Mama Goulash Budapest: Menu, Prices and the Bread Bowl on Dob utca
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Mama Goulash is a small Hungarian kitchen at Dob utca 31, in District VII, and a bowl of beef goulash soup there costs 2,900 HUF. It is open every day from 11:00 to 23:00, and for 1,000 HUF more any dish arrives inside a round loaf of bread.
The bread bowl is the house trick, and the dish most first-timers come for. The menu is short and Hungarian to the core: goulash with csipetke noodles, chicken paprikash with nokedli, lecsó, potato paprikash, a chicken schnitzel and three classic cakes. Nothing on it costs more than 3,700 HUF, and its goulash is the lowest-priced bowl in our goulash guide.
📋 Mama Goulash at a Glance
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Where | Dob utca 31, 1074 Budapest (District VII, the Jewish Quarter) |
| Hours | Monday to Sunday, 11:00-23:00 |
| Goulash soup | 2,900 HUF (about $9) |
| Goulash in a bread bowl | 3,900 HUF (about $12) |
| Most expensive dish | Chicken schnitzel, 3,700 HUF (about $11) |
| Booking | No booking option on the website; walk in and queue |
| Vegan dishes | Lecsó, potato paprikash, cucumber salad, pickle plate |
| Menu languages | English, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, Hebrew |
| Skip if | You want a quiet table you can reserve, or a long menu |
The Mama Goulash menu and prices
The whole menu fits on one screen, which makes ordering quick. Start with the goulash: a slow-cooked beef soup with paprika, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, turnip and csipetke, the small pinched noodles that go into the pot at the end. Then decide whether you want it in bread.
| Dish | Price |
|---|---|
| Goulash soup (beef) | 2,900 HUF (about $9) |
| Chicken paprikash, with nokedli and sour cream | 2,700 HUF (about $8) |
| Lecsó, pepper and tomato stew | 2,500 HUF (about $8) |
| Potato paprikash | 2,500 HUF (about $8) |
| Chicken schnitzel, with potato paprikash | 3,700 HUF (about $11) |
| Any dish served in a bread loaf | +1,000 HUF (about $3) |
| Garlic Trappist toast, 2 pieces | 600 HUF (about $2) |
| Cucumber salad | 750 HUF (about $2) |
| Mixed pickle plate, to share | 1,900 HUF (about $6) |
| Eszterházy, Dobos or mákos guba cake | 2,300 HUF (about $7) each |
Lecsó gets better with extras: an egg adds 300 HUF, a beef sausage 800 HUF and a garlic Trappist toast 600 HUF. The schnitzel comes with potato paprikash on the side, so it is a full plate on its own. The menu notes that dishes can change with the season and availability, and it lists allergens for every item.
A goulash in a bread bowl with a cucumber salad and a garlic toast comes to 5,250 HUF (about $16). The drinks list leans Hungarian too, with wine, fröccs (wine with soda) and pálinka, the fruit brandy; check the price at the table, since drinks are not priced on the website.
Source: dishes, prices, extras and allergen labels from the Mama Goulash food menu (Hungarian version), drinks from the home page, read on 2 November 2026. Prices are in HUF, which is what you pay at the table. Converted at 1 USD = 328 HUF, the ECB rate on 30 October 2026. Rates move, so treat the dollar figures as indicative.
Goulash in a bread bowl: what to order
The loaf works with any dish, but goulash is the natural pick: the bread soaks up the broth, and you eat the lid and walls once the soup is gone. It is a big meal. Light eaters often leave part of the loaf behind, so a plain bowl of goulash plus a side can be the smarter order if you plan to eat again in a few hours.
The two sides worth adding are the garlic Trappist toast and the cucumber salad, thin slices in a sweet vinegar and garlic dressing that the menu suggests trying with sour cream. Food comes out fast once you sit down, so this works as a quick lunch between sights in the Jewish Quarter.
