The Balettcipő's entry in the ongoing Budapest Burgerwar™ was an obvious candidate, given this corner's gushing praise for the Hajós utca eatery's take on that other very American sandwich, the Philly Cheesesteak, as well as its otherwise deft hand with beef. Sadly, the Ft 1,690 (€6.75) "Deluxe Burger" we tried didn't quite fulfill this earlier promise.

Mind you, this was not a bad burger. The bun, which was of the glazed, eggy variety that Hungarians nostalgic for the old commie days will fondly remember, suffered most of all: under-toasted and slightly stale, it wasn't up to the task of accommodating the Deluxe Burger's considerable heft through to the end. From there things got better. The meat - cooked medium-rare, as ordered - was more than edible:

Properly-cooked bacon, surprisingly good cheese, and excellent caramelized onions put the "Deluxe" in this burger, although we could've done without the over-condimentation that's so endemic in these parts. The fries were excellent, too. But it wouldn't be Hungary if there wasn't some quirk in an interpretation of a foreign food: in this case, the lettuce was on the bottom. Crazy Hungarians! In all, an underwhelming but otherwise enjoyable burger at the price. The pleasant surroundings and attentive service at the "ballet shoe" more than make up for any shortcomings, and with some serious bun work and slightly better-quality beef we could have had a contender.

How They Stack Up:

Meat: (6/10)
Bun: (4/10)
Trimmings: (8/10)
Service/Setting: (9/10)
Affordability: (6/10)
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Total Score: 6.6/10