How Much Food to Order Per Guest

For catering, plan roughly 250 to 300 grams of cooked rice per adult, 150 to 200 grams of stew or beans, a small portion of greens and salad, and one to two chapati. That is how much food per guest you need for a seated meal in Budapest. For a standing party where people graze and come back, add about a quarter on top of the hot dishes.

Most people get this wrong in the same direction twice: too many different dishes, too little of the one everyone actually wants.

How much food per guest to order for catering, dish by dish

Read that as a starting point, not a rule. Where pilau, a stew, beans, greens and chapati all sit on one table, nobody takes the full portion of each — a spoon of this, a scoop of that, and the plate lands around 500 to 600 grams.

Who eats more than you think

Numbers on paper are not people in a room. Count two children as one adult, but not toddlers, who eat almost nothing. Count students as one and a quarter — Budapest student life runs on one good meal a day. A party that runs to midnight eats more than a lunch that ends at two. And guests who have never had Kenyan food eat more pilau than you expect, because rice cooked in spiced beef stock is not what anyone was braced for.

Weather matters too. In a Budapest February, dark by four and wind off the Danube, people eat more. In July they pick at the salad.

What to over-order and what to keep tight

Over-order the rice. Pilau is the dish everyone returns to, and it reheats well covered in a low oven. Over-order the stew slightly too — nyama na viazi is better on the second day, when the potatoes have taken on the sauce.

Keep the salad tight. Kachumbari goes watery within a few hours, so there is no point in a surplus. Keep chapati close to the count as well; it is best warm.

If you are ordering trays rather than portions, what comes in a party tray explains how the quantities are grouped. For a full party menu built around these numbers, see catering an African party in Budapest.

Telling us your numbers when you order

Send three things by message on Instagram: the headcount, whether people will be seated or standing, and how many guests are vegan. Maharagwe ya nazi, sukuma wiki, kachumbari and the vegetable sambusa are all vegan, so that is easy to plan for in advance.

Prices are quoted per order in forint — send your list and you get the total the same day. Food needs a day's notice, more for a big event; a cake needs three days, or a week if the colour has to be matched. The kitchen is open Sunday to Friday and closed all day Saturday for the Sabbath, so food for a Saturday event is delivered on Friday.

This is a home kitchen where wheat, dairy, eggs and coconut are in daily use, so a trace-free plate cannot be promised. Tell us the allergy before ordering and you get an honest answer. If there is cake as well as food, how much cake you need per person covers that side of the count.

Frequently asked questions

How much food should I order per guest for catering?

Plan on roughly 250 to 300 g of cooked rice per adult, 150 to 200 g of stew or beans, a small portion of greens and salad, and one to two chapati. Add a quarter more for a standing party.

How much cake do I need per person?

A 1 kg cake serves eight to ten people as a proper slice after a meal. If cake is the only thing being served, count closer to eight than ten and order accordingly.

Is it better to over-order or under-order?

Over-order slightly on the rice and the stew, which reheat well the next day, and stay exact on the salad, which does not keep. Running out of rice is the thing people remember.

Order from Nyumbani Vibes Foods

Send us your headcount and we will work out the quantities with you — pilau, stews, beans in coconut, sukuma wiki, kachumbari, chapati and cakes. Open Sunday to Friday, closed all day Saturday for the Sabbath. Delivery to all 23 districts of Budapest, or collect at Erzsébet krt. 19 in District VII. Message WhatsApp +36 30 218 0887 or on Instagram at @nyumbani_vibeskehub25.