1/9
The Fény Street market – a place for elderly ladies
Gastronauts says that the best markets are in Pest – except for two; the bio market of MOM Park and the . As you might know we are quite biased about lángos – we think that this market offers the best ones you can get in town. Sonkás and Ezerfűszer are here as well. If you are already here and if you’re wandering around the bazaars you should try the ‘kemencés lepény’ right at the corner next to Kárpáti. The market is not the cheapest one, but the fact that the elderly and the pensioners are shopping here is more than reassuring for us. If you visit the market don’t forget to devote a few minutes of your time to check out the bicycles at the entrance – you can easily come across bikes that cost hundreds of thousands of forints.
2/9
Bambi – Grouchy and authentic
If we would like to say something that is very much like an urban commonplace, we would say that time stopped at ’s. This quality became one of the most important characteristics of the small cafeteria at Bem Square. The grumpy ladies are serving coffee, exactly the way they did decades ago. The place became the stamping ground of the intellectuals, the retro-loving youngsters and the ‘authentic elderly’. If a foreigner would like to find out what Budapest was like before the regime change this is the best place to do so, right after the .
3/9
Strudels and Normafa
There are very few people in Budapest who don’t have any memories of the sturdels at . There’s a small wooden booth that offers nostalgic treats to the hikers and for those who live in the neighbouring area. We don’t want to fool anyone – these are not the most delicious strudels in town, but the smells are amazing and the view is more than pleasing. There’s a bench right next to the booth from where we can enjoy the amazing view of the city while we grab a bite of strudel. Their coffee is undrinkable but the mulled wine is excellent, especially if we are spending long hours outside during wintertime.
4/9
Old folks at Városmajor
The Városmajor is a place in Budapest that is unfairly forgotten. The air is clean and fresh, the on Csaba Street is brilliant but the best thing is the group of grandpas hanging around. Their headquarters is right in the middle of the park, at the red benches. They play cards all day, they play chess, they talk about their grandkids and they whine and moan about their wives. If anyone from the local city council is reading our article please take note – the tables should be renovated, the old folks can’t play bridge on them anymore. The gentlemen have to bring cardboards with them so that they can play the game.
5/9
The Children’s Railway and the controllers
What do we really like about the ? Well first of all the fact, that it still exists and that no EU child protection organization tried to ban this lovely railway line. Students between the age of 10-14, who have good grades at school can work here as members of staff. It is kind of a surreal experience when a 10-year-old hands you the change from a 10 000 forint bill and it’s also rather strange to see when a fragile little girl checks the ticket of a chunky bloke. The prices by the way are not that nostalgic, we had to pay a staggering 700 forints for a single ticket.
6/9
Fogaskerekű – for you and for your bicycle
It’s not easy to live the life of a cyclist, especially if you happen to live in a highland. It’s obviously easy to get down, but to get up the hills after a long and exhausting day of work or after a night out it’s not that much of a fun. Fortunately Buda offers different types of alternative public transport vehicles. is such a vehicle – we can even take our bikes with us for a price of a BKV single ticket so it will be easier to get home. The first train leaves at 5 am – it is almost unforgettable to see the slightly tipsy cyclists of Buda trying to sober up on the trains.
7/9
Mechwart-park – fountains and flowerbeds
Spending some time in Mechwart-park (or Mechwart liget as locals call it) guarantees a real inner Buda experience. The park and the surrounding area were renewed. There is a wedding hall on the top of the nearby hill so the park is usually full of brides and grooms, photographers are running around and there’s always a celebrating crowd. The flowerbeds of the park are the most tasteful ones in the city. The whole place reminds us of the Truman show; everything is squeaky clean and there are loud, playing kids all around.
8/9
Wine bars
The best and the most human wine bars in town are in Buda. Our big favourite is Mátra wine bar, and Gábor, the barkeeper. He makes the greatest hurka sausages so you should sign up for this treat at the beginning of the season. Our other favourite is Borpatika at Bartók Béla Street. They offer great snacks too and on Wednesday evenings there are special performances – a group of homeless musicians play blues. The prices are very friendly – we can find great wines between 90 and 130 forints.
