As opposed to the wild party ambiance of the two classics, the recently born little brother of Anker and Anker't radiates cool bar vibes. I3I has finally opened on Kazinczy Street. The freshest spot on this iconic stretch of party places didn't have a fix concept: it was shaped in harmony with guests' demands, and created so it would leave behind the somewhat stale atmosphere of your average ruin pub.

The little brother of Anker't and Anker had a bit of a shaky start, nestled among the ruin pubs of Kazinczy Street, a few weeks ago. Its goal is to move away from the world of rusty bathtubs and antique radios toward a bar vibe everyone can enjoy. I3I doesn't exactly remind us of its two ancestors: instead of wild parties, the place offers a bar ambience with modestly loud music and a cleaner design. The interior evokes a feeling of emptiness at first, strangely without eliciting a sense of lack.

The average day at I3I looks like this: it opens at noon with a 970 HUF lunch menu. The selection consists of dishes like honey-mint apple cream soup, chicken breast strips with Thai vegetable rice, pork tenderloin and potato Brassó style with mixed pickles, potato with olives and feta cheese, and BBQ seitan with steak potato for vegans. Lunch has no official time frame, but you'd better hurry as the special lunch menu is only on offer while supplies last.

The kitchen, of course, stays open - even until midnight (if there's demand). So if you get hungry between drinks you can eat, let's say, a beef burger with red onion jam, honey-chilli chicken wings (1190 HUF), a dip plate with crunchy pastries (1190 HUF), bar snacks with your choice of sauce (490 HUF), or steak potatoes (690 HUF). What's great about it all, is that the dishes are prepared in an open-view kitchen, so you can witness the entire process. The prices are perfectly ok as well.

When the evening arrives, the giant space is filled with excitement. The drinks menu comes to the foreground. While the range isn't particularly wide, it's been carefully selected. The result is premium quality at a standard downtown price with the goal of serving great drinks with great food. The staff behind the counter are professionally trained, so if you want a fancy cocktail, just ask.

So far, it seems that the regulars at I3I come from the creative scene, but a large number of the guests are people who drop by on their way to other bars, pub crawlers bending time and space, and globetrotting backpackers. The place is pet and bike friendly.
I3I - Három (Three) (closed)
Address:

Budapest, 3 Kazinczy Street