food question!

[virgicin]

Hello, im looking for places to eat in each city, the cheapest possible. i know we can eat at markets and buy things at supermarkets but we would like to have a few places to eat either at lunch or dinner. i know that many places have fixed priced menus. can you recommend some of the ones you liked in any of these cities?
barcelona
paris
bruges
berlin
prague
vienna
budapest

thanks !

[me]

Turkish food is good in Berlin, love those Dönners, & Vienna has lots of good Southeastern European food. the food from the local Berlin & Vienna regions is also great!

Heurigen in Vienna are well known wine places. they serve food, too.

- d

[herrbert]

In Berlin there are lots of cheap places to eat. Across the street from the Circus hostel there is a very good and cheap Mexican restaurant.

My favourite restaurant in Vienna is Restaurant Gutenberg, on Lugeck, a small square/street near the Stephansdom. Avoid Figglmuller!!! (they claim to have the biggest Schnitzel in town, but they are also by far the flattest !!!).

In Brugge you need to have fries. The best fries are from Belgium. You will find a stand next to the church on the Steenstraat called 'Gezondheidsapotheek' (Healthpharmacy)

[virgicin]

I guess I should ask what MUST we try in each country instead of where. Are there any tipical meals/food we have to try that you know of?

[me]

in Southern Germany or in Austria, if you find yourself in a reasonably good restaurant, try something with Spätzle and Rotkohl. [dumplings & red cabbage]

these side dishes usually served with pork or veal, even chicken. but if well prepared, they are often the best part of the meal!

there's also a traditional Bavarian late morning meal called second breakfast: Weißwurst [veal sausage] with sweet mustard, a roll or big pretzel, and a Weißbier [wheat beer] is standard fare.

- d

[madamtrashheap]

virgicin, to add to herrbert and David's very good suggestions (aaah, Spätzle! And I know the frites stand in Brugge herrbert mentioned - excellent!), here are some other notes:

barcelona - tapas in the small bars off the tourist trail are a good way to fill up with great food. There are also some great vegetarian cafeterias in the streets between La Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter.
paris - a baguette filled with cheese, tomato, tuna, salad, ham...whatever. They can be found everywhere and are a cheap and filling lunch on the go. The cafes in Montmartre have fixed menus that are a good way to have a cheaper three course meal in a lovely location. Also, cafes offer "croque monsieur" (toasted ham and cheese sandwich - really good) to eat in or take away. Don't forget to try the drink "Orangina" too.
bruges - along with the fries, have a waffle for dessert! They really do taste better in Belgium.
berlin - the Doner Kebabs David mentioned are really good and cheap, but if you want a true Berlin experience then there are two things you should eat: Currywurst (curry-flavoured sausauge with a roll) and a Berliner (jam filled donut) - perfect!
prague - I'll be back in Prague in a few weeks and am looking forward to munching down on smazeny syr - fried cheese snacks. Not particularly healthy, but filling in Winter. Also look for knedlíky bramborové or potato dumplings with a meal or on their own.
vienna - I'm sure herrbert will agree with this - in Summer make sure you try the ice cream at Bortolotti (there are 3 shops) on the street Mariahilferstrasse. Also the schnitzel he listed above too.
budapest - the goulash (gulyás in Hungarian) here is more like a mix of soup and stew, so it's often listed in the Soups seciton of a menu or board. Either way, it's filling and tasty.

That should give you some tasty and cheap treats for each place!
Bon Appetit!

[virgicin]

thank you! thats a lot of usefull information! im writing all down.
its funny what you say, madamtrashheap, about the waffles (about being better in belgium) because we dont have them in argentina. Ive tried them in the states, but i dont really remember the taste. I cant wait to try all these! thanks...
thank you everyone for writing down the name and what it is in english, cuz thats one of my worries.

[virgicin]

Thank you all, i wrote an answer but it isnt here i dont know why. Anyway, if you see it somewhere else, im sorry, maybe i made a mistake. What it said was how thankfull i am for all the information you are giving me. I cant wait to try all these things!

[me]

Ah, Madam!

fond food memories you've stirred up!

one could get many of those Berlin delicacies you list at a Pommesbude most anywhere. [the Currywurst i got in the old Federal Republic wasn't the same. it was a grilled Bratwurst cut up & doused with warm ketchup-curry sauce]

and how could i forget Berliners! made so famous by our most recently assassinated President. [JFK's speech at the Wall in 1963 declared, "I am a jelly filled donut!" there's a Homer Simpson joke in there someplace. ]

[backagain08]

I agree with David in regards to Berlin. I've been twice, once i stayed of a month, and i lived off Turkish food. I wasn't a huge fan of German food, but the Turkish food was everywhere, tasty and cheap. Berlin has good fresh food markets if you are looking for fresher food.

[herrbert]

vienna - I'm sure herrbert will agree with this - in Summer make sure you try the ice cream at Bortolotti (there are 3 shops) on the street Mariahilferstrasse. Also the schnitzel he listed above too.

Marillen-eis .... lovely.

[me]

me said:

try something with Spätzle and Rotkohl. [dumplings & red cabbage]

had some "German" food at the top-rated local chef school today. [bought a season pass <US$144> for 12 meals.] the food is mostly outstanding!

Spätzle and Rotkohl were actually on today's menu (!)with "Sauerbraten." it was unfortunately a disappointment.

btw, the best Gelato i ever had was in Rome! but, reasonable facsimiles can be found elsewhere. (the recently opened Gelato shop in the neighborhood doesn't do the name justice! :-(

- d