We can’t really categorize a new place that recently popped up on Bródy Sándor Street, not far from the National Museum. This tiny locale operates under the name Bisztró Nyúl (“Bistro Rabbit”), even though they don’t exactly offer food, only fresh-squeezed orange juice, coffee, croissants, and cool trinkets – all of which remind us of a retro holiday home at Lake Balaton. Even though it opened only a few weeks ago, the place already has regulars – we hop over to learn why.
While walking along Bródy Sándor Street in downtown Pest, it’s easy to spot Bisztró Nyúl – just look for the carrots. Despite the expressive name, the shop has about as much to do with rabbits as it does with food, but inside there are plenty of retro objects providing an atmosphere that reminds us of our grandparents’ holiday home at Lake Balaton.
Dining is primarily represented only in the form of cookbooks and recipes here, all provided by the owner, Erzsi. She is a gastro-blogger with a mascot of a shabby bunny toy, whom her blog and the place itself were named after. Erzsi plans to constantly hold exhibitions, workshops, and garage sales in the shop, and expects the area’s residents to welcome the initiative.
We are certain that locals appreciate this offbeat locale: when we dropped by around noon, a certain Uncle Lajos – who has been living on this street for 54 years now – was drinking his usual coffee in front of the shop. Until now, he went elsewhere for his caffeine fix, but recently became a regular at Bisztró Nyúl. This says a lot about the place, which is also a realization of an old dream of the owner, who previously worked with photography. During our stay, a surprising number of people came in for their “usual” order, or just to exchange a few words with Erzsi amid the summer heat.
“That’s the kind of place this is, but I could not really tell you what exactly it is. Maybe a living room where people can hang out, even if they don’t buy anything and just want to tell someone about their problems,” – says the owner while she puts vinyl on the record player; LPs can also be purchased here. Anyone can bring their records in and put them on, or can squeeze fresh juice for themselves for the price of an orange.
We cannot define the exact nature of this place either, but we realized that we don’t even need to: Bisztró Nyúl is a welcoming spot where we can drink coffee, chat, ponder on things, or buy a porcelain dolphin to put on our lacy-tablecloth-covered coffee table. The point is that the hectic part of the world, which many of us dislike very much, cannot reach here.
Address:
Budapest 1085., Bródy Sándor Street 11.
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