Rózsakő Wine Cellar Inn

Rózsakő Wine Cellar and Inn stands on the side of Badacsony below the basalt organ pipes, at Kisfaludy Sándor utca 26, right on the hill’s main walking route and the National Blue Trail. Kisfaludy House is next door and the Rózsakő rock that gives it its name is a few steps away. It has welcomed guests since 1997 and has stayed in the same owner’s hands: hearty Hungarian cooking, Badacsony wines and a garden with a view of the whole lake.

Tamás Demjén and the mountain taxi

The cellar is run by DEM-TEAM Bt., founded in 1994. It began as a small wine bar on the site, which grew into the rustic Baroque-style inn by 1997. The owner, Tamás Demjén, has worked in hospitality and passenger transport for nearly thirty years: he also runs the Badacsony mountain taxi, in an American Jeep or, on request, a dusted-off Russian UAZ army jeep. If you do not want to climb, or would rather not drive after a good lunch and a few glasses, it is the obvious solution.

Three spaces, one panorama

The smallest is the Wanderer terrace, right by the trail, where tired hikers can rest in front of the cellar. The 50-seat wine cellar welcomes guests from spring to late autumn whatever the weather. The largest is the 150-seat garden framed by vines, with a view over the whole of Lake Balaton. The playground is visible from the terrace, so parents can sit back while children play.

Grandmother’s recipes

The cooking is home-style Hungarian, many dishes from family recipes, and in recent years fish, salads and vegetarian options have joined the menu. There is goulash soup and rich meat broth, grilled chicken breast and two kinds of fogas (pike-perch): baked in herb butter or in panko with tartar sauce. The house classic is the Rózsakő platter; guests say even the one-person version feeds two. The inn regularly takes part in the Szigliget pike-perch festival.

Wines and tastings

The list features well-known Badacsony wineries; one guest praised the Borbély pinot noir rosé, another took home a bottle of vermouth. Groups of fifteen or more can book a tasting: fruit pálinka and pogácsa on arrival, then Kéknyelű, Olaszrizling, Szürkebarát, Traminer, muscat and a red blend, poured with a wine thief, with lard on bread and cheerful games.

The legend of Rózsakő

The nearby Rózsakő is a huge basalt block that, according to tradition, rolled down from the volcano’s summit centuries ago. It is named after Róza Szegedy, who liked to sit on it with Sándor Kisfaludy looking out over the lake. Legend says a young couple who sit on it with their backs to the lake will marry within the year. The inn keeps a padlock fence and a Rózsakő guestbook: couples write their names, lock a padlock on the lovers’ fence, and the house keeps the key.

Autumn and St Martin’s Day

In autumn there are harvest programmes with lunch and tasting, and in November the traditional St Martin’s goose dinner: goose liver in its fat, giblet soup, roast goose leg with apple and orange braised cabbage, a dessert, and Badacsony’s best-known wines.

Who it is for

Hikers on the Blue Trail or heading to Kisfaludy House who want a hearty lunch, families for the playground, couples for the Rózsakő, and groups of friends for an evening with a tasting and a mountain taxi home.

What does it cost?

Mid-range: guests highlight generous portions and no built-in service charge, though one earlier review found wine by the glass expensive. Current prices are on the menu.