meandering along the
cobbled streets, we
couldn’t help but think our map-reading
skills were in dire need of improvement.
We were in Pest’s 7th district, supposedly
the centre of the city’s coolest drinking
culture, but the signs were not looking good as we
passed row after row of crumbling apartments, our
feet becoming increasingly sore. Then we saw it: a faint,
green, glowing sign in the distance.
Fifteen minutes later, we’d made it to Szimpla
Kert (
szimpla.hu
),
the largest and most renowned
romkocsma,
or ‘ruin pub’, in Budapest. Over the past
decade, the city’s once-neglected Jewish quarter has
become home to its most banging bars, which pop
up – often temporarily during the summer months -
in abandoned houses, converted garages and former
schools. It’s not really a surprise we couldn’t find our
destination, as part of these venues’ appeal is that
they fly wilfully under the radar.
The best way to describe Szimpla Kert
is a cross between
Alice in Wonderland
and a creepy enchanted world, and it’s
always full to bursting. The word
kert
means garden and this is a feature of
many of these bars – making them ideal spots for locals
to head to when temperatures start to rise.
The summer garden at Ellátó Kert (
ellatokert.
blogspot.co.uk
),
hidden just down the road from
Szimpla, was closed when we got there later that night,
but local revellers had built a makeshift roof, under
which we huddled together on long benches, nursing
strong vodka and homemade lemonade. The barman,
Márton, happily plagued us with shots of
pálinka
(
Hungarian fruit brandy), claiming it’s better than our
“
British Jägerbombs”. And he was right. It provided the
ideal social lubricant as we got to know a group of locals.
Among themwas François, a Budapest native for over 20
years, who provided our next stopping-off point: Fogasház
(
fogashaz.hu
),
where, he said, the party really hardens.
That was an understatement. An electro beat-based
dance floor takes up the centre of the huge dilapidated
maze of a building, where rooms are filled with
creepy, hospital-like furniture and ping-
pong tables. It was the early hours when
we left with heavy heads and sorer feet.
Unsurprisingly, we got lost again
–
but this time it didn’t seem to
matter so much.
barchick.com
B A R C H I C K
B U D A P E S T
The most
banging bars
pop up in abandoned
houses, garages
and former schools
ILLUSTRATION
JOSEPH LOVELOCK
“
The joys of getting ruined”
This month, our secret drinks columnist explores
Budapest’s rocking ruin pubs
1 1 5
V I E W P O I N T S
