1/11
Double pálinka: Csendes
The legendary ruin café by Astoria and across the street from ELTE university was among the first Budapest establishments that put the little blue sticker on their door. This is no accident: students often check in here for a quick rosé or study session between classes. In exchange for check-ins, guests receive two free pálinka shots, but only after ordering a supersized cocktail.
2/11
Free pálinka: Kantin
Andrássy Avenue’s Kantin supports bibulous phone addicts, as well. Their Foursquare specialty is nothing less than a free shot of pálinka, on the condition that we order a main dish first. After we order, say, a hearty beef stew, we can already show our phone to the waiter and receive that well-deserved shot.
Address: 1061 Budapest, Andrássy Avenue 44.
3/11
15% discount: Charlotte Confectionery
Charlotte Confectionery near Kálvin Square is well known for being fond of social media: they are frequently chatting with commenters on their Facebook page, and they have a Foursquare Special as well: a discount of 15% from our bill. Go for their cheesecake, it is so worth it.
Address: 1053 Budapest, Vámház Boulevard. 14.
4/11
Free prosecco: La Perle Noire Restaurant and Lounge
The online presence of French-Hungarian eatery La Perle Noire is probably needed because of the number of foreigners staying at the hotel that houses this upscale restaurant. Once they are up on Foursquare, why not offer a deal: for every check-in, guests receive a lavender-scented prosecco. This sounds great, but when we visited them they informed us that every guest receives this drink without checking in; furthermore, they mentioned some free small appetizers – also without using Foursquare. It is a bit of a “here goes nothing” category.
5/11
Small gifts: House of Terror Museum
The Foursquare Special of the House of Terror Museum was born from the meeting of culture and social media, which means that every 20th person who checks in receives a small gift. They probably give these lucky people leftovers from the gift shop, but the gesture is definitely nice.
6/11
10% discount: Bambuszliget
Bambuszliget Sushi Bar is one of those places that offers a reasonable Foursquare Special: if we check in, we get a discount of 10% from our bill. When visiting with a bigger group, this discount can really be worth it, and the food is not half bad, either. We already mentioned them in our sushi article.
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7/11
Lemonade or wine: Vár: a Speiz
Speiz, worthy of its Castle District surroundings, is kind enough to offer us a choice after checking in: we can either ask for a glass of fresh homemade lemonade, or a glass of Blanc de Noir white wine. The discount is tricky, since whichever we choose, we will crave more. UPDATE: Closed
8/11
Extra coffee: Souper Pasta
Souper Pasta, which combines the world of cupped soups and boxed pastas, openly encourages check-ins, although surprisingly they offer a free coffee with our food. Let’s face it, a strong black cup of java is not the best chaser for a cup of soup, although we suppose it is all a matter of taste.
Address: 1067 Budapest, Teréz Boulevard 52.
9/11
Free beer with a pulled-pork sandwich: Pántlika
Pántlika in City Park, mostly preferred by bicyclists, offers us a great deal in exchange for check-ins: they give us a free glass of Hungarian beer with the pulled-pork sandwich meal. This is excellent, since most people would order a beer with their food in this summer weather anyway.
10/11
ARAZ Étterem
Dohány Street’s Araz Restaurant has its own Foursquare deal too, although we think it is rather unimaginative from a restaurant of this caliber: if we check in, we receive a free glass of lemonade. The drink itself is pretty good, but a glass of wine or a dessert would better fit the style of the place.
11/11
Buy one, get two: Chocoroom
Chocoroom, specializing in hot chocolates, offers coffee as part of a “buy one, get two” deal if you check-in. The only downside is that the discount is active only between 10 AM and 2 PM.
Chocoroom (closed)
Address: 1054 Budapest, 17 Szerb Street
For more tips, we recommend We Love Budapest's Foursquare page. Worth following!
