Imagine that after a Saturday-night party, you wake up around noon and start craving a solid breakfast. You leisurely get dressed, walk to Andrássy Avenue, step into the Paris Department Store building, board the elevator, press button T, and when the door opens, a beautiful panorama unfolds before you. You sit down, and while browsing the menu, pleasant hip-hop spreads throughout the airy atmosphere. This scenario can be reality every weekend at 360 Bar, a popular Budapest nightspot where guests are lured to the rooftop on Sunday afternoons with four brunch menus.
Having breakfast, lunch, or dinner above the city is a special experience, since it is not every day that we can eat while surrounded by a sweeping skyline. While waiting for an order, guests can walk around the entire 360 rooftop area and admire the city: sights include Andrássy Avenue, the Buda Hills, the Parliament House, the Dohány Street Synagogue, the Sziget Eye and the Basilica, among many other landmarks.
Surrounded by such scenery, it’s understandable why this is one of the city’s best places to drink in the views along with potent potables in the evening, but the classic brunch menus offered on Sundays are a fine reason to come bask in the sunshine here. Beyond the actual meals, 360 Bar is creating a new tradition for this midday meal by declaring it as Budapest’s only Hip-Hop Brunch.
The DJ booth is a permanent fixture for every brunch event, with different mixmasters taking control of the turntables every week. At the time of our visit, DJ Nara and DJ Q-CEE, known from the Random Trip events of A38, were twisting the buttons. We really liked that the music’s volume was perfect so that it provided a lively mood for the meal, but did not disturb our conversation, as continually shouting “WHAT?” would really interfere with the pleasant tone proper for any Sunday brunch.
The menu selection is permanent: there is a classic English breakfast, a sweet breakfast, a light breakfast, and the legendary “Breakfast of Champions” featuring five sunny-side-up eggs, baguettes, and a half-liter of orange juice for 1,900 forints, which is more than plenty of food for the first meal of the day. The English breakfast costs the same amount of money, and includes a sunny-side-up egg, bacon, sausage, beans, tomatoes, black pudding, and, naturally, tea.
Those with a sweet tooth can choose the croissant with butter and jam and a daily pastry (like a cottage-cheese puff or a cocoa roll), with a smoothie or cold cocoa, for 1,350 forints in total. However, in case we would rather go easy on our stomach, the light brunch is an ideal choice for the same money, with muesli, yogurt, fruits, honey, and orange juice or a smoothie.
We might not realize it when first looking around 360 Bar, but the place can hold up to 120 people for brunch. We recommend arriving early and reserving the seats with the best city views.
