Taberna Infinito is located on the Kisapáti side of Szent György-hegy. For now, they are only open on Saturdays with a limited menu – this is the test things out before going full steam ahead next season. You can only stop by if you’ve made a reservation. To get to Taberna, you have to follow the Infinito signs from the main street in Kisapáti.
Owner Sándor Bicskei is also the chef. He used to have a pizza place in Budapest, and then he opened a Greek food bar. After taking a break from the restaurant business, he fell in love with the Káli Basin and the Balaton Uplands. Four years ago, he bought a small house with a view of six of its isolated hillocks.
In 2015, he decided to open an eatery. The menu took shape with grilled meats, salads and freshly baked pita. The venue is friendly, homely and authentic. Bicskei thinks of it as more of a garden party, a gathering, rather than a restaurant. Here you can freely walk to the salad bar to serve yourself then sit down by the pool – you're here to relax.
Help-yourself is the concept here: the food and drink (Biovitis wines, iced teas and cordials) are all included in the fixed price, currently 5,990 forints. Fruit and vegetables are locally sourced, the chutney is homemade while the meat is also carefully selected.
Although there are various plans for the future, being open every day isn’t one of them: according to Bicskei, you can’t do something with love and maximum devotion if you are operating seven days a week. Next year, he hopes to expand the selection with Asian cuisine, while heavier Hungarian dishes will be available from this autumn. More local wine will also be on offer.
Live music is also being considered: flamenco and jazz will soon come to Taberna. Pool parties can be expected next summer. With the location, the view and all the facilities, it comes as no surprise that wedding organisers have been calling.
Taberna is a family business and Bicskei hopes it will stay that way. Various members have been pitching in to make all his plans come to fruition. Someone has got to take care of the cacti and bougainvillea that he planted around the terrace, giving Taberna Infinito a Mediterranean feel to augment its homely atmosphere.
Szent György Hill is a truly unspoilt, tranquil, and wild spot of the Balaton Uplands. This is the home of butterflies, bats, dormice, and basalt organs born from lava, and it definitely pays off to take a long tour and discover everything here. You can find caves that are cold even during the summer, eerily deserted spots, and even a chapel that was converted from a wine press house. And if after the long walk you feel like you need a glass of wine, this is definitely the place to be.
There’s an abundance of new restaurants around Balaton attracting a wider range of diners. From new-wave beach buffets and meat-focused kitchens to revamped legendary terraces and vegan bistros, here are ten new or renewed places around the lake that are worth a try this summer.