Budapest’s top 5 ruin bars, according to The Times
Posted by Mia Balogh · Aug 3, 2016

The Times’ recent compilation about the best ruin bars in Budapest is worth checking before you plan a ‘pub tour’ in the city.

Battered furniture, interesting interior, friendly staff and some good booze. Ruin bars are nothing new in the Hungarian capital (they emerged in the late 1990s, mainly in the 7th district’s Jewish Quarter), but The Times’ new list about the best ones may have some new information about these places for you, too. So check it out!

Instant

They mention Instant first on their list, saying that ‘the largest ruin bar in the city sprawls across 26 rooms in a former apartment building — and it’s open until 6am. Head upstairs to find the smaller, calmer areas (one still has an original bathroom on display)’. They suggest you to melt in the ‘happy throng’ there and enjoy a local beer, Dreher, surrounded by sculptures of rabbits, winged owls and a boar-shaped disco ball.

Address: 38 Nagymezo Street; more information: http://instant.co.hu

Mazel Tov

If you would like to spend a night in one of the brightest and most elegant ruin bars of the city, they think that Mazel Tov can be the right choice for you. ‘That doesn’t mean it holds back on the palinka shots. Oh, no — the friendly staff are only too happy to explain the subtle differences between the 17 varieties in stock. This is a good place to eat, too: try the pargit chicken skewers and the falafel’ – they write on their website.

Address: 47 Akacfa Street; more information: http://mazeltov.hu

Csendes

The ruin pub’s name means “quiet” — it’s a place for chatting, not dancing on the tables. ‘This District V bar reveals its quirkiness slowly: it’s only when you put down your coffee cup that you see the amputated mannequin limbs and leering Disney characters looking down at you from the rubbish (literally) mounted on the walls’ – The Times writes.

Address: 1053 Ferenczy Istvan; more information: www.csend.es

Most

You can find here one of Budapest’s best brunches: the mimosas are enormous, the croque-monsieurs decidedly cheesy. This spot is comfortable and cozy: ‘You’ll feel just as much at home reading the papers over coffee in the morning as you will sipping a Soproni beer after dark’ – we read on the list.

Address: 17 Zichy Jeno; more info: http://mostbisztro.hu

Racskert

Enjoy the festival-like atmosphere in Racskert that used to be a car park. Ice tea and hot dogs are favoured by tourists and locals, just like live music and graffiti. ‘Candy-coloured strobe lights dangle overhead and there’s an array of blooming pot plants’ – The Times’ writer mentions.

Address: 40 Dob Street; more information: http://facebook.com/racskert

  • budapest
  • ruin bar
  • the times
  • top 5
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