Hungarian Folklore Show In Budapest

Last Updated on 30 October 2025 by ZoliBP

If you’re visiting Budapest and want more than just sightseeing – want to feel the beating heart of Hungarian culture through music, dance, costume and food – two of your best options are:

1. Hungarian Folklore Dance Performance & Concert with optional dinner in a downtown Gastro Cellar (by the award-winner Rajkó Folk Ensemble)
2. The specacular Paprika Revue House dinner-theatre night – also right in the city center.

Whether you prefer a short authentic performance or a full evening celebration, this guide will help you choose the perfect folklore show in Budapest.

Budapest Folk Show in a Downtown Restaurants: Which One Is Right for You?

Which Should You Pick?

• If you’re a tourist who wants authentic culture, in a shorter time, for moderate cost, Hungarian Folklore Dance Performance & Concert in GastroCellar is the better pick.
• If you want to treat yourself to a complete evening — dining, drinks, grand production, immersive atmosphere, then Paprika Revue House is the real deal.

You could also consider doing both on separate nights if time and budget allow: one for authenticity & tradition; one for spectacle & dinner.

One thing we can assure you that both programs promise an unforgettable evening with full Hungarian dinner (incl. vegetarian/vegan options) or just appetizers, but they offer different styles, durations, and experiences. Read on to compare both, so you can pick the best for your tastes, schedule, and budget.

1️⃣ Paprika Revue House – Hungarian Dinner & Show

✔ Overview

Budapest’s newest cultural venue, Paprika Revue House delivers a full evening with Hungarian cuisine, wine, and a high-production folk revue.

😎 About OUR Experience of the Paprika Revue House Folk Show & Dinner

We’ve attended Paprika’s brand new full-evening show a week after the place opened on (Sept 04, ’25).

The restaurant is easy to get to from anywhere in downtown Budapest. (We dropped by a Beer Festival at Városháza Park in the centre right before Paprika and it was just a couple of minute walk/cc. 500 m from there).

We arrived a couple of minutes early (our ticket – bought through GetYouGuide – stated that we have to be there by 20.00.

After checking our tickets and registering our names the friendly hostesses asked us to wait a little so we took the opportunity to admire the many many rows of deep red paprika strings hang above the entrance (see photo above).

The interior is a mix of bold modern and classic folksy – a fusion of Hungarian tradition and contemporary flair.

Upon entering the restaurant a giant installation of a white lark (a symbol Hungarian countryside) hanging from the ceeling greeted us.

Warm wood tones, rustic brick walls, and folk-inspired motifs create a cozy yet stylish atmosphere. The spacious dining hall is arranged for clear stage views from every table, with

• theatrical lighting,
• a raised stage, and
• large LED screens enhancing the visual experience.

Red accents, embroidered textiles, and paprika-themed décor add a playful nod to Hungarian culture, making the space feel both festive and authentic.

There are even two live trees that were incorporated in the building making them an organic part of the establishment.

💃 The Hungarian Folk Show with Revue Elements

The folk show started around 21.00 around the time the servers started to bring the soup to the tables. The 50-minute long performance is very innovative combining traditional folklore elements with novel features and state-of-the-art technology.

The large-scale LED wall plays a dynamic and spectacular part in the whole program.

A series of shorter dance performances follow each other on the stage that is visible from all corners of the dining hall:

• Buff male dancers with wooden boxes perfoming a very energetic and impeccably coreographed dance show with wooden boxes
• A fun and quirky presentation of dancers dressed into stunning costume of Herend porcelain.
• Classic but no less impressive bottle dance
• Herdsmen with scythe immitating the hardwork on a field through synchronized moves

The dynamic dance pieces are interspersed with slower-paced parts like the

• Solo singer‘s presentation of popular Hungarian folk songs (e.g. A Csitári hegyek Alatt), and
• a performance of an aerialist.

📸 Some of Our Favourite Moments from the Paprika Folk Revue Show

🌶 The Food – Traditional Hungarian Dinner

When booking the program you’have 4 full dinner options and there’s a cheaper version that includes appetizer (2 spreads with savoury scones, cured meat and artisan cheese cheese platter, sourdough bread) and unlimited drinks.

