bars & cafes | thehub.hu | guide to budapest

Margit sziget, [map]
Between Buda and Pest, II, Margit hid (T4/6), 2-5 min

Rating: 9.4/10 (Overall)

You might not find the word ‘kert’ in the Oxford English Dictionary yet but you’d be hard pushed to get through a spring in Budapest, without hearing someone ask: “When are the kerts opening?”

The kerts are open-air bars with a transient existence that begins in late May and ends in September. When they open, you know that the summer’s started and when they close, you know it’s over. Margit sziget hosts its fair share.

Holdudvar (Rating: 8.4/10)

The most sizeable and versatile of the island kerts combines restaurant, bar, and late-night dancefloor. Tables stretch out under orange West Balkan-style lanterns, past table-tennis, table-football, drinks bar, sausage bar (which smells pretty good), palinka bar and around the corner to a calmer grassy area at the back.

There’s a sense that Holdudvar is trying just a bit too hard to be all things to all people. It succeeds to a large extent, due to the fact that it’s so vast, but it does all feel a bit contrived. The dancefloor is now indoors and invariably packed. Music though is largely unimaginative but popular amongst tourists in holiday mood: “...murmer, murmer, LAST FOREVER... murmer, murmer... BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE!”

It claims to have an art gallery as well, whose true function is a place to wait for people who are in the toilets.

Sark kert (Rating: 9.3/10)

The most basic and Hungarian of the kerts on the island sits between Holdudvar and the river. Two days before it opened this year, it really didn’t look like it was going to. It’s not the most sophisticated place: a few huts house the bars, including one that sells sausages, hekk and pörkölt; seating is a bit rickety, and the floor is a kind of dry soil. There are always a couple of dogs running around too.

Sark kert though, has a hippy soul and is infused with a carefree, relaxed atmosphere. Sitting in the blazing sun, with some relief from the parasols, this might be Budapest or it could be somewhere on the other side of the world. There’s the occasional band too, and concerts tend to evolve into late night jams.

Cha Cha Cha - Terasz (Rating: 8.2/10)

Cha cha cha is not really a place for sitting around. It feels like a bar at some holiday resort – a wooden shack dancefloor at least assures you that you’re somewhere more exotic than Northamptonshire, while the accompanying leisure centre does nothing of the sort. Music is holiday-friendly, perhaps not as cheesy as Holdudvar. The bassline from Billy Jean escapes from its dance rehash and collides with Rihanna’s Umbrella. Cha cha cha does have its own personality though and always seems to be full of girls and indeed anyone who wants to dance.

By some well-thought out plan, they’ve decided to charge for the toilets, evidently with the aim of encouraging you to find the nearest tree instead, which is exactly what everybody does.

The other one (Rating: 7.0/10)

Now, it’s easy to forget that Margit Sziget has another bar: the imaginatively titled Sziget Klub Terasz. Given that it’s the first one you get to and the only one that has a river view without having to stand on tiptoes, it should be a much bigger draw than it is.

However, it looks like it might be a restaurant and no one’s ever going to remember that name. Besides, the music, coming courtesy of the radio, holds neither surprises nor atmosphere. An identity of some kind would work wonders – ideas anyone? Still, it’s quite a pleasant place to sip a beer and watch the river flow.
Hold, udvar, shark, club, terrace, outdoor, drinking, siget, hub choice

Walking down the island from Margit hid (Margaret Bridge), Sziget Klub Terasz is almost immediately on your left, and Cha Cha Cha follows soon after. For Holdudvar, continue in a straight line, past the fountain, and you should see the orange lanterns through the trees. Sark kert is to the right of this, bordering the river, with entrances on either side.

Andy Sz.

Károly körút 5 [map]
Pest Centre, VI, (M 1,2,3) 4 min

Rating: 6.8/10

The latest variation on this traditional Hungarian favourite is Főbe-járat, a dark, basement bar near Subway on Deák (...so near to Subway, in fact, that they share the same toilets.)

