Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest’s then General Manager, Emile Bootsma, first met gastronomy expert and restaurateur Roy Zsidai at the end of 2012 to discuss a future collaboration on a downtown restaurant concept that would feel equally relevant for hotel guests and for the city itself.
ÉS Bisztró opened its doors on 8 April 2013, bringing together the heritage of an international luxury hotel group and the local knowledge, spirit and experience of the Zsidai Group, a defining player in Hungarian hospitality.
ÉS Bisztró is a Hungarian–Viennese bistro and steakhouse in the heart of Budapest. From the beginning, it was created to move beyond traditional restaurant structures, offering a more relaxed, accessible experience where guests can come together over wine, food and conversation at any moment of the day.
The menu builds on a combination of well-known Hungarian and Viennese classics and carefully executed grill dishes, complemented by a strong wine culture and a considered beverage selection. One of the defining dishes of ÉS remains the classic Tafelspitz, continuing to serve as a key gastronomic anchor of the concept.
Across the menu, familiar flavours appear in a more precise and refined form, with greater emphasis on balance, detail and clarity. The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Péter Bárdos and Chef de Cuisine Gergely Kovács, under the culinary direction of Vernon Strachan, ensuring continuity while introducing a more contemporary perspective.
At ÉS, the focus is not on rigid dining occasions, but on the way people naturally spend time together in a city: a business lunch, an informal dinner, a glass of wine, or a longer evening that unfolds without structure.
A defining element of the ÉS experience is the Sunday Family Table, a generous and relaxed lunch format built around sharing. Guests are served at the table while certain elements create a more informal, communal atmosphere, making it a natural choice for families and groups of friends across generations.
Located on the pedestrianised Deák Ferenc Street, ÉS acts as a meeting point between locals and visitors, between everyday moments and special occasions. During the warmer months, ÉS extends into one of the area’s most iconic terraces along Fashion Street, offering a vibrant, open-air setting in the heart of the city, while in winter it transforms into a more intimate, seasonal space.
Seasonality also plays a role behind the scenes: during summer, fresh herbs grown on the rooftop of the hotel – including basil, mint, thyme and rosemary – find their way directly into the kitchen, adding another layer of freshness and connection to the dishes.
ÉS Bisztró is co-managed by Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest and the Zsidai Group, combining international standards with a distinctly local, family-driven approach to hospitality.
In 2026, ÉS Bisztró underwent a considered reset, marking a new chapter in its story. Rather than reinventing itself, the restaurant took a step back to refine what has always defined it, from the space and its details to the overall experience. The result is a more contemporary, clearer and more confident ÉS Bisztró that remains deeply connected to Budapest’s cultural energy and cosmopolitan spirit, while continuing to serve as a natural meeting point for both hotel guests and locals.