HONESTY, RESPECT FOR INGREDIENTS, CREATING VALUE
Four years that became more than just a place
There are places you open.
And there are places that, over time, begin to live.
Madhouse is the latter.
Four years ago, we started during a time when hospitality — and the world around it — was filled with constant uncertainty. It wasn’t an easy decision to begin, and it was even harder to stay committed to it. Opening the doors, surviving, and eventually becoming the vibrant, living space we are today has been the result of collective effort. What happened after laying the foundations went far beyond us. It became a shared journey with our guests.
Where more things come together than first meets the eye
Madhouse was never just a restaurant.
It has always been more of a creative environment.
A place where gastronomy meets art, community, and the desire to create. Where every dinner carries a story behind it, every event is built around people, and every occasion adds something to what is constantly taking shape here.
Over the years, a network has evolved that is more than just a physical space — it is also a way of thinking. An open system where presence matters, and where something is always happening.
Shared creations, shared stories
One of the most important parts of the past four years has been collaboration.
We regularly invited creators, friends, and partners to build something together. Not just dishes, but entire menus, concepts, and experiences. These projects always began with the individual: their taste, their personality, their craft.
That is how entirely different worlds came together — from vegan cuisine to Jewish and Ghanaian dishes, all the way to plates inspired by theatre and music. These menus were only available for a limited time, and that is exactly what gave them their value. Every occasion was unique and impossible to recreate.
And in the process, something else happened: connections were formed. Friendships.
A community that extends far beyond the menu.
A place that is constantly evolving
Madhouse is not a finished story.
And it never wants to be.
It continuously changes, reinvents itself, and responds to what is happening around it. New people, new ideas, and new directions continue to shape what you see today.
The people working here are not driven by a single thing, but by a shared mindset: to create something meaningful.
To treat ingredients with respect.
To care about the details.
And to ensure that everything leaving the kitchen or the bar is genuine.
What is the goal?
Not to speak to everyone.
But for the people who walk in to feel something.
To feel that there is time to sit down.
Space to connect.
A reason to stay.
To create a place in the heart of Budapest where the experience does not feel assembled from separate parts, but unfolds naturally — while something essential still remains constant. The intention that every occasion becomes more than what it originally started as. That we become not just another place in the city, but a point you always find your way back to.
And what remains from all of this
This is how the story of Madhouse is built.
Not from one grand narrative, but from countless small ones.
A lunch that lasted longer than expected.
An occasion that became more than planned.
A meeting that later meant something greater.
And this story is far from finished.
It continues to be written every single day.
MAD Cook Book: take the Madhouse spirit with you
This book is the continuation of that story.
It is not only about taking recipes home, but also about bringing with you the mindset and atmosphere that shape Madhouse. The stories behind the flavours, the encounters, and the moments that were born here.
As you turn the pages, you will not only discover dishes, but also people, situations, and inspirations. Behind every chapter there is collaboration, conversation, and an idea that eventually took form. These dishes are not final answers. They are starting points. Invitations to think with them, shape them, and add your own taste to them — just as things are created here.
This book is an extension of the Madhouse world. A chance to experience this feeling not only here, but anywhere in the world.
Because Madhouse is not just a place.
It is an idea you can carry with you.
