In the past, Budapest’s Robot basement pub used to be a popular gathering place for rockers, with familiar musicians and a good service. The place shut down for a while, but not forever – the club is now freshly reopened with the same name, but bigger plans. The staff remains more or less the same, just like the management’s mentality. The large basement, however, is a novelty, with two beer taps, cool interior design, affordable beer, and promising musical events – all located beneath the city’s recently established ruin-pub hybrid of Fogas Ház and Instant.

Let’s be real: for anyone who prefers rock music, it’s rather difficult to find a place to party in this town, where we can find an inclusive community and affordable drinks and that doesn’t always charge an entry fee. In short, not many rock clubs remain in Budapest. Classic places like Rokokó, Wigwam, Totalcar, Tilos az Á, or Ráday Club are long gone, along with their particular atmosphere, core audience, infamous stories, and famous guests. The great era of punk-rock has come to an end, but the need for rock music and welcoming spaces remains. Fortunately, Robot is back in its old glory, with many new features to flaunt.

The new Robot opened in the freshly opened basement of the new fusion of Fogas Ház and Instant, and is accessible either from the stairway leading down from the street, or from the open-air Fogas Kert party place. The interior design is cool but not overly decorated – there is no furniture made from guitars, drums, or other instruments. The atmosphere is very cozy; we can imagine members of a local rock band having a beer with enthusiastic students or guitar-loving foreigners here.

The heart of the old Robot was the bar counter, and the new place has a pretty big one, too, as well as a circular booth near the taproom that somehow reminds us of the residential complexes of Berlin, but with rock music instead of techno playing in the background. According to the plans, the taps will work and the bottles will empty from the early evening (opening around 6pm, and possibly earlier in the summer), while concerts will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since the management extends to a circle of friends, including serious music critics as well as musicians and art lovers blessed with very good taste, we can look forward to some exciting evenings. There will undoubtedly be some parties with weirder themes, but we don’t have to give up on classics, either.

Bands like Faminehill, Mirror, HolyChicks, The Red Paintings (AUS), Koalabell, and Headbengs are set to perform in the concert hall. Following the common practice of the old Robot, some guests will be allowed to serve drinks every once in a while, so expect to see drummers, keyboardists, or bass players working the taps.

ROBOT

Address: Budapest 1073, Akácfa Street 49 (basement under Fogas Kert)
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