There's no Japanese manga on the ceiling and the furniture isn't made up of mismatched lim-lom. In this particular version, it's been personalised with surprisingly pleasant staff and an odd wooden finish - if somebody decided to turn their garden shed into a bar, and their garden shed was underground, it might look something like this.

When I was in there on a recent Saturday, the music was a mixed bag; the DJ threw on Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Blues Brothers, Jurassic 5 and Michael Jackson in quick succession. It didn't really fit together, but it seemed about right... the place had a feeling of carefree abandon. A bartender was playing with a toy which made his thumbs light up, much to the amusement of himself, while customers and staff pranced about like nobody was watching. In truth, given the amount of people in there, nobody really was.

Still, with bluegrass nights, karaoke, concerts, and even a táncház, you get the feeling that Főbe-járat is making a commendable amount of effort, that all ten fingers are in ten pies. And while it's a perfectly acceptable space, there's a sense that it doesn't really stand out, that adding a pinch of Szimpla, a spoonful of West Balkan and a dollop of Szóda leaves you with little more than just another familiar, red, underground bar. Having said that, any place at which the bouncers give out cake can't be all that bad. Perhaps it just needs a little time to find its feet.

Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Value for money: 6/10
What people we know think: 6/10


From Deák, head towards the Synagogue and Astoria. Take the stairs between Pizza Hut and Subway, into the basement.

Andy T.

Dob utca 15 [map]
Pest Centre, VI, Király utca (T4/6), 5 min

Rating: 9.1/10

Beneath the respectable Spinóza Café, lies a dark basement.

A small sign reading "Lámpás" hangs over a metal door, which opens onto a concrete staircase. Not exactly inviting but intriguing, perhaps. "Hey, what kind of place is it?", an American voice rang out from the opposite sidewalk. That's the thing with Lámpás: from its outer appearance, it could be a brothel, for all you know. It isn't.

For a basement bar, Lámpás is pretty cosy, despite being fairly rudimentary. The huge silver pipes are disguised with green netting. Where the ceiling is low enough for you to bump your head, they've placed ample wedges of foam (making it all the more likely that you will bump your head, if in a pleasant kind of way.) Like the vast majority of atmospheric bars in Budapest, Lámpás leans towards the red, despite a variety of coloured lamps and globular fairy lights. The combined effect comes out kind of Christmassy.

Tables and chairs fill almost the whole floorspace, although in the evenings, you'll be lucky to find any that are free. Just as frustratingly, getting to the tiny bar can be a problem, with two or three bar staff working their way through, on average, three rows of people (which is actually only 6 or 7 people).

Once there, however, the prices will warm your insides almost as much as the pálinka itself, of which there's enough to weather a nuclear storm in fairly high spirits. For a bar steeped in underground cool, it's astonishing that they've kept their prices down - a korsó Borsodi (a perfectly reasonable pint) costs no more than it would in a working class söröző, and undercuts Szimpla, for example, by over 100 Ft!

Lámpás' value doesn't rest there either. Although there's hardly space for it, musicians perform regularly: those that don't have too much kit. Jazz bands or DJs usually, in my experience. The program of events is a little hard to come by, although it is posted on the wall, if you can decipher it.

So really, you have to take your chances with Lámpás. If there's a seat, sit down; if there's music, enjoy. If you're not sure which toilet is which, guess. Cosiness, foggyness and cheap drinks, on the other hand, are all guaranteed.

Service: 9.0/10
Atmosphere: 9.0/10
Value for money: 9.5/10
What people we know think: 9.0/10

Dohány u. [map]
Pest Centre, VII, Astoria (M2), 3 min

Rating: 7.3/10 (Overall)

At the Astoria end of Dohány utca, a cluster of bars compete for the passing trade. They’re an odd bunch but provide an opportunity to either take in the Synagogue over a coffee or indeed, take part in a 100-metre pub crawl.

