The name is a little deceptive. The Mushroom is not a small cafe with four tables, but one of Balatonpines' largest traffic restaurants, pizzeria and cafés. Large terrace, continuous busy, many returning guests - sometimes in season you have to wait for the table. That's how you know other people know the secret. Which is not really a secret at all: it's a good place.
You can find it right next to the Balatonförhes railway station at the entrance of the pedestrian street, just a few minutes' walk from the beach. It's hard to get to Fenyves without going by him, and the pizza smell from the wood-fired furnace often rewrites the program of those who originally wanted just one cookie or coffee.
The Mushroom reopened its gates in 2004, which means it did not create the current Lake Balaton gastro. It has been built, expanded and adapted for more than two decades so that the local guest, the family from the beach and the holiday house passing through can also find something on the menu. It's not a fine dining, but it's not a running-line summer restaurant where everyone is just waiting for the end of the season by September.
Pizza is one of the main characters in this place. It is cooked in wood-fired furnaces for less than a minute. At temperatures above 400 degrees there is no time to save a medium pasta with long baking: good raw material, properly rested pasta and precise work. The result is thin, light, crunchy and not dry pizza, with a taste not only of the toppings but also of the pasta itself.
The Mushroom, of course, is not just pizza. In addition to Hungarian and Mediterranean dishes, they are prepared with a daily menu, soups, meat meals, pasta, salads and desserts. So in a family, you don't have to eat pizza just because someone wanted it. You can come in for a proper lunch, but the same thing naturally works with an afternoon coffee, lemonade or cookies.
One of the greatest strengths of this place is the price-value ratio. This is not necessarily the cheapest meal option in Balatonpines, but it is rare to stay at a restaurant in Balaton where you can stay at peace with your dose, quality and finally your bill. In guest reviews too, we also return to thin pasta pizza, fast service, abundant dosage and fair price - that is fortunately not just what we think.
Of course, there's a consequence of all the traffic. In July and August, especially at dinnertime, you may have to wait for a free table. That doesn't mean the place is slow: once you're in, the team works especially fast. It's worth arriving before the classic evening attack or making a call in advance. And if you don't want to wait for a table, the pizza will work great to go - with the sunset of a Lake Balaton, it's a very strong dinner program.
The huge terrace is comfortable with families and large company, easy to access by bike and can be sat in with dogs. From March to October it is worth counting, and in the main season they open every day at 11: 30. The exact days and opening hours may change on both sides of the season, so check current information before starting in spring and autumn.
The Mushroom doesn't want to change the hospitality in Balaton. It simply shows how it should work from the base: with good ingredients, strong pizza, decent doses, fast team and prices that you want to come back after.
Place: Balatonpines Centre, near the railway station
Telephone: +36 30 379 7058
Season: typically from March to October
Summer opening: every day 11: 30
Let's guess: Come a little early at dinnertime - and at least one of you order pizza.
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