The name of József Rizmajer is well-known to those familiar with Hungarian craft beers; the former sportsman has been brewing beer in Budapest’s Csepel Island region since founding one of the best-known Hungarian breweries there in 1994. There were times when his products were only sold at three suburban pubs and a five-star hotel, but from now on, we’ll be able to get drunk off his artisanal suds at one of Budapest’s most central neighborhoods, District VIII.
The owner of the brewery says he was sure of one thing only: if he ever decided to open a brasserie downtown, he wouldn’t settle for a location on a secluded side street. He stuck with this decision and established a 350-square-meter three-story brasserie, which also operates as a sample shop, on Budapest’s Grand Boulevard.
The place looks impressive indeed: the tram-inspired door fittings and the large spiral staircase pay tribute to the building’s original atmosphere and simple architectural design. Booths are available on the ground floor, but we can drink at the picnic tables upstairs as well, or attend private events in the basement room.
On the first floor, we can find the real novelty of this brasserie: a self-service beer tap, which guests can use with a card (don’t worry, it comes with an instruction manual). The beer-tap system found here is rather unique in Hungary; the beverage gets to the taps from a refrigerator unit in the basement, ensuring that our glasses are filled with the freshest beer possible.
The brewery’s regular beers are always available on tap, including the refreshing Rizmajer Light (350 HUF/pint), the more exotic Cortez corn beer (590 HUF/pint), the Cingulus black porter (690 HUF/pint) made from six different types of malt, as well as various fruit beers mostly popular in the spring and the summer, in flavors such as ginger-orange or sour-cherry brandy (590 HUF/pint). These can also be purchased in one-liter bottles to take home (600 HUF/bottle).
In addition to the permanent selection, the place offers other exciting special-edition beers as well, such as the 424 Smokey Porter made with smoked malt, or the Popcorn Double IPA.
When it comes to food, we can choose from several hearty dishes: fresh slabs of grilled cheese, hamburgers, and Wiener schnitzel all appear on the menu, among other things. We tried an egg burger made with “retro” buns (1,090 HUF) – while it looked and tasted like a double burger, in reality, it was “just” a properly packed handheld feast that is well worth its price. Rizmajer Basserie will undoubtedly have a big impact on District VIII’s nightlife, if only because of its very fair prices.
