Etiquette

Before eating anything, whether it's a piece of cake or a five-course meal, it's polite to do as the Hungarians do and wish everyone "jó étvágyat" ("good appetite"). If you're dining in someone's home, tell your host that the meal was "nagyon finom" ("really delicious"). A few key phrases like these will take you far in Hungary. Follow the generally accepted table manners and be polite, and you won't need to worry about offending anyone.
When Hungarians are finished with their meals they lay their knife and fork parallel to each other across the center of the plate. If the fork end knife are crossing each other, that signifies to the waiter that you're still eating.

When wine is served, it's considered rude to take a sip before everyone's glass has been filled and you've raised or clinked your glasses and wished everyone "egészségedre' ("to your health", "cheers"), which you du while making eye contact. Many people also consider it rude to refill a wine glass before it has been drained down to the last drop.

When drinking beer, things aren't as straightforward. Dating back to the end of the failed Hungarian revolution against the Austrians, October 6th 1849, clinking beer glasses has been considered offensive in Hungary. As thirteen officers were executed in Arad (which is in today's Romania) and former prime minister Lajos Batthyány was executed in Pest. Legend has it that the Austrians clinked their beer mugs in celebration (though this may be an urban legend, it is still widely believed). Because of this, Hingarians vowed not to clink their beer glasses for the next 150 years. Toasting was fine, but just no clinking. Technically the ban has now expired, but out of habit or respect many people still don't dare to clink their beer mugs.