Király utca 50 [map]
Pest Centre, VI, Király utca (T4/6), 5 min
Rating: 8.5/10
Not the most cosmetic of Budapest’s bars or coffee shops, Sirály is worth a visit as an informal, low-priced, student and Wifi hotspot. And sometimes, on certain evenings, you might stumble on some strange goings on in the basement.
As the day progresses, the ground floor slowly morphs from cafe to bar. Drinks are pretty cheap, no matter what you’re drinking and there's a basket of bready snacks on the bar, if you're feeling peckish.A spiral staircase winds it’s way past the first floor, little more than a lovers’ couch, to a more studious second floor. The Wifi connection can be a bit patchy but there is plenty of room to spread paper across the desks. Students may find that the library doesn't quite meet the cut.
Although actual decoration is pretty sparse, there’s usually some art exhibited at the top of the staircase and the whole place is littered with photos and flyers. I get the feeling that if you asked them to put anything up on the wall, they would. But Sirály's artistic tendencies only reach their full potential when there's something happening downstairs in the basement.
It's sometimes a theatre, sometimes a music venue: street-dance, French pop, experimental clarinet-driven Polish jazz. Sirály is not a stranger to a strange brew. And you can sometimes get away with whatever's in your pockets as an entrance fee: the plastic dinosaur you found in your cereal packet this morning, half a packet of chewing gum...
No-frills but customer-and bicycle-friendly, Sirály is the kind of place that you can sit around in for as long as your battery will last, without feeling any pressure to keep buying drinks. This might explain the fact that it never feels particularly empty, despite being pretty sizeable. And, if you hang on into the evening, you might just find something that you never knew you were looking for.
Although actual decoration is pretty sparse, there’s usually some art exhibited at the top of the staircase and the whole place is littered with photos and flyers. I get the feeling that if you asked them to put anything up on the wall, they would. But Sirály's artistic tendencies only reach their full potential when there's something happening downstairs in the basement.
It's sometimes a theatre, sometimes a music venue: street-dance, French pop, experimental clarinet-driven Polish jazz. Sirály is not a stranger to a strange brew. And you can sometimes get away with whatever's in your pockets as an entrance fee: the plastic dinosaur you found in your cereal packet this morning, half a packet of chewing gum...
No-frills but customer-and bicycle-friendly, Sirály is the kind of place that you can sit around in for as long as your battery will last, without feeling any pressure to keep buying drinks. This might explain the fact that it never feels particularly empty, despite being pretty sizeable. And, if you hang on into the evening, you might just find something that you never knew you were looking for.
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
What people we know think: 8.5/10
Walk down Király utca from Erzsébet körút. After the yellow church, look for an unremarkable-looking cafe on the right.
Siraly, Siraj, Shiraly, Shiraj, Shiray, Shirai
Andy Sz.
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The best!