A rétestészta akkor van jól kinyújtva, ha az asztalra téve el lehet rajta keresztül olvasni egy újságot. — Rétes dough is perfectly stretched when, placed on a table, you can read a newspaper through it.
The technique of making thin pulled dough came to Central Europe from the Ottoman Empire. Its ancestor is filo pastry, which gradually spread across the Balkans before making its way to Hungary.
Here it found a new life. By the 18th and 19th centuries, rétes had become an inseparable part of Hungarian cuisine. It was baked for weddings, christenings, village festivals and family celebrations, with recipes passed down from generation to generation. The hallmark of Hungarian rétes is its generous filling. Traditional fillings include cottage cheese, poppy seed, apple, cherry and cabbage — though in earlier times people would put in almost anything to hand: vegetables, meat, rice porridge and even soured cream.
But from theory to practice — here are our top 5 places in Budapest to try rétes:
📌 Házi Rétesbolt — this small chain has several locations across the city, but our favourite is the one in the 11th district. Homemade rétes without any fuss: thin pastry, a generous filling, quick service.
📌 Első Pesti Rétesház — arguably the best-known rétes spot in Budapest. Over 20 types of filling, an open kitchen and the chance to watch the dough being stretched by hand. If you’re trying rétes for the first time, start here.
📌 Dobay Cukrászda — a small family business that has grown into a chain of pastry shops over the years. People come here for more than just the cakes — the rétes is worth your attention too, especially the classic apple.
📌 Rétesbolt Anno 1926 — the name speaks for itself. Don’t come here looking for variations on the theme — only classic, time-tested recipes.
📌 Míves Rétes — a spot away from the tourist centre. A huge choice of sweet and savoury fillings, hand-pulled pastry and rétes that is often served still warm.
We’ve already covered rétes filling names in Hungarian in our post on the suffix -s.
