When walking along the winding cobblestoned lanes of Buda’s Castle District – the most historic neighborhood of Hungary – we are surrounded by ornate edifices of centuries past, be they magnificent landmarks like Matthias Church and the Royal Palace, or be they understated residential buildings that ordinary people have slept in for innumerable generations. Among the latter type of more subtle structures, the Pest-Buda boutique hotel is still a pretty extraordinary locale: as a popular property of Budapest’s Zsidai Group (which operates a variety of the city’s premier restaurants and accommodations), this rustic inn features an excellent eatery with Magyar meals prepared according to old family recipes, while ten individually designed rooms and suites await upstairs, all within a building that has served as a hotel since the 1600s. When we recently had the opportunity to follow the footsteps of countless travelers by spending a night in this remarkable hotel, we gladly embarked on a time-bending visit here.
Located a few steps away from the Castle District’s central Szentháromság Square – the site of Matthias Church, Fishermen’s Bastion, and the Holy Trinity Column – the Pest-Buda is easily visible from a distance, as its shaded sidewalk tables with wicker chairs and red-and-white-checkered tablecloths are almost always full of people from near and far enjoying animated conversation and local cuisine. Pest-Buda’s bistro occupies the ground floor of its historic building, right next to the hotel entryway leading through a graceful stone archway topped with an ornate wrought-iron sign resembling a grapevine, similar to other handcrafted shop signs typical of this neighborhood since the Middle Ages.
Inside the small Pest-Buda hotel reception area, we immediately appreciate this building’s ambience that seamlessly blends old and new elements – retro incandescent bulbs are irregularly hung with modern style to illuminate the foyer, while a wall-mounted candleholder with metal reflector panels looks as though it’s been lighting this hallway since 1696. Following a pleasantly casual check-in procedure, the receptionist leads us to our room through a 320-year-old stone passageway equipped with a card-key-activated sliding-glass door.
Bathed in sunshine from a skylight, the building’s central stairwell is open but not spacious, because the entire structure’s original 17th-century layout was preserved intact; however, the Pest-Buda designers made the most of this slender passage. Above a small lounge area on the ground floor, a vertically circular metal chandelier holds more erratically hung incandescent bulbs dangling from bright red cables, adding 21st-century style to complement the exposed original brickwork of the stairway’s arches.
This playful juxtaposition of history and hipness continues inside our room, which we are delighted by at first sight.
The rustic floor and wall paneling made with Hungarian oak provide soothing earth tones to the understated décor, tastefully complemented by wall-mounted lamps made with copper piping to illuminate subtle decorations like a reproduced antique mirror and sketches of ladies wearing billowing dresses and feather-adorned hats. Adding to the room’s timeless appeal, the chairs and bedhead are upholstered with red leather that matches the retro-styled Smeg mini-fridge in the corner, all reminiscent of early-20th-century cocktail bars.
However, these old-fashioned touches conceal contemporary comforts in numerous ways – on the bedside table, what appears to be an antique transistor radio is actually a vintage-styled Roberts Internet radio, with preset stations playing lively jazz and classical tunes that ideally fit the room’s mood; additionally, a digital safe is hidden within the wooden wardrobe, and speedy Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Meanwhile, the bathroom is absolutely modern, featuring handcrafted local limestone fixtures, a rain shower by Hans Grohe, and cosmetics provided by L’Occitane, all with a sleek interior window wrapping around the bathroom’s shower corner, allowing for playful peeks between intimate guests who are sharing a room.
After quickly settling in and reviewing Pest-Buda’s selection of tour offers and local information, we head back downstairs and onto the Castle District’s storied streets. For dinner, we will be visiting another esteemed property of the Zsidai Group, found just a few steps away – Pierrot, a welcomingly elegant eatery that has welcomed guests since 1982 in a building dating back to the 13th century. The restaurant’s interior was recently given a minor renovation that we were eager to check out, although we would be dining in Pierrot’s garden during this summertime evening.
Stepping into the main dining room of Pierrot, we are immediately struck by the broad arched wall of portraits honoring the many movie stars, famous musicians, and other luminaries who have dined here over the decades – this is Hungary’s most popular restaurant for visiting international celebrities, and so many of them have provided their pictures that the recent renovation included rearranging this wall to fit them all. Pierrot’s A-list guests on display include Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro, and Jeremy Irons, while three new portraits feature Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, and Eva Mendes, who all shared a single star-studded table during the recent shooting of Blade Runner 2049 in Budapest. Nonetheless, a special place of honor is reserved for the portrait of the recently departed Sir Roger Moore, a cherished longtime guest who made a point of dining at Pierrot whenever he was in Budapest.
The renovation also included modernizing the bar and bringing back a charming painting of the restaurant’s namesake character onstage, but as lovely as the interior is, we choose to walk through to the back and enter the lushly landscaped garden dining area, hidden from the outside world by centuries-old stone walls.
Here at a candlelit table, we peruse the huge selection of top-quality Hungarian wines divided by terroir, and the menu of gourmet Hungarian specialties (such as the pan-fried pike perch or the homemade pasta with locally sourced túró cheese, bacon, and sour cream), listed alongside varied international specialties. We opt for the quail stuffed with duck liver and mushrooms, and the roasted rack of lamb with peas, new potatoes, parsley, and light hollandaise sauce – both dishes are artfully presented and succulently flavorful, with the freshness of their ingredients apparent in every bite.
After reluctantly leaving Pierrot’s secret garden, we take a moonlit stroll around the Castle District, exploring clandestine lanes leading to often-overlooked landmarks like the steeple of the Church of Mary Magdalene or the Vienna Gate, and admiring panoramic views over both downtown Pest and the sparkling Buda Hills. Knowing that we won’t have far to go to get back to the Pest-Buda no matter where our wandering takes us, we enjoy the enchanted street scene with complete abandon, and once again appreciate this part of the city that we often leave to first-time Budapest visitors.
Back at our room, we snuggle into the cozy bed – while the mattress is a bit firm for our taste, the premium linens and goose-down duvet envelop us with snug comfort. We consider watching something on the flat-screen LCD TV to lull us into dreamland, but instead we decide to preserve the feeling of traveling back in time in this chamber where a multitude of visitors have slept over hundreds of years, and leave all electronic devices switched off to fully indulge in the Castle District’s peaceful silence.
In the morning, we open the wooden shutters to watch the neighborhood awaken; directly below us, guests are already chatting while breakfasting on the Pest-Buda terrace. Noticing that an open-air table is available, we hurriedly dress and race downstairs to claim it, and soon we are also enjoying a chat and the hotel’s “Frenchy” breakfast, featuring croissants freshly baked on-site, homemade jams thick with chunks of locally grown fruit, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and coffee. We take our time during this morning meal to savor the view over the Matthias Church steeple dominating the background in one direction, and the colorful Zsolnay-tiled roof of the Hungarian National Archive down the street the other way, all while passersby converse in myriad languages to provide fascinating people-watching.
Back in the room, we slowly pack up while enjoying more jazz tunes from the retro-styled radio, and find ourselves musing about what it would be like to live up here in the Castle District, either nowadays or in times past… but we are certain that anyone who stayed at Pest-Buda back in 1696 could never imagine the contemporary pleasures that we enjoyed during our modern-day stay.
As of press time, room rates at the Pest-Buda boutique hotel range from approximately 122 to 229 euros per person per night, breakfast included; see the hotel’s official website for more information and discounts. We Love Budapest’s “Guest Experience” series profiles various Budapest hotels that invite our staff to visit at no charge, but with the understanding that we may include negative impressions in our coverage; hotel management is not allowed to review these articles before they are posted.