On the corner is Katapult Kávéház (Rating: 6.4/10) quirky underground chic, taken from the same litter as the Szimplas, Kuplungs and Szódas of this world. Toy ladybirds litter the window-ledge, colourful original artworks compete for wall-space, while rainbow lampshades and fairy lights complete the low-technicholor vision. “My sea...g...a..hol....it!” The music’s too loud for a bar that’s too small for a dancefloor. My seat’s got a hole in it too.

There is, however, something that disappoints about Katapult. There’s no table service, which isn’t in itself a problem, but I would, then, expect to be served at the bar. At its best, service is surly, at worst, the wait will test your patience. Prices aren’t rising as quickly as elsewhere, and this probably helps to preserve the local contingent, which has a tendency to turn its collective head as you enter but ignore you thereafter. Come on, drink up, let’s try...

Actually let’s not. Café Zenit (Rating: 4/10) has plenty of window space for Synagogue browsing but is itself all varnish and no character. Perhaps the management knew this would happen. Perhaps this explains their bizarre decision to make the bar in the shape of a boat. (Presumably, the barman pretends that he’s the captain of a ship when nobody’s looking.) Anything to wish himself away from the reality.

Mister Söröző (Rating: 4.5/10), on the other hand, is yellow and basic, like all Mister Sörözős. “Korsó: 145Ft!” it shouts from the window. A pint for 145Ft might be enough to lure you in depending on whether you’re doing a pub crawl. Probably not though.

Haverok (Rating: 6.6/10) or “mates”, in English, is a safe option but pleasant enough. It looks very new, and whoever designed it made an effort with the lighting and the photography: kids hanging out, playing baseball; a happy old man sits with his dogs. They’ve thought about the image, even if it doesn’t quite work. It’s a shame about the wood-look tables (they must have been on a budget) and a shame too that the garden at the back is inaccessible. Points for trying.

Turiszt Büfé (Rating: 8.2/10), then, is the unlikely gem. Now, you might consider that they’ve got the name wrong: at first glance, it looks about as tourist-friendly as Mister Söröző. But dare to walk in and you’ll find a small slice of times-gone-by. Plates painted with stags, a little collection of pots above the door, the ends of wine-barrels advertising Tokaji Aszű and Egri Bikaver.

It sounds like chintz and it is chintz. But it’s genuine chintz. I think that the old lady behind the bar puts them there because she thinks they look nice. There’s a wall clock in the shape of an over-sized watch – there’s no way this place has been designed. It’s 15 minutes fast, or perhaps 30 years slow. Either way, the idea that this kind of place can exist in downtown Budapest for much longer is doubtful.

In just a short stretch of road, you can get a good idea about what Budapest is: a multifaceted city, moving awkwardly into the 21st century. From moody-cool, through tourist-tat to old-time remnants, the variety might not include the perfect customer experience but it’s definitely worth a look, while all sides are still there to see.

Madách Imre tér [map]
Pest Centre, VII, Deák Ferenc tér (M1/2/3), 3 min

Rating: 9.1/10

Stashed away in the corner of Madach tér, Castro Bisztró is in no way Cuban or communist, so don't be fooled by the name. They probably called it that because it sounds cool. It is cool, knowingly so.

Behind the bar, film posters and postcards mingle with Andy Warhol's tomato soup like some hip student's bedroom. There's a photo-wall, which, when closely examined, isn't made up of real photos. The rest of the decor changes from time to time, with artwork from local artists: Hungarian pastries are somewhat tamer than the mischievous monkeys they replaced. Patterned tablecloths serve the dual purpose of disguising the aging tables and hinting at tradition.

The food has a Serbian angle and, in my personal experience, is a little unreliable. Think "eat-while-you're-there" rather than "go-there-to-eat". Try the csevapcsicsa (Balkan-style sausage meat) with pita and a bit of salad and you can't go wrong, although you might find your light-fingered friends diving in.

