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My Favorite Places In (and around) Budapest |
Has (almost) everything below, in addition to some other stuff that I didn't name.
It's only on Sundays, but I'd go here every Sunday when I could. Szimpla's atmosphere is entirely different in this context. There's all kinds of stands: honey, cheese, meat, vegetables, pickled vegetables, mushrooms, truffles... So many tasty things. And at the back of the place, they have a soup or stew meal, where all of the proceeds from sale/donation go to feeding the homeless of Budapest. Also, the decor is super cool. Imagine what would happen if you turned a feral band of artists loose in a junkyard, and then told them to come back in two weeks with something cool. Super eclectic.
This place is kinda funny. It's definitely a tourist destination, but it's also a place that regular Hungarians go to on a regular basis. I did a lot of my grocery shopping here while I was in Budapest. Each stand sells something very specific, whether they're greengrocers, butchers, bakers, or dairypeople (?). It's a good place to find souvenirish stuff, too, with the entire second floor full of kitschy stands. It's also just downright impressive. It's housed in something that might have been a rail station in a past life - it's a gigantic open space with a massively vaulted ceiling.
These are a very Hungarian thing. They also show up in Japan, but they're very much line with the Hungarian love of puzzles. The concept is this: you make a reservation with a group of friends, show up, and then you're locked in a room. There's a Big Red Button if you get stuck or freaked out, but the idea is that you have to find clues to help you move through from one room to the next, and you're given an hour to do so. If you finish it in that time, you win; if you don't, you don't. They aren't easy, either. I got recommendations from my friends on which ones they liked best:
My favorite of the baths around Budapest. They're built in the Turkish style, as opposed to the Roman style of the Szechenyi baths, so they're smaller, darker, and cozier. They've got hot pools, cold pools, everything in between pools, a sauna, and a steam room. It's an incredibly relaxing experience (enough so that my roommate would make a pilgrimage three times a week).
Sitting at the top of Gellert hill, it has the Budapest equivalent of the Statue of Liberty and sits in a spot that overlooks the entire city. It's a great place to be at sunrise and sunset, and the walk to the top is entirely doable.
This is a museum in what was originally a hospital built into a cave network under Castle Hill. The place was originally opened in the early 1900s, and stayed open alternately as a civilian and military hospital until the 1950s, when it was effectively converted into a Cold War nuclear bunker. The tour offers a really interesting look at the military history of Budapest, as well as being in a really cool structure.
This is one tourist destination in town that I really appreciate as just a place. There's some epic statues, a great view of the city, and a gorgeous cathedral. It's a good place to just walk around.
The biggest synagogue in europe (?), and a big tourist destination. I never got to it myself, but I walked/rode past it just about every day, and it's an impressive structure. It may actually be a part of your visits, now that I think about it.
I never got to this one either, but it comes highly recommended. It's a museum of sorts that takes a vaguely satirical look at Soviet times in Budapest.
This is just down the street from Szimpla, and consists of a half-dozen or so food trucks of various inclinations. Burgers, asian cuisine, langos, and sausages, among other things. You're basically guaranteed to find something tasty. The layout of the place is really cool.
These places are run by the same people and are within a 10-minute walk of each other. One sells pasta, the other one sells soup, and they have similar concepts: cheap single servings of a rotating selection of things that are easily carried out and consumed elsewhere. All of it is better than decent.
Where it's at: Just up the street from McDonald's at Keleti
There's Istanbul Kebab all over the place in Budapest, but the one at Keleti is my favorite. The gyros pitaban was a staple among my friends while I was there: a pita pocket filled with greasy, salty chicken (or beef), a small assortment of vegetables, and a tzatziki-like sauce over the top of it, all for only slightly more than $2. Keep an eye out for the guy who serves in only boxers under his apron.
We called it "the meat place." It's a very Hungarian experience - you go there over lunch, stand in a small scrum in front of the counter, shout your order to someone who may or may not speak English (but don't let this deter you), and receive a gigantic pile of various permutations of starch, meat, and deep fried. You load up on the pickled vegetables at the serve-yourself station and eat standing at one of the various counters around the place and it's totally awesome.
We called these places "teahouse treehouse," referring to them interchangeably. You know those cat play/lounge structures with all of the platforms and cubbies? These are like that, but for humans. You walk in, take off your shoes, find a nook, and then the waiter serves you where you are. It's super cozy and comfy, and the tea selection is awesome, too. Altair gets a slight edge for me, but both are awesome.
I think they call themselves a "chocolate bar." I'd go there for the hot chocolate. It's so good. It's the most absurdly, sumptuously rich hot chocolate experience I've ever had. They have something like 20 varieties, too, and that's just of the hot chocolate - they've got all kinds of other goodies too.
This was my favorite of the coffee shops that I found. It's not unreasonably priced, has a bit of outdoor seating, and a nice atmosphere besides.
A hole-in-the-wall kind of brewpub. The brewery isn't on the premises, but everything that they serve comes directly from there. It's a cellar-like atmosphere. A good place to hang with friends - not very noisy. The beer is quite good and rotates regularly.
A little tiny super awesome bottle shop. They import from all over europe (and from America, but that's less interesting in this context). They've always got something interesting on tap, and the bottle selection is staggering. I highly recommend anything made by Mikkeller (a Danish brewery) and Brew Dog (a Scottish one).
My favorite of the ruin pubs. Has a selection of 20 beers on tap, most of which are Hungarian microbrews, and run the gamut in terms of variety. Lots of space to sit/stand/hang, both inside and out, and has a really relaxed atmosphere. It's a good place to hang and converse.
This place has a really cool concept. It's a different menu every night, based on what's available and the whims of the chef. They make an example of each plate, which they have out on a sidebar, and you order by pointing at something that looks tasty and saying "I want that one." Everything I had there was wonderfully tasty, and prices were reasonable.
These guys have a fantastic brunch spread. Waffles, crepes, cheese board, sliced meat, all kinds of wonderful spreads... Their whole thing is the super-fresh super-organic non-GMO whatever whatever. The results are very tasty.