Tesla Budapest occupies the former Museum of Electrical Engineering on Kazinczy utca, with a 900 capacity art-deco loft programming intelligent electronic music across club, loft and theatre rooms.
Tip: The loft upstairs runs the more cerebral techno bookings; the downstairs club leans harder. Cloakroom queues are slow after 02:00, drop coats before midnight.
Address: Kazinczy utca 21, 1075 Budapest
Lámpás in Budapest is a labyrinthine basement on Dob utca opposite Gozsdu Udvar, booking rockabilly, blues, jazz and experimental electronica nightly with free entry and beers under 1,000 HUF.
Tip: Sit in the main concert room for the band, slip into the back chambers if you want to talk. The summer programme thins out, the autumn lineup is the strongest.
Mazel Tov in Budapest is a glass-roofed Mediterranean courtyard on Akácfa utca, running JazzKeddek every Tuesday plus DJ sets and acoustic concerts alongside a hummus and shakshuka kitchen until 22:30.
Tip: Book a courtyard table for the jazz Tuesday set, not the indoor bar room. Last food orders 22:00 weekdays, 22:30 Friday and Saturday.
Kazimír on Kazinczy utca in Budapest is a courtyard bistro a few doors from Szimpla with nightly live jazz during dinner, plus literature evenings and acoustic sets through the cooler months.
Tip: The courtyard is the room for the jazz set; ask for a table near the band rather than the front bar. Goulash and the Hungarian wine list outperform the international plates.
Full Erzsébetváros / Jewish Quarter (District VII) food guide →
Opus Jazz Club in Budapest is the public face of the Budapest Music Center on Mátyás utca, programming contemporary jazz Wednesday through Saturday at 21:00 with a tight sound system and a seasonal Hungarian kitchen.
Tip: Book the dinner-and-show table for a guaranteed centre view; standing tickets near the bar are fine if the room is not sold out.
Lámpás in Budapest is a labyrinthine basement on Dob utca opposite Gozsdu Udvar, booking rockabilly, blues, jazz and experimental electronica nightly with free entry and beers under 1,000 HUF.
Tip: Sit in the main concert room for the band, slip into the back chambers if you want to talk. The summer programme thins out, the autumn lineup is the strongest.
Mazel Tov in Budapest is a glass-roofed Mediterranean courtyard on Akácfa utca, running JazzKeddek every Tuesday plus DJ sets and acoustic concerts alongside a hummus and shakshuka kitchen until 22:30.
Tip: Book a courtyard table for the jazz Tuesday set, not the indoor bar room. Last food orders 22:00 weekdays, 22:30 Friday and Saturday.
Jedermann Café in Budapest is the long-running jazz cafe on Ráday utca opened by Hans van Vliet in 2010, with string quartets, swing and funk on Friday and Saturday nights and a student crowd by day.
Tip: Weekend tables fill by 20:00, email ahead. Festival jam sessions during the spring jazz programme run later than the listed close.
Kazimír on Kazinczy utca in Budapest is a courtyard bistro a few doors from Szimpla with nightly live jazz during dinner, plus literature evenings and acoustic sets through the cooler months.
Tip: The courtyard is the room for the jazz set; ask for a table near the band rather than the front bar. Goulash and the Hungarian wine list outperform the international plates.
High Note Skybar on top of the Aria Hotel in Budapest looks straight at the dome of St Stephen's Basilica, with a lush garden terrace, glass-walled indoor bar and a cocktail list by Sándor Németh.
Tip: Tables at the basilica-facing rail go fastest at sunset; reserve at least 48 hours ahead in summer. The Sunday morning yoga is a quiet way to see the terrace without the crowd.