New café on the horizon – Horizont shakes up the Grand Boulevard

Truth be told, Budapest’s Grand Boulevard isn’t renowned for its stylish cafés, the legendary New York being a key exception. Now however, right opposite, newly opened Horizont provides a great alternative for lazy breakfasts and brunches.

The owners are not beginners: they already operate two successful Budapest breakfast places, Kontakt and Szimply. Inspiration for Horizont came from Melbourne, not from browsing interior photos on Pinterest but after several visits and experience gathered in Oz.

The venue used to be the hall of a cinema – hence the name and the circular space. As it is a heritage building, opting for current decorative trends such as industrial, shabby chic or minimal was out of the question. The slightly Art Deco interior, therefore, rather evokes the original atmosphere. But worry not, it is not so elegant that sandals and backpacks would be frowned upon in summer.

The coffee selection is new-wave. An espresso costs 500 forints, a double 600, a latte 850 and tasty hot chocolates are also available for 850 forints. They are not overly sweet, pudding-like mixes, but rather bean-based and delicious.

And for something that hasn’t yet caught on in Budapest but Horizont has in spades: (mostly) tea-based mocktails for 1,200 forints. We tried two, a green matcha with coconut water, lime and fresh coriander, an intensively coloured drink, and a sweeter red hibiscus, ginger, lemongrass, maple syrup and orange water mix.

About the food: the kitchen area is half-open, perfect for sneak peaks and without cooking smells invading the seating area. Horizont is primarily a brunch place with breakfast options (avocado toast, croques, scrambled eggs), but there are heartier dishes such as smoked mackerel on sweet potatoes or sous-vide beef cheeks with buttery mashed potatoes. The selection is a bit more imaginative than you may find elsewhere.

We tried the croque (2,400 HUF), two huge sandwiches with pork chop, mustard sauce, vegetables and quail eggs and the beef cheeks (3,300 HUF), melt-in-the-mouth with perfect garnish. Both would be a great choice for a late breakfast or lunch, too.

For dessert, we had rice pudding (1,700 HUF) that comes with beetroot apple purée, cardamom pear, beetroot crumbles and honeycomb. It was a work of art.

According to current plans, the selection will change every two months and they are looking to hold special dinner events, too. We recommend Horizont for lazy breakfasts, slow brunches and lunch dates.

Horizont
Facebook
Address: District VII. Erzsébet körút 13