The Poet Bar inside the Anantara New York Palace in Budapest leans into the room's literary history, with live piano nightly through to 01:00 on weekends and a signature cocktail list referencing Hungarian poets.
Tip: Sit in the side parlour off the main lobby for the calmer piano set; the cafe-side seats catch more crowd noise. Drinks are about 4,000 to 5,500 HUF.
Address: Erzsébet körút 9-11, 1073 Budapest
Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy utca in Budapest is the original 2004 ruin bar, occupying a former stove factory with nine bars, mismatched salvaged furniture and a Sunday farmers' market that takes over the courtyard.
Tip: Sunday's 09:00 farmers' market is the quietest way to see the courtyard; weekend nights are tourist-saturated from 22:00. Cash works at every bar; cards only at the main one.
Ellátó Kert on Kazinczy utca in Budapest is the locals' ruin garden a block off Szimpla, with painted picnic tables, a Mexican kitchen running tacos and quesadillas, and pool and foosball in the back room.
Tip: Order the tacos al pastor and a small Soproni and grab the bench by the mural. Garden closes earlier than the indoor bar in winter, check the courtyard cover before queueing.
Telep on Madách Imre tér in Budapest spreads a bar, gallery and live-music basement across three floors at the gateway to the Jewish Quarter, with rotating contemporary art and a creative-class crowd.
Tip: Top floor for shows, ground floor for drinks, basement for live sets and DJs. The terrace tables on Madách are the warm-weather perch.
Kandalló Pub on Kertész utca in Budapest is a former fireplace shop converted into a craft-beer and burger room, with rotating Hungarian taps, exposed brick and a late kitchen that runs past midnight.
Tip: Twenty rotating taps; ask for what is on this week rather than reading the chalkboard. Vegan and gluten-free burgers are not afterthoughts.
Full Erzsébetváros / Jewish Quarter (District VII) food guide →
Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy utca in Budapest is the original 2004 ruin bar, occupying a former stove factory with nine bars, mismatched salvaged furniture and a Sunday farmers' market that takes over the courtyard.
Tip: Sunday's 09:00 farmers' market is the quietest way to see the courtyard; weekend nights are tourist-saturated from 22:00. Cash works at every bar; cards only at the main one.
Ellátó Kert on Kazinczy utca in Budapest is the locals' ruin garden a block off Szimpla, with painted picnic tables, a Mexican kitchen running tacos and quesadillas, and pool and foosball in the back room.
Tip: Order the tacos al pastor and a small Soproni and grab the bench by the mural. Garden closes earlier than the indoor bar in winter, check the courtyard cover before queueing.
Telep on Madách Imre tér in Budapest spreads a bar, gallery and live-music basement across three floors at the gateway to the Jewish Quarter, with rotating contemporary art and a creative-class crowd.
Tip: Top floor for shows, ground floor for drinks, basement for live sets and DJs. The terrace tables on Madách are the warm-weather perch.
Kandalló Pub on Kertész utca in Budapest is a former fireplace shop converted into a craft-beer and burger room, with rotating Hungarian taps, exposed brick and a late kitchen that runs past midnight.
Tip: Twenty rotating taps; ask for what is on this week rather than reading the chalkboard. Vegan and gluten-free burgers are not afterthoughts.
Csendes Létterem on Ferenczy István utca in Budapest occupies a former Austro-Hungarian café from 1883, now layered with mannequins, abstract art and second-hand clutter, running as a cafe by day and a soul-funk bar at night.
Tip: Weekend DJs lean soul, funk and lounge, not techno. The half-step into the side room is the easiest seat to claim on a busy Saturday.
Pontoon in Budapest opens every April under the Chain Bridge's north pillar on the Pest embankment, with hammocks, fairy lights, free concerts and DJ sets stretching to 04:00 through to mid-October.
Tip: Season runs April to mid-October. The hammocks closer to the water are the calmer perch; the riverfront bar is loudest between 23:00 and 02:00.