bars & cafes | thehub.hu | guide to budapest

Moszkva tér [map]
Buda North, II, Moszkva tér (M2, T4/6), 0 min

Rating: 6.8/10

Underground stations rarely house the most attractive or inviting bars. If they did, I would have seen a lot less of overground Budapest. No, usually they are the homes to professional drunks and people who wear string vests in public.

Not so, with Moszkva tér Bisztro. Firstly, it’s not underground but on the roof, with an outside terrace and panoramic views of a bustling square: one that has hardly changed in 25 years. For the vast majority of the year, it has a London Underground theme, purloining the logo and sporting a huge neon tube map, should you need to know how to get from Tokaji to Dreher. But for the winter, someone has seen sense in rebranding the whole thing as a ski hut.

It’s difficult to see how this marketing ploy is likely to pay off in the space of three months but it does contribute to the atmosphere, as you sit huddled beneath the indoor-outdoor heaters in your winter coat, surrounded by skis and sleds. You can get hot wine and hot bar snacks, in the form of kolbász (sausage), which might be enough heat to see you on your way, despite the glaring absence of proper walls.

The table football and cult-appeal draws in a wealth of sixth-form students but the convenience of the location also appeals to anyone who wants to take the weight off their feet. If you’re looking to relax however, beware that the regular barman is of the ‘entertaining’ kind, hurling a bottle around like Tom Cruise, to the wide-eyed admiration of anyone under 18.

Prices are generally reasonable, especially if you’re game for the “Bisztro Beer”, and you can even buy a hoody, if you like it so much that you feel like parting with 6000Ft.

Service: 6.5/10
Atmosphere: 6.5/10
Value for money: 7/10
What people we know think: 7/10

The 'bisztro' is directly above the metro station at Moszkva tér. It remains the Síház until 9th March.

Andy Sz.