It all started in December of 2013, when Raktár Bar opened at downtown Pest’s Hercegprímás Street 12 as the fruition of a long-existing dream. Back then, the founders were not yet so experienced in hospitality, but they were all the more enthusiastic about beautifying, improving, and introducing their beloved bar to Budapest’s residents. They put their heart and soul into the place, and perhaps this is what made so many people fall in love with Raktár Bar. If you haven’t been to Raktár Bar before, you should definitely pop in for a party that goes on till the crack of dawn every night between Wednesday and Saturday.
We were there to witness how these nightlong parties, the sophisticated style, and the numerous regulars made the bar a true meeting point over the years. At 2016’s Budapest Nightlife Awards, Raktár Bar was named the “Best Bar” in Budapest, which encouraged the team to further expand their business, and their new destination was Margaret Island. They launched Raktár Beach near the foot of Margaret Bridge at the beginning of the summer, basically moving the beloved downtown bar to the “seaside”. As summer came to an end, they moved back to the original location at Hercegprímás Street.
The Raktár team did not have too much time to relax after several summertime parties, as they recently opened the establishment’s third unit, Raktár Klub, which is actually their second location launched within six months – and both of them are a huge success. The new club on Deák Ferenc Street has everything we love about the original bar: a superb staff who all love their job, friendly prices, a downtown location, great DJs, long opening hours (they are open until 7am on Saturdays), and furthermore, it is also enhanced with a few extra features.
In addition to having a house-party atmosphere, Raktár Klub also took another step forward: it is bigger than its other locales, it features professional audio and light equipment, and houses four bars, among which one is an “express” bar where only the 15 most popular drinks are made, but those are poured into our glass in the blink of an eye. For fun nights that last until dawn, remember both the Raktár bar and club if you’re planning to enjoy an exuberant party in the Hungarian capital.
Raktár’s team is full of plans for the near future; they would like to refresh such party series as “Pasim nincs (itthon) (translating to: “My boyfriend’s not home”), “Tetovált lányok” (translating to: “Tattooed girls”), and a monthly retro party. One of the owners, Gergely Szabó, told us that in February, parties on Thursdays will focus on university students, while on Saturdays, the beloved Raktár Klasszik parties will rock. Naturally, Raktár Bar won’t miss out on the fun either, the only change is that now we can enjoy the renowned “Raktár atmosphere” at two different venues. Check out their Facebook page for the upcoming programs.
