At Retro Lángos Budapest, the first bite is more than just a taste – it’s an encounter with tradition. A dish shaped not only by recipes, but by people and their stories. And while attention often turns to toppings, flavours or new locations, there are those who work quietly in the background, yet are present in every single lángos. Anikó is one of them.
She has been part of Retro Lángos Budapest for ten years. And if there is a moment when a lángos truly shows its character, it doesn’t happen at the counter, but where the dough takes shape in her hands. Behind her work lies years of experience, careful attention and an attitude that makes a lángos genuinely good.
How Lángos Became Part of Anikó’s Life
Anikó’s journey began long before Retro Lángos Budapest. She worked in environments where the day started at dawn and often ended late in the evening. That rhythm taught her that details matter – and that good work requires patience.
In 2015, she had the opportunity to join the Retro Lángos team. She didn’t arrive at an average lángos spot, but at a place where attention and quality were already important from the very beginning.
The Early Years of Retro Lángos Budapest from the Inside
Her path led from the Mexikói út location to the Arany János Street lángos shop. A small, close-knit team worked together there, where every shift had its own rhythm. It wasn’t only about making lángos – a mindset was taking shape: how to prepare a classic Hungarian dish with the same care, day after day.
“That’s where it really became clear to me that it’s not enough to do your job well – you also have to love what you’re doing,” she says.
New Locations, New Experiences Behind the Lángos
As the city and circumstances changed, Anikó’s work unfolded across different locations as well. There was a period when she worked outdoors at Zsiráf, where she met guests in a completely different rhythm.
Those years brought new experiences: flexibility, quick adaptation and an even stronger focus on details. Lessons that later became part of her everyday work.
Why a Good Lángos Is Decided at the Dough
When she returned to the current location, she spent some time working at the fryer again, before gradually moving into kitchen preparation. Dough-making and shaping became the area where she truly feels at home.
“Everything is decided at the dough,” she says. Texture, proportions and timing together create the foundation of a truly good lángos. When everything is right here, the result follows naturally.
When the Work Receives Confirmation
Quality is not always loud – but sometimes it speaks for itself. On one occasion, the team achieved an outstanding result at a lángos competition, without any prior preparation, which was later covered by the press.
For Anikó, this wasn’t a goal, but a confirmation. Proof that consistent, everyday work truly pays off in the long run.
The True Strength of Retro Lángos Budapest: People
As the years go by, it becomes increasingly clear to her that the success of Retro Lángos Budapest doesn’t only lie in recipes, but in the people who stand behind it day after day. Not loudly, not in the spotlight – but with dedication and care.
For Anikó, lángos is more than food. It’s a story that is retold again and again with every piece of dough. And when a guest takes that first bite, the texture and lightness of the dough tell the story of how much work and love went into it.
