Whenever a new confectionery, greengrocer, or bakery opens in Budapest’s Újlipótváros area of District XIII, the whole neighborhood becomes animated. The news spreads by word of mouth in the dog run, and everyone from the youth to the elderly eagerly wait for the new business to open. The existing shops welcome new enterprises, as well, especially if they can work together. Három Tarka Macska opened in the first week of April, and nearby residents line up in front of the store every morning since then. We couldn’t miss out on the newest bakery of Pozsonyi Avenue, either.
Even though the store’s logo features three black cats, its name, Három Tarka Macska, means “Three Spotted Cats”. It’s an absolutely authentic bakery, with real sourdough bread and without any smaller bread products measured by weight. During the trial period before the official opening, locals could taste various samples, including rye bread and Frenchbaguette.
As for the interior design, the place follows youthful and current trends – we especially like the wooden ceiling. Customers can sit down in the shop to have breakfast, but at the time of our visit (on the day of the opening), this proved to be an impossible quest, as the line to the counter didn’t seem to wane. As we were waiting for our turn and shamelessly snacking on some samples, we noticed a familiar face from neighboring Sarki Fűszeres, bringing along a bottle of chilled Hungarian champagne as a nice welcome gesture from one business to the other. That’s how things work around here.
From the customer area, we can see and hear what’s happening behind the scenes, as well: some French instructions from Pierre, the bakers’ conductor, who peeks towards us every once in a while, just to contentedly note that the line persists since 6am. They decided to assess the needs of the locals first, so they open early in the morning and close at 7:30pm. It’s a tough undertaking, but this reflects true commitment and sincere curiosity, which we wholeheartedly support.
We learned that they work with ten different types of flour, all of which comes from a French mill. While the bakery doesn’t use local ingredients, it produces and maintains the desired quality. Products range from small, rustic sourdough bread rolls (80 HUF) to breakfast (from 1,190 HUF), so we can not only drop by for a cocoa roll before work but also have a hearty brunch over the weekend, or if we live close by, sneak out for a baguette sandwich (from 650 HUF) anytime we get the munchies.
The aforementioned bread roll is crisp outside and light inside, filling, and has a rustic “X” on top – and thus has an entirely different attitude than run-of-the-mill bread rolls, just like the chubby, nostalgic crescent roll (75 HUF). A variety of loaves is line up on the shelves, from rye bread (490 HUF) to “grandma’s bread” (980 HUF/kg). The ciabatta is called manósipka here, meaning “elf hat”. The triangle-shaped baked good has its own name to help those who cannot pronounce its original, Italian name, and instead end up calling it Chewbacca (yes, that definitely happens). These “hats” comes in a plain version or made with olive oil.
All in all, the list of reliable bakeries in Budapest has a new item with Három Tarka Macska, much to the delight of the people of District XIII.
