The visitors of the castle of Szigliget face a great number of temptations along the climb up. At the foot of the hill, the heavenly smells from Aranypatkó Restaurant will pull you back by the nose, while one-storey up your eyes will be glued to the ice-cream creations of the Várkert Confectionery.
Let's start this with an advice: resist the temptations and begin your trip to Szigliget with a tour of the castle, because with your stomach full you will certainly not climb up the steep path. An ice-cream, of course, will do no harm on the way.
Keep the visit to Aranypatkó Restaurant for after the visit to the castle, especially so as you will appreciate the abundant offers of the restaurant all the more after the climb.
Aranypatkó is one of the few resturants by the Balaton that can stay open throughout the winter as well. The majority of their guests arrive in the frame of a tour of the castle, because the summer heat only adds to the charm of the sycamore tree-lined, 140-seat restaurant terrace.
In the winter, the interior of the resturant - adorned with a tile-stove - is also quite charming. The young ladies visiting will be by all means captivated by the small private room - a popular location for romantic proposals in recent years.
The gastronomical revolution of Lake Balaton has already reached the majority of the local restaurants, including Aranypatkó. The kitchen buys the grey cattle beef and the goat cheese from local farmers, while the majority of their wines arrive from the winemakers of Szigliget.
According to the manager, Tibor Polgár, regional cooperation has been improving - the Aranypatkó has also been hosting a growing number of wine dinners together with local wineries. 'People tend to visit settlements at Lake Balaton where they have several other things to do in addition to bathing. Thus, it is also in our good interest to recommend local wineries and farmers, and they recommend us if anyone is looking for a good restaurant. We can only grow together.'
What are worth tasting at Aranypatkó? From the fishes of Balaton, the almond-coated deep-fried perch is the most popular dish, but the zucchini-coated fried catfish is also a true delicacy.
Meat-lovers will undoubtedly appreciate the various tenderloin creations prepared of grey cattle beef. From the end of May, the menu also includes tenderloin dishes a lá New Zealand and Brazil.