Indeed, Castro is conducive to groups rather than to meeting new people, even in the evening. Music is varied: the ubiquitous Depeche Mode relenting to some Turkish pipes and violins in the blink of an eye. From time to time, a live-act (usually free) occupies the far corner, making it even harder to find a table than usual - which can be problematic. The clientele is mixed, and you're as likely to hear English as Hungarian. The guy to my left, in his fifties, might look a little out-of-place, if not for his laptop. Free Wifi is always a bonus and Castro goes one better, with a couple of free terminals.

So do I like Castro or not? An old friend used to come here religiously every Sunday, sit at the bar and read the papers, and I can understand that. (Ironically, he used to describe himself as communist and, like Castro Bisztró, he blatantly wasn't.) It's relaxed and undaunting; foreigner-friendly, central but off the tourist radar. Castro might be a little under-staffed and a little over-engineered but nevertheless, it's got something that's hard to dislike.

Service: 7.5/10
Atmosphere: 9.0/10
Value for money: 8.5/10
What people we know think: 9.0/10

From Deák Ferenc tér, walk down Károly körút towards Astoria and you'll see a vast brick building on your left, which accommodates Madách Imre tér. Castro Bisztró is just to the right of the arch.
Castro's, Castros, Bisztro, Bistro, hub choice
Andy Sz.

Wesselényi u. 18 [map]
Pest Centre, VII, Astoria (M2), 5 min

Rating: 7.7/10

Blaha Lujza tér [map]
Pest South, XIII, Blaha Lujza tér (M2 or T4/6), 3 mins

Rating: 9.0/10

Arty but not too pretentious, spacious but not daunting for agoraphobics. Jelen is well worth a few hours of your life, even if it is full of people carefully wearing their scruffiest brown jumper.

It has everything you might need for a good night out, a well-stocked bar with draught beer and eight different pálinkas, a kitchen which serves nourishing meals until midnight, and even a little munchies-kiosk for later on. This is my favourite corner – a little duck-egg blue cubby-hole rescued from the village shop of your childhood, selling everything you craved as a stoned teenager. It has chocolate bars and scones; tobacco and skins; and since this is Hungary, hot wine, Unicum and túró rudi too.

The monochrome walls are covered in well-designed posters, all of which say the word ‘jazz’, but all I can hear from the dance floor in the other room is Smash Mouth and Deee-lite remixes. They often host concerts here though, and the high ceilings make for a good acoustic. Most nights however, all you hear in the main room is excitable magyar chatter, easily heard over the music from next door.

It’s obvious someone’s thought hard about how Jelen should look, but with bikes in the entrance, and the occasional dog wagging under the table, it’s still unfussy and welcoming. They could do with being a bit fussier about the loos, mind you. Jelen may be full of sociable folk discussing their favourite Jan Svankmajer films, but they still pee on the toilet seat and clog up the sink.

Service: 6.5/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Value for money: 7/10
What people we know think: 8/10

Lucy F

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.

Bajcsy Zsilinszky út 72 [map]
Pest Centre, V, between Nyugati (M3, T4/6) and Arany Janos (M3), 5 min

Rating: 5.9/10

Going to an Irish bar in Budapest is perhaps a little Irish, particularly when you have to pay through the nose for the experience. However, there are two valid reasons to visit: the football and the rugby.

With plenty of televisions and a range of channels, if you can’t see it here, you’re unlikely to find it elsewhere. Now that the English Premier League has shifted to Eurosport 2, the choice of venues is somewhat limited. To its credit, Beckett’s is reasonably spacious and does, at least, feel like a proper pub, drawing a good crowd for the big games. It also has Guinness on tap, if you've got a spare grand floating about in your wallet!

