Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”, guitars, and album covers on the wall – these are the first impressions you get at this first European site of a USA-based chain. You can ask for a simple espresso at the counter glowing with LED lights, or you can decide to take a more detailed look at what the place offers: on the American-influenced drink menu, there are specialties like the “Dirty White Boy latte” or “Very Berry smoothie”. That’s the way it goes at every location of this coffeehouse chain, but it’s only in Budapest where you can order cocktails in a lounge section.

Classic Rock Coffee Budapest opened in October, and it’s the first European location of this American coffeehouse chain. Since we are talking about a coffeehouse franchise, the quality is the same, no matter where you are – at Corvin Quarter, or at the world headquarters in Springfield,
Missouri: they roast, blend, grind, and brew Ethiopian, Brazilian, and Sumatran coffee according to strict standards, using the world’s best espresso machine, La Marzocco. The Hungarian owners had to participate in a weeks-long training in America before opening the café, and now they personally train the baristas. The result is a place where real professionals make your coffee from quality ingredients, and the atmosphere surely fires up the headbanging rocker in us.At first we were holding back and only ordered a cappucino – after the first sip we realized that this is not an ordinary coffee, but something special. The coffee beans come from carefully selected grounds, and their combination results in a fruity and characteristic flavor.

The barista can spice up these drinks with raspberry and white chocolate, in case you order a Raspberry Beret frappé (1,260 HUF), just like we did. All the lattes, frappés, and iced coffees are named after famous rock ’n’ roll songs, and you can ask for them to be flavored with chocolate, caramel, and hazelnut – or vanilla in the case of the Great White Buffalo.You can even try a drink that is not in fact a coffee, but a tea made with milk: for example, Chai Latte is a real hand- and heart-warmer in cold times likes this. But there is a liquid refresher that is popular when the temperature is high or low – smoothies, which can be ordered in many variations. We’ve tried the Passionate Pomegrenade, which is a combination of mango, pomegranate, passion fruit, and banana. If you are up for some snacks, you can find all kinds of goods at the counter: mini sandwiches (270 HUF), ciabattas, brownies, and cheesecakes (650 HUF) – they all look tempting.

We especially liked the tables in front of the huge windows with built-in monitors and headphones hanging above them. Now, you might start to think that you can listen to music here – and you are absolutely right. You can choose from a long playlist of classic-rock songs. But if you don’t find anything to your liking or if you aren’t in the mood for headphones, don’t worry: the live stream of Classic Rock Coffee Company’s own radio station blasts from the speakers all day long, straight from Springfield. But if you leave the music corner and the coffee headquarters, you can discover a brand-new part of the place: the so-called lounge, where you can have an artisanal beer or a cocktail – a perfect place for casual gatherings and business meetings alike. There is also a small stage which is scheduled to host bar concerts and poetry nights in the near future, further enhancing the rockin’ atmosphere.
Classic Rock Coffee (closed)
Address:

1086 Budapest, Corvin Sétány 2/C