Seasoning runs on the gentle side. If you like heat, ask for hot paprika at the table. To cook the same soup at home, follow our Hungarian goulash soup recipe, and for the difference between goulash, pörkölt and paprikash, see our guide to Hungarian food.
For dessert, the three cakes are Hungarian classics: Eszterházy, with cognac cream between walnut meringue layers; Dobos, sponge and chocolate buttercream under a hard caramel top; and a poppy seed cake built on mákos guba, the old bread pudding.
The queue, booking and the best time to go
At lunchtime and in the early evening there is usually a line at the door. It tends to move quickly, so it rarely pays to give up and walk on. The restaurant’s website and contact page list no booking option and no phone number, so for a big group, send a message through the Facebook or Instagram page linked from the site before you go.
Service runs in English, and the menu is available in seven languages on the website, Hebrew, Spanish and Italian among them, so you can choose before you reach the front of the queue.
Source: hours, address, menu languages and social links from mamagoulash.com and its contact page, read on 2 November 2026.
Two Mama Goulash signs on Dob utca
Search for Mama Goulash and two places come up on the same street. This page covers the goulash kitchen at Dob utca 31. Mama Goulash - Schnitzel House is a separate restaurant at Dob utca 16, built around breaded schnitzel and Hungarian comfort food, open from 12:00 to 23:00, with its own website at mamaschnitzel.com. If a map sends you to number 16, keep walking for number 31.
Source: name, address and hours from mamaschnitzel.com, read on 2 November 2026.
Getting there
Mama Goulash is at Dob utca 31, 1074 Budapest, in District VII. Dob utca runs through the old Jewish Quarter, so the restaurant fits into a walk past the synagogues and ruin bars; our self-guided Jewish Quarter walk passes along the same streets. Check the BKK journey planner for the best tram, bus or metro from where you are staying.
If you are staying in the area, our guide to where to stay in District VII sorts the quiet streets from the loud ones.
Who it suits
It suits travelers on a budget who want real goulash rather than the stew sold under its name abroad, first-timers who want a bread bowl for the photo and the meal, and anyone exploring the Jewish Quarter who needs a fast, filling lunch. Vegans get a real choice with lecsó and potato paprikash. It suits less well if you want to book ahead, linger over a long dinner, or eat away from the visitor crowd.
The verdict
Come hungry, queue for a few minutes and order the goulash in bread, with a garlic toast on the side. At these prices it is the cheapest good bowl on our list, and the loaf turns a soup into dinner.
To compare it with six other kitchens, from canteens to river views, read our guide to the best goulash in Budapest. For the other Hungarian street classic, see the best lángos in Budapest.
Facts checked on 2 November 2026 on mamagoulash.com. Prices and hours change, so check them before you go.
Good to know
How much is goulash at Mama Goulash?
Goulash soup is 2,900 HUF on the current menu. Served in a bread bowl it is 3,900 HUF, because the loaf adds 1,000 HUF to any dish. Chicken paprikash is 2,700 HUF and the chicken schnitzel 3,700 HUF.
What are Mama Goulash's opening hours?
Monday to Sunday, 11:00 to 23:00, according to the restaurant's website.
Can you book a table at Mama Goulash?
The website and its contact page list no booking option or phone number. Plan to walk in: there is often a queue at lunch and in the early evening, and it tends to move fast. For a group, message the restaurant through the Facebook or Instagram page linked from its website.
Is Mama Goulash the same as Mama Goulash - Schnitzel House?
No, they are two restaurants on Dob utca. Mama Goulash, the goulash kitchen on this page, is at Dob utca 31 and opens 11:00 to 23:00. Mama Goulash - Schnitzel House is at Dob utca 16, opens 12:00 to 23:00 and runs its own website, mamaschnitzel.com.
Are there vegan or vegetarian dishes at Mama Goulash?
Yes. The menu marks lecsó, potato paprikash, cucumber salad and the mixed pickle plate as vegan, and the garlic Trappist toast as vegetarian. The goulash, the paprikash and the schnitzel are meat dishes.