Honest Home-Style Hungarian
Anna's is simple restaurant. And I mean that in the best possible way. You won't find fancy tablecloths or pretentious service here. What you will find is good, old-fashioned home cooking -- that is, if your home happens to be Hungarian. Anna's is a true mom-and-pop establishment, with mom in the open kitchen and pop serving as waiter for the five or six small tables. Both of them chat freely with the customers and each other in English and Hungarian. A few bits of Hungary brighten the otherwise plain luncheonette-style atmosphere, and the friendly service makes you feel like you're in someone's house, not a restaurant. There are few places where the chef will come out to ask you how everything is (more than once), or to explain the dishes. The food was all excellent, from a long-simmered beef stew in a rich, heady, wine-based sauce, to a jazzed-up Hungarian version of Central Europe's ubiquitous cabbage rolls. A mushroom soup had an excellent depth of flavor. Fans of spicy food should be sure to ask for the shaker of Hungarian hot paprika for a little extra zing. The food can be rich (Hungarians love sour cream, and it finds its way into -- or onto -- nearly everything), and the portions are generous, especially considering the very reasonable prices. Because Anna's is a small place, not all of the soups on the menu are available every day, so if you have a favorite, you might want to call ahead. And on my visit, fairly early on a weekend evening, they had already run out of pork stew. However, there were plenty of other excellent options.
Recommended: Anna's crepe, mushroom soup, cabbage rolls, stews
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 8