5-course Hungarian Meal Options:

• Traditional
• Premium
• Fish (sugar-free)
• Vegan (gluten-, dairy-, and sugar-free)

We chose the program with traditional dinner featuring classic dishes. The 1st course, Hungarian bites: smokey eggplant cream and spicy cottage cheese spread in two small bowls with slices of fresh sourdough bread – already awaited for us when our host showed us to our table.

The Menu – Traditional Hungarian Dinner

What was the food like in Paprika Revue House?

All in all dinner was delicious and filling – the main course, a modern recreation of chicken paprikash (2 pieces of chicken breast filet with egg barley risotto in paprikash sauce) stood out for me.

Somló sponge trifle is one of my favourite desserts, unfortunarley it’s rare that I can taste a properly prepared version of this heavenyl delicacy.

So I was really looking for sampling Paprika House’s version, however I wasn’t impressed by it. It was just OK, though still better than you’ll get in most confectioneries. The espresso with a dash of milk was rounded out the 5-course meal nicely.

Also we think a welcome drink (a glass of prosecco or a shot of pálinka) would have been a pleasant thing to kick off the whole evening.

2️⃣ Hungarian Folklore Dance Performance by Rajkó Folk Ensemble – in the GastroCellar

✔ Overview

Held in an intimate downtown venue, this ~80-minute show focuses on traditional Hungarian folk dance and music, brought to life by the world-famous Rajkó Ensemble.

OUR Experience – GastroCellar’s Folk Dance & Concert

The venue is located close to Paprika House opposite Gozsdu Court in District VII, so it’s quite starightforward to get there.

GastroCellar has a warm, inviting interior with vaulted brick covered ceiling. The host welcomed us with a glass of prosecco (apple juice was the non-alcholic option) and we were escorted to our table.

In comparision Gastrocellar is not as spacious as Paprika Revue House, tables were placed right next to each other with very tight space to move around.

One main drawback is that there’s no designated stage for the folklore show so dancers and musicians performed in a smallish area between two sections of the dining area.

This limited visibility of the performance for guests sitting at the far end of the rows of tables.

The program started a little after 19.00 after all the guests arrived (it was a full house that evening). The 50-minute show was well-constructed demonstrating a nice selection of traditional folklore dances – from palotás, to waltz to csárdás and the compulsory women’s bottle dance.

Compared to Paprika’s flashy revue show this one is more traditional – though no less spectacular – and would be more appealing to an older audience.

The dancers and musicians presented the highest level of skill and artistic talent.

We booked the program with the 3-course Hungarian dinner. Other options are with just a welcome drink or a bowl of goulash.

Dinner Menu – GastroCellar Hungarian Folklore Show

• Foie gras canapé & apple pie mosaic (apple preserve)
• Roast chicken breast with herbs on aivar bed, vegetable tartlet, cheddar cheese, porcini mushroom sauce, balsamic broccoli roses with roast almond
• Somlói galuska – layered sponge trifle with choclate sauce and whipped cream

✅ Who Should Choose Which? Paprika Revue House or Gastro Cellar Folk Evening?

• Short on time? → Rajkó Folk Show
• Want a full dinner experience? → Paprika Revue House
• Love authentic folk music/dance? → Rajkó
• Want spectacle, lights, big show? → Paprika

🤔 Who Are the Rajkó Folk Ensemble?

Talented young Gypsy musicians form the Rajkó Folk Ensemble that was founded in 1952.

Their incredible skills and talent originate from traditions of century-old gypsy dynasties

The wide range of their repertoire includes many genres from classical to folk music, and from operettas to Gipsy music.

They toured Europe, North and South America, and Australia spellbinding the audience with their passionate performances that you can enjoy now in Budapest.

❔ FAQ – Folk Shows in Budapest

Related:

Dinner Cruises with Hungarian Folk Show – Folk Festival in May – Classical Music Concerts – Organ Concert in the Basilica – Cultural Centres in Budapest – Our Facebook Page – TIP: Find out more about the late night river cruise with dinner in Budapest!