Opposite from this building, in the place of today’s beautiful little park, there also used to be buildings prior to WWII, including the Széchenyi Palace, the Zichy Palace, and the renowned Fiume Hotel.
A few steps away, behind the storefront harmonizing with the wine-shop facade, is the Zhao Zhou tea shop named after a 9th-century master who taught monks in a ruined temple in northern China. The tea leaves sold here do not arrive from tea plantations, but ancient trees often close to 500 years of age. In addition to puerh teas, we can choose from a selection of white, green, and black (red) teas, perfect for brewing as many as ten cups, so a pot can serve three or four people at once. Don’t ask for sugar here, they (rightly) won’t allow their magnificent teas to be ruined this way.
Address: Budapest 1013, Lánchíd utca 5
Facebook
One of the most exciting bistro kitchens of this area – if not in all of Budapest – is ZONA. After stepping inside the pleasant interior designed by POSITION Collective, we take a seat at the back. It is clear that ZONA also benefits from the fact that Lánchíd Street has become more frequented since the recent reconstruction. The daily menu (2 courses for 2,800 HUF, 3 courses for 3,500 HUF) begins with a cold-fruit soup, but not before the arrival of excellent homemade bread, olive oil, and cold cucumber with caviar. The next course is breaded prawn served with eggplant and eggs, and the final dish is Kaiserschmarrn with cashew nuts and fruits. The latter is a dish we’d usually prefer in its basic and unaltered form, but chef Krisztián Huszár managed to upgrade it in a way that smashed all of our preconceptions.
The à la carte smoked angler and green peas combo is also excellent, while the chef’s main attraction, the lecsó, is proof that all dishes can be spruced up with style. Although he is the genius behind the creative foods and the aspiration to supreme quality, Krisztián Huszár will leave ZONA after the summer holiday, yet the place will remain a stable point in this renewing part of town.
You’ll find a completely different but still loveable world inside of Marvelosa. The heart and soul of the place is Ági néni, an architect turned restaurant owner and cook. At first, she wanted to open a café/art gallery, but in the end it turned out to be a homey restaurant with slight French overtones. We tried the soup with the sizeable matzo ball, followed by Villon duck breast with apple-orange-walnut salad. Arriving with spinach sauce and potatoes, the Vaszary salmon had a nice, thick, and crunchy crust. These were already to die for, but the Jusztika túró-cheese balls (named after the grandma) took the cake: they were soft and warm, with a perfect sour-cream sauce.
The love of arts is not only reflected in the names of the dishes: Ági néni’s painter daughter decorated the parlor with sometimes-daring-yet-still-harmonious colors. The family furniture, the piano music, and the abundance of plants make the place overly romantic – a nice getaway, alone or on a date.
We wrote earlier about Meat Boutique and its great recent transformation – its change of chefs has positioned the place higher in terms of gastronomy. The place comes with a patio and a view of the Chain Bridge from upstairs. Moving on, we reach the Várkert Bazaar, where the Testőrpalota (“Bodyguards’ Palace”) functions as an exhibition space since its renovation.
The center of the area is the recently renovated Várkert Bazaar, which we have featured multiple times. This masterpiece by Magyar architect Miklós Ybl – designer of the Opera House – was on the brink of collapsing, but then help arrived at the last moment. The importance of the investment is not simply the reconstruction: for instance, the Bazaar’s escalators allow for easy access to the Buda Castle.
The space has been assigned with new functions: the aforementioned exhibition space is joined by a multifunctional venue and a large underground parking lot. The courtyard, which had been closed for decades, can again host open-air events. According to reports, the Öntőház udvar proved to be an ideal choice for a Budapest Essentials concert.There is yet another building by Ybl in front of the Bazaar. Today an event space, this one-time pump-room structure was built in neo-Rennaissance style. The park in front of the building was also reborn along with the renovation.
On the southern end of the complex we find the Semmelweis Museum of the History of Medicine. One of the most outstanding doctors of the 19th century, aka the “savior of mothers”, was born here (then a trade house), where his father owned a spice shop. The museum is typical of Budapest in the sense that it is probably better known to tourists than locals – a situation that may be remedied after this renovation. Outstanding on a world-class level, the foundations of the 50-year-old museum’s professional prestige were laid down under the directorship of József Antall, who was later Prime Minister of Hungary. The Arany Sas Pharmacy Museum in the Castle District’s Tárnok Street is affiliated with the Semmelweis Museum.
The upstairs exhibition introduces the evolution of medicine, from before empirical methods up to the period of Ignác Semmelweis (1818-1865), featuring objects unseen elsewhere, as well as the complete furnishings of the one-time Szentlélek Pharmacy designed by Mihály Pollack. The downstairs space features temporary exhibitions: at the moment there is a spectacular exhibition on the renowned János Selye and his stress theory.
A few meters down from here, Döbrentei Street houses the area’s favorite attraction for children, the Mesemúzeum (Children’s Tales Museum), where visitors are entertained by the “World of Hungarian Fairy Tales” permanent exhibition, as well as various shows. You’d better be careful to not show nearby Asztalka to your kids, since the creations of this lovely hidden confectionery are highly addictive.
About opposite to the confectionery, at 10 Döbrentei Street, you'll find the Tabáni Flea Market with antiques, trinkets and a special vibe.
A whole day isn’t enough to soak up everything you can find in the area. Lánchíd Street and its environs have finally been reborn, attracting more and more visitors, which has brought about the appearance of quality services. We wouldn’t be surprised to see further evolution here in the near future.
Megjelent első bookazine-unk, ne maradj le róla!
Már 15 éve lélegzünk összhangban a fővárossal. Jubileumi kiadványunkban mindent megtalálsz, ami magazinunk és eddigi munkánk esszenciája. Gasztronómia, kultúra, városi legendák és Budapest arcai, interjúk, történetek és a legjobb helyek – úgy, ahogyan mi látjuk a fővárost.
Rendeld meg itt vagy keresd a nagyobb könyvesboltokban!
hirdetés