Sadly, Beckett's falls short in a few other areas. As with many Irish bars outside Ireland, the craic is a little muted. Service is really not the greatest: today, the poor barmaid is rushed off her feet, while her colleague faffs around with the TV remote, unconcerned by the burgeoning mass at the bar. If there's more than one game on, you may also find yourself shifted from one television to the next at the whim of the management. Elevated prices make this harder to swallow, while the food is on the measly side. The menu does have one saving grace: English sausages.

Unfortunately, with the lack of competition for sports bars, there’s little incentive to make any changes. As it stands, Beckett's provides just enough to keep the fans going back for more.

Service: 5.5/10
Atmosphere: 6.5/10
Value for money: 5/10
What people we know think: 6.5/10

From Nyugati, walk down Bajcsy-Zsilinsky utca, which runs perpendicular to the 4/6 tram-route. Beckett's is on the right, after a three minute walk.
Becketts, Beckets, Becket's, Irish Pub
Andy Sz.

Ferenciek tere [map]
Pest Centre, V, Ferenciek tere (M3), 0 min

Rating: 8.0/10

For coffee, cakes, waffles or ice cream on the run, Jég Büfé is fast, functional and reassuringly Hungarian.

This is not a cafe; you can’t sit down, for one. The more leisurely customers stand at the window counters, their eyes drifting out across Ferenciek tere, as they unconsciously persuade vast cream cakes to fit into their tiny mouths.

As with that other Hungarian institution, Hentes - the eat-in butcher's shop, there’s a procedure that you have to master:

1. decide what you want
2. remember the name
3. mumble something incomprehensible to the woman at the cash desk
   
4. pay
   
5. take your receipt back to the counter to see if you've bought the right thing
   

Soroksári út 8-10 [map]
Pest South, IX, Boráros tér (T4/6), 4 min

Rating: 9.2/10

This cheap bar, under the Raiffeisen Bank sign in Boráros tér, is a funny little place. Inside, it looks as if an interior designer, who also happens to be a teahouse enthusiast and a hippy, has thrown a bit of a wobbly.

None of the tables are at the same height, it’s dark in some places, light in others, and the drapes suspended from the centre of the ceiling make you feel like you’re drinking in a Big Top. And, while at first it isn’t exactly clear whether you should take your shoes off, downstairs in the concert space (usually worth the entrance fee), this decision is made for you. A cloakroom attendant collects them, leaving everyone in stocking feet. It makes for a rather quaint dance floor.

The bar itself is part of the sinister-sounding ‘Cökxpôn Ambient Society,’ which is actually an organisation formed in 1999 for young artists and environmentalists who like ambient music. They have close ties to Tilos radio and regularly operate a tent at the Sziget festival. However, in spite of the name, acts booked to play here are varied - the Szilvási Gypsy Folk Band for example, are hardly famous for chill out sets.

Still, Cökxpôn isn’t for everyone. The toilets seem to be under construction (they aren‘t), and the location feels a little inconvenient, unless you live in the 8th district or are on your way to A38. But that‘s part of the appeal. If it were in Central Pest, full of people every night and spotlessly clean, then it wouldn‘t be anywhere near as interesting. It’s open from six pm until very late.

Service: 8.5/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Value for money: 9/10
What people we know think: 8.5/10

Get off the 4,6 tram at Mester Utca and walk towards the river. When you get to the night bus stop at Boráros, turn left onto the square and start walking towards LUMU. Carry on for about two minutes and Cökxpôn is on the left, directly under the Maxell sign. hub choice
cokspon, cokspawn cock spon coxpon, cokspponn, coksponn, coksponn, cock sponn cok sponn
Andy T.

Egyetem tér 4 [map]
Pest Centre, V, Ferenciek tere (M3) & Kálvin tér (M3), 5 min

Rating: 8.1/10

Forget the New York Kavehaz and the famed Gerbaud; it's Café Alibi that keeps on being voted Hungary's Coffee House of the Year. On the hatstand, there's a bowler hat and a black umbrella. Painted posters advertise Italian coffee and Absinthe, while an antique cash register stands proudly atop the counter. The clinking of china mingles with the background jazz and the customers’ murmurs. Only the coffee itself departs from the 1920s theme by being really quite expensive.

