It's been a long time since I've been home to NYC, which means I have had to endure my fair share of crippling food cravings in Budapest. The craving for a good ol' beefy American cheeseburger definitely hits often and hard, but unfortunately, has never been completely satisfied - as demonstrated by the many casualties in the Budapest Burgerwar™ so far. I went to the Sunny Corner Bar & Restaurant in Buda - not to be confused with the Sunny Lounge - with anticipation. Could this be the end of my torture and frustration? Would I finally discover Budapest's "it" burger place that defiantly scoffed at all those annoying European "revisions" to the classic US burger? Well, at first go, the answer was a straight up "No," as in, I was denied a burger altogether. I went for dinner and was told, after drooling over the burger menu, that Sunny was out of buns. Ok. Buzz. Kill. I was advised to come back earlier in the day, which I did, this time for a 3 p.m. late lunch.

Walking into Sunny with a burger craving was a little disconcerting. The place is decidedly "Miami" - flamboyant yet modern, with a soundtrack of downtempo music with some world music twists, white leather bar stools, pink napkins and these trippy, silver, disco-esque chandeliers above the bar. Not really the atmosphere you'd expect as a backdrop to greasy, carnivorous highs. Undaunted, I ordered the cheeseburger, which is moderately priced at Ft 1,480 ($8/€6) - a regular hamburger is Ft 1,100 ($6/€4). I was not asked how I'd like it cooked. That pretty much shattered any potential for burger sanctimony, but I persevered and enjoyed the view of Parliament, which sits directly opposite the restaurant on the far side of the Danube.

The Sunny burger definitely is strong on size. It's a damn big burger that demanded the crucial first-bite-offensive, as in "oh my god will this thing even fit in my mouth." I also was grateful to see that it was topped with iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage, sliced pickles, and a generous blast of ketchup. But I was perturbed by the leeks. Yeah. Sliced leeks. And no cheddar, just melted slices of processed, American cheese. The sesame bun was fresh, albeit top heavy. As I ate the burger, the bottom bun was too thin to withstand all the burger juice, and once saturated, it became slippery and unmanageable. The burger came with some truly delicious and perfectly prepared steak fries, but I had to pay an extra Ft 440 ($2.50/€1.80) for a little dish of ketchup to dip them in. Sorry, but charging for ketchup is so un-American.

Most importantly, though, the beef. This is what makes, but usually breaks a Budapest burger experience. Why oh why do Europeans overload their beef patties with seasoning and spice? There is nothing wrong with the pure and heavenly taste of ground beef cooked to a bloody rare. The Sunny burger was cooked medium well and was loaded with black pepper, paprika and onion. The seasoned beef was an assault on my taste buds and completely dashed my hopes for gastronomic deliverance. But, as I said, the burger was juicy enough to run down my fingers and hands, which triggered a vague recollection of the euphoria involved in devouring a genuine American burger.

How They Stack Up:

Meat: (6/10)
Bun: (6/10)
Trimmings: (7/10)
Service/Setting: (7/10)
Affordability: (6/10)
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Total Score: 6.6/10