Hotel President is the elegant hotel of Hold Street that we’ve already covered when discussing luxury accommodations or the most beautiful panoramas of Budapest. This time, however, we visited the palatial building, which has been operating with a new owner since September, to check out the recently opened Intermezzo Roof Terrace and the renewed restaurant and café. Since last October, they have a new F&B manager, Tamás Nehéz, and since this June a new chef, László Bennó, brought around a youthful, fresh energy.
The first and most important thing we learned is that these services are all accessible to the public. By this we not only mean that anyone can walk up (or rather, take the elevator) to the 8th floor restaurant and bar, but also that the prices of the foods and drinks are not only for presidents. On the roof terrace, we can munch on fresh and juicy hamburgers (4,490 HUF), sea bass (5,490 HUF) and rib-eye steak (6,990 HUF), or a simple paleo brownie (1,490 HUF) in case we’re not too hungry. Meanwhile, we can enjoy unparalleled views, and since the place is open from 5pm in the afternoon until 11pm, sunset-framed romantic dinners are easily arranged here. Upon arriving to the hotel, we only have to announce why we came at the reception, and then take the elevator to the rooftop terrace.The restaurant below received a serious facelift in terms of its interior and menu as well, and most importantly, now offers a lunch menu from Monday to Friday, with rather affordable prices at that: two-course meal costs 1,490 forints, although there are three- and four-course options as well, not to mention the delicious strawberry lemonade. Otherwise, we can order whatever we’d like from the à la carte menu, and can enjoy our order on the terrace. Regardless of whether we visit the upstairs or downstairs restaurant, we recommend reserving a table in advance.
We can also find a wellness section in the hotel, which is also available for walk-in guests. It might be small, but it has everything necessary: between 7am and 8pm, we can swim, use the sauna and the Jacuzzi, or even the gym. A daily ticket costs 2,800 forints, and in addition, we can also pay for massages. Events are frequently held in the hotel, as well: there already was a wedding on the roof, but they also offer very good options for various meetings and conferences.Hotel President began the year with youthful vigor, and is performing very well. The roof terrace might easily become a summertime favorite, especially since various programs are going to be held here, as well. On July 21st, they will serve a seven-course menu in collaboration with Zoltán 18, and on August 20th, we can watch the fireworks from the roof terrace while enjoying a buffet dinner and live music.