The over-sized wall clock says five past six and free tables are becoming scarce. Perhaps it's the draw of the chocolate cake which I've seen paraded around a few of the tables. The blackboard menu, chalked up in English and Hungarian, is pretty ambitious too and at a very reasonable price: salmon steak and asparagus with creamy sauce; grilled 'young' squid in dill sauce...

Being next door to the University of Law, ensures a certain student presence but being so central, the clientele is broad, if strictly middle class. The location too beats that of the clutch of coffee shops a little further along Károlyi Mihály utca which have to contend with an absurd amount of traffic.

It's clear to see why Café Alibi has received such plaudits. Its bygone era feel is deliberate but not sterile, and an impressive food selection gives it the edge over many of its neighbours.

Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Value for money: 6/10
What people we know think: 7/10

From Ferenciek tere, head south onto Károlyi Mihály utca, which leads on to Egyetem tér, notable for its dirty orange church and a rather grand university building. Alternatively, from Kálvin tér, take Kecskeméti utca, which approaches from the opposite direction.
Allibi, alabi, allabi, alliby, allaby, cafe
Andy Sz.

Baross utca 8 [map]
Pest South, VIII, Kalvin tér (M3), 2 min

Rating: 8.6/10

Prága Kávéház is effortlessly satisfying. It has a traditional feel, without laying it on too thick, coffee served in a myriad of ways, a decent selection of teas and wines, beer on tap, and a few light snacks that are pretty light but reasonably priced.


In winter, shell lamps diffuse a warm glow through the basement-level windows, while in summer, the pavement outside is ample enough for enjoying a drink without feeling like you’re sitting in the road.

Prága seems proud of its coffee. It’s hard to escape the fact that they use “100% Arabica coffee”, and the menu, in English and Hungarian, goes as far as to make a distinction between a latte and a tejeskávé. The fact that it’s served with a small biscuit and a shot glass of water doesn’t do any harm to the idea that you’re being ever-so-slightly pampered either. (Perhaps I’m easy to please!)

The furniture, photographs, dark, bare floorboards, and staff who seem to know what they’re doing all contribute to the ambiance. Low-level music, of which I can only hear the bass and tripped-out rhythms proves that you can still create the right atmosphere without setting everything back to 1910.

Prága Kávéház is bigger than you think too, so if it looks too full don’t turn back too soon because it’s hard to find such range, value and atmosphere elsewhere in the city.

Service: 8.5/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Value for money: 8.5/10
What people we know think: 9/10

Király utca 46 [map]
Pest Centre, VI, Király utca (T4/6), 5 min

Rating: 7.7/10

It’s fair to say that Kuplung is probably the only bar in Central Europe which is located in a disused mechanic’s repair shop, and also has an enormous whale skeleton as its central feature.

Constructed out of papier mache and wire, the whale hangs somewhat precariously above rickety wooden tables, usually thronged with customers. At one stage, dozens of fairy lights were threaded through the skull, ribs and tail, the bizarre structure lighting up the room like a Christmas decoration from another world. However, at the time of writing, most of the lights had flickered out, and just a dark shell remains.

Located on Király utca, the entrance to the bar is unmarked but easy to spot. Crowds of young inebriated hipsters, wannabe-hipsters, punks, skaters or students are usually loitering outside, getting glared at and hushed by the tough-looking door staff. Once through the door, an intimidatingly large entrance hall leads to a large hangar with graffiti-covered walls. There is also an art gallery, as well as table football and table tennis. A separate concert hall is open at weekends and in the corner, a DJ plays tunes that nobody really dances to.

Király utca 50 [map]
Pest Centre, VI, Király utca (T4/6), 5 min

Rating: 8.5/10