It’s been a while since we last visited Budapest’s District IX, but we recently returned for a cup of excellent coffee, some heavenly handmade cream cheese, and a pleasant conversation. All of this was enjoyed in a hip new café, Tényleg Espresso Bar on Lónyay Street. The place is rather tiny, but it’s filled to the brim with the fragrant smell of coffee and the aroma of freshly squeezed juice. Although we cannot smell this from outside, we can still see the owners through the window - a couple who left the world of multinational companies in order to follow their passion and become baristas.

Anything labelled as new-wave attracts Budapest’s hipster community like a magnet. Add coffee to the mix, and no intricate latte-foam art will escape Instagram fame. The point is: many of us like new-wave delights, and fortunately, there are more and more cafés in the city that we can get excited about. We like this movement, where the path and quality of the coffee matters from plantation to cup, and where it’s okay to experiment with flavors, varieties, preparation methods – and the visitors’ willingness to taste the results. We are suckers for this mentality, and thus were delighted to find Tényleg Espresso Bar. Our joy only grew after the first sip of coffee there.

The café is very new but doesn’t look like it, since every details is already in its place: labeled paper cups, packages of coffee to take away, and bowls of water for cats and dogs on the floor. The owners greet visitors with an honest smile while eagerly brewing espressos and drawing hearts on top of lattes.

Speaking of latte – the milk is locally sourced, provided by cows grazing on the pastures of Hétforrás Birtok in the village of Máriahalom about 30 kilometers away from Budapest. So, when drinking a coffee with milk like a cappuccino (560 HUF), we enjoy an especially rich, creamy, smooth flavor. When visiting Tényleg, we also recommend trying some of the yogurt, cream cheese, or cheese, as well – they are heavenly.

The caffeinated drink assortment, in addition to the classic options, also includes filter coffees and cascara (660 HUF), but they also offer freshly squeezed orange juice and different kinds of seasonal smoothies on a permanent basis, as well. So, the beverages are taken care of, but to have a complete breakfast, we still have to look at the foods. There are no Debrecener sausages or eggs Benedict here – however, Tényleg offers sandwiches (560 HUF), homemade cakes (430 HUF), croissants, and the various dairy products that we already mentioned above.

As for the variations of coffee, one of the grinders has an Italian blend on a permanent basis, while the other one has a varying blend from a different region, changing every three weeks. Tényleg also offers a kind of guest coffee, which is a limited new-wave coffee specialty. The bottom line is, we can drop by for a cup of coffee and a few kind words anytime, or even sit at the counter for a bit. It’s worthwhile to return regularly – we already got a point-collection card.