Mesés Gasztroműhely

The Boglár bakery bistro of Mesés Gasztroműhely is on Vikár Béla utca, opposite the outpatient clinic, a few minutes from the centre. It opened on 1 May 2026 with a May Day party featuring beer from a local craft brewery and home-made sausage from a local butcher. Coffee and pastries in the morning, sourdough pizza, BBQ and a proper lunch during the day, and behind the counter the dough is always proving.

A chef who came to slow down

Behind the place is Tamás Koós. For decades he worked as a chef in big Budapest hotels, including the kitchens of the Kempinski, the Novotel and the Hyatt, then moved to Lake Balaton in search of a slower pace. He spent a few months in France, where he learned to bake bread working nights at a village shop, and he brought back his wild sourdough starter, which has been fed for more than a hundred years. He previously ran a beachside bistro on the south shore, won the Beach Food of the Year competition in 2024 with his summer stuffed cabbage, and has sat on the competition’s pre-jury ever since. He is a father of five, and his motto is: you are what you eat.

Sourdough, smoke, house sauces

The bread is made without yeast, using only sourdough, flour, water and salt, in a three-day process. Breakfast means egg dishes and avocado sourdough toast, with house pastries alongside. During the day there is wild sourdough Neapolitan pizza, BBQ meats and burgers, smoked chicken wings, house pasta, beef cheek goulash, kettle-cooked potato soup and several kinds of tartare. Fermented vegetables are not a garnish here: fermented lecsó is Tamás’s favourite, and the award-winning vine-leaf cabbage stuffed with lamb is part of the planned menu too. The dairy comes from a social workshop that employs people with reduced work capacity.

Deli and workshops

The bistro also has a deli corner where you can take home cheeses and honeys from local producers and South Balaton wines, alongside Mesés’s own bread and sauces. Every two or three weeks Tamás runs a workshop, from bread baking to savoury and sweet pastries. If you want to learn sourdough bread, you can sign up on their Facebook page.

The place

A bakery bistro, not a smart restaurant: a small indoor room, tables outside, the oven and the counter in one space. In the mornings locals have coffee and pick up bread, and at lunchtime the pizzas and BBQ plates go. Opening hours and the daily offer are posted on their Facebook page; out of season it is worth checking before you set off.

What do guests say?

The Boglár bakery bistro is still new, so there are few public reviews. At Tamás’s earlier places guests praised the sourdough bread, the smoky BBQ meats and the pizza, and the Beach Food of the Year award marks the professional recognition.

Who we recommend it for

Those who want to start the day with good bread and coffee, or are looking for smoky meat or sourdough pizza for lunch. Those who like taking home bread, sauces, local cheese and wine. And those who want to learn sourdough baking themselves. This is not the place for a quick, cheap beach snack.

How much does it cost?

Mid-range: breakfast with coffee or a pizza comes to a few thousand forints, a BBQ lunch a little more.