Sometime in the early summer, there was a street fair on Bajnok Street, and recently we heard that a "pay what you want" crêpe shop opened in District VI. We did not know that the two events happened at the same location until we sat down to talk with the person behind the idea of Fánkydoo. This is not “just” a crêperie, and the fact that it operates with an honesty box is not the “only” point. This is a friendly club and basement hangout for a creative crowd, where they also make great Hungarian-style crêpes.
The name Fánkydoo is rather discreet over the basement door – as we peek in, we can see a rear bicycle wheel, colorful decorative lights, and exposed brickwork, but as we sniff the air, it is obvious that something is cooking down there. The smell of maple syrup and Nutella fill the atmosphere, so either some bicycle enthusiasts are cooking in their basement headquarters, or there is an eatery of some sort here. Actually, both guesses are correct. István Kiss, the person who dreamed up the place, told us why.
Fánkydoo embraces several creative ideas, with its headquarters being this basement on Bajnok Street. István is originally a graphic designer, but he is quite interested in photography, as well, and a few years ago he started dealing with catering as a side profession. They used to operate many small but loveable palacsinta (Hungarian for "crêpe") shops on Hajós Street and at Deák Square, with fixed prices. But that era ended, and István looked for new challenges; since he read a lot about the psychology and methods of "pay what you want" box catering, he thought that this technique would work in Budapest, as well. There were other “pay what you want” places in the city and they did well, but for a while we could not find similar venues in Budapest. Thus came Fánkydoo.
István trusts people – not Hungarians, not Budapest citizens, but people in general. He believes that if someone visits this cozy basement, eats a palacsinta, feels good, and considers coming back, they will definitely put their share into the honesty box. Although there is a poster with the rules of the house on the wall, most customers are so nice that there is no need for further regulations. Since they do not advertise the place and there are no gigantic banners in front of the shop, people usually find Fánkydoo only through word of mouth.
The future of Fánkydoo is planned to be much more than a mere crêperie. Soon there will also be a brand with shirts, dresses and sweaters with printed patterns designed by István, and made with wooden printing blocks instead of screen printers. These clothes will be the products of the "pay what you want" boutique soon opening in Fánkydoo. However, in this store, we can only “borrow” the clothes for one week. If a piece was “ borrowed” many times, it will be up for auction to find a permanent owner. In addition, a self-service bicycle repair area also operates in the basement, so bikers will be able to drop by in case of a mechanical emergency. Soon we will be able to rent tricycles as well, or try Fánkydoo’s “Date Bike”, which will be a rickshaw-like vehicle with a built-in table, for nibbling on palacsinta while biking around Városliget. All in all, they have plenty of great ideas.
After the Fánkydoo “feeling” enveloped us, we could not wait any longer to try the heavenly smelling giant crêpes and American-style pancakes. We started with a cheese, sour cream and ham palacsinta, continued with a classic Nutella and banana combo, and then topped off everything with an American pancake sprinkled with maple syrup. All of them were filling, and the Nutella is genuine, not just some cheap knock-off nut cream. The sour cream was thick and the maple syrup was nice, as well.
The friendly basement is packed with István's family memories. We found an old sideboard from our grandmothers’ time, a porcelain deer nightlight, and even a Sega console from the ‘80s, not to mention the retro board game collection. The spirit of the place, the nice company, and the sweet smell and taste of the palacsinta could entertain us for hours. Since recently, beers of the Stari Brewery are also available in Fánkydoo, although we can only buy these with a “supporter ticket”, but still for a lower price than in other Budapest eateries.
We really enjoyed ourselves at Fánkydoo. This is really the kind of place to go with your friends to talk, eat, and drink. It is almost like being in your own apartment: there are no constraints, just a warm atmosphere, delicious palacsinta, and the honesty box.
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