understandably, so that the guest is happy to follow this path.
How does this translate to the guest – where do you draw the line between comfort and innovation?
We walk a fine line: the experience should be familiar, yet there should be extra attention and professionalism. There are ideas that we only put on the menu three or four years later– we progress step by step, together with the audience.
What kind of experience are you bringing to Time Out Market Budapest from Szaletly?
The icons – goulash, potato casserole – have arrived, but I would like to associate these with the market dynamism of the future: steak, vegetables, fermented items, seasonally adapted offers on the chalkboard. The goal is the same: childhood flavours that can be recognised even with your eyes closed, with Szaletly's contemporary focus.
Sustainability with the logistics of the kitchen: how does this manifest itself at Time Out Market Budapest?
We have a no-waste approach: everything from vegetable peelings to offcuts have their place. We work with more than 50 Hungarian small-batch producers, and in our main kitchen we process, preserve and ferment in large quantities during peak season, so the quality is consistent even afterwards. The equation is quality + sustainability = guest satisfaction.
The pace of the market requires scheduled preparation, disciplined technology and up-to-date logistics. The iconic dishes (potatoes, goulash) are fixed, and we respond with frequently updated chalkboard offers. The same values, only at a higher speed.
Why was now a good time to move into Time Out Market Budapest?
Szaletly is growing organically, and we have now reached the point where we can authentically present ourselves in a new environment. Time Out Market Budapest is an international project, with a strong selection and 11 inspiring kitchens – a professionally exciting destination mutually suited to each other, and offers the visitor characteristic flavours clearly presented and all under one roof.
What was the biggest challenge upon opening?
Transposing our usual system into a high-paced space operating with standard rules: logistics, speed, teamwork. The machinery is now in place – fine-tuning and creative updating can begin.
If a new guest stops by your counter, what should they try?
Each dish has its role, so it’s hard to choose – our egg dishes and cold-duck liver, for example, clearly demonstrate layered thinking. But if you have to say one thing in the end: the floating island dessert with salted caramel and a few drops of olive oil. A simple classic that a small gesture elevates to a new dimension.
How does the market outlet offer differ from the original Szaletly restaurant in Zugló?
The basic character is the same, but at Time Out Market Budapest we operate more quickly, update more often, and consciously build easy-to-understand, yet precise, modern versions of homely comfort food – steak, vegetables and standards.
What is the secret of Szaletly in two words?
Humility and a sense of proportion. We provide an everyday experience – only of superior quality.