cafes
Feb 09 '10
Starbucks to Get Low-Foam Debut in Budapest
Almost three years after it was first reported that Starbucks was heading to Hungary, the world's most famous purveyor of overpriced and overcomplicated coffee finally seems poised to pour its first double espresso in Budapest. But instead of what we...
Jan 13 '10
Everyone's a Kid in a Candy Store at the New Downtown Sugar!
How's this for half-baked PR: When we last checked in with Sugar! in October, the super-fashionable, Újpest-based cukrászda was in the midst of a media blitz over its creation of a collection of super-cute customized cakes in honor of...
Aug 14 '09
First Look: The Emporio Armani Caffé
It's been so long since I first saw the "coming soon" signs for the long-promised Emporio Armani Caffé (follow link for contact details and user info) that I was slightly startled when a friend told me it had finally...
May 15 '09
Fancy Coffee To Go is Officially a Go in Budapest!
Remember this item from late March about two big coffee-to-go joints about to open in central Budapest? Well, they did! Yesterday morning the Andrássy út Costa Coffee opened its doors to customers for the first time, just a week...
May 13 '09
The Bizarre Coolness of the New Művész Café
Even though I live quite nearby, and love classic old cafés, until last night it had been quite a while since I'd stopped in at the Művész Kávéház, one of Budapest's handful of genuine "landmark" cafés. At some point...
Apr 29 '09
Dismay as Hungary's Most Prestigious Café Falls Victim to Plastic Chef Plague
What does it say about a country when one of its few internationally-recognized culinary landmarks - in this case the Gerbeaud Cukrászda - thinks it's good marketing to lure passers-by in with a big fiberglass chef? No, don't answer...
Mar 19 '09
Gloria Jean's Loses Shirt in Budapest; Hasta La Vista for Nádor Utca Costa
Barely a year ago, it looked like Budapest would soon be awash with high-end take-out coffee places, including many international chains. But now, well, not so much. Various tipsters have alerted us to the news that Gloria Jean's Coffees...
Nov 26 '07
Budget Budapest: Be Happy at Fruccola, or Else
My favorite thing about Fruccola, which opened a few months back on Arany János in District V, is the orange juice squeezer. It is worth going just to watch it in action, robotically juicing orange after orange and spitting...
Nov 08 '07
A Juicy Family Affair Opens in District VIII
A few years back, Michael Chapman (above) decided to open a café in Budapest. Everyone told him it would take a while - a long while. And indeed, it has taken a lifetime. Luckily for Chapman - he is...
Oct 29 '07
Café Snail Sets Pace for Budget Artisanal Eating in Budapest
What does it say about the Csiga Café that the same three servers who were working there on its opening night almost six years ago were still behind the bar when I ate there after its recent reopening? One...
Oct 09 '07
Caffe da Carlo, the Crème de la Crema of Budapest Cafés
There is a scene in David Lynch's Mulhulland Drive where an Italian movie producer asks for a linen napkin with his espresso so he can be prepared to spit out the swill an American mogul had taken great pains...
Sep 28 '07
Budapest Burgerwar: The Balettcipő Deluxe Burger
The Balettcipő's entry in the ongoing Budapest Burgerwar™ was an obvious candidate, given this corner's gushing praise for the Hajós utca eatery's take on that other very American sandwich, the Philly Cheesesteak, as well as its otherwise deft hand...
Aug 21 '07
Is the Gerlóczy Kávéház Good Enough for the Top33? We Sure Hope So!
In addition to leaving a gaping hole in Hungary's high-end dining scene, the sudden closure of Segal left an opening in our "Top 33" list of our favorite Budapest restaurants. Faced with a similar void last week, we didn't...
Jul 27 '07
Relocated Eckermann Brings Breath of Fresh Air to Ráday utca
Ráday utca is a street burgeoning with restaurants, but I can count on the fingers of one hand those I would eat at. There are still fewer that I do eat at. Topping the list is Eckermann Kávéház, the...
Jun 15 '07
You Missed the Ceviche at Balettcipő, Now Don't Miss the Rib-Eye
When we last wrote about District VI's delightful Balettcipő, we were salivating over the their phenomenal (at least for Budapest) "Philly" cheesesteak sandwich. If you haven't had it yet, don't sweat it, because it's still on the café/restaurant's regular...
Jun 12 '07
Market Analysts Froth Over Starbucks Arrival
While not everyone in Europe's coffee kingdoms thinks Starbucks is the best thing since sliced bread, the folks at Eston International seem to be eagerly awaiting the arrival of global coffee chains to Budapest. But then they are international business...
Mar 13 '07
Owner of Super-Mellow Budapest Hippie Café Not So Mellow
Always amusing consumer blog Tékozló Homár has recently developed into an entertaining forum for shouting matches between disappointed diners and defensive restaurateurs, but the latest exchange is the funniest yet. The restaurant in question is the Darshan Udvar, a...
Mar 06 '07
District V Mayor Threatens Court Action To Save Cut-price Cakes
The Kis-Gerbeaud ("Small Gerbeaud") has long been recommended by guidebooks and other leading guides to savvy travelling as a cheap alternative to getting savagely ripped-off at the famous Gerbeaud cukrászda tourist trap overlooking the square around the corner. Unfortunately, the...
Feb 15 '07
Caffeine Junkies in Jittery Anticipation of Two-Day Café Festival
A must-see exhibition for all those interested in coffee and café culture opened today at the Hungarian Museum of Commerce and Catering, with the intriguing name of "Café?! Variations and Changes" (Café?! - Változatok és változások). The exhibit runs until...
Feb 05 '07
Inside the Insane World of the Gresham Kávéház's Ft 1,900 Espresso
When we last checked in on Budapest's super-luxury coffee scene, our correspondent was bemoaning the demise of the Ft 800 latte "bargain" at the Four Seasons. Well, it turns out that even a Ft 1,500 latte served in the...
Jan 18 '07
"Unrealistic" Rent Closes Down Lukács, New Owners Step In
It's always disconcerting and frustrating when a long-standing establishment closes its doors without a word to its loyal customers. Beautiful confectioner Lukács cukrászda has graced Andrássy út since 1912, so it came as something of a surprise to reader J.F....
Nov 07 '06
Gresham Palace Repels Invasion by Latte-Sipping Riff-Raff
As any coffee-drinking office drone working in downtown Budapest knows, the streets around St. István tér in District V are overflowing with options. On one small stretch of Nádor utca, for example, you can sit with a delicious nagy...
Oct 03 '06
Political Edibles (III): Hungary's Presidential Fair Trade Coffee
Though his powers are mostly ceremonial, Hungarian President László Sólyom (left) has recently made it clear that he is not shy about using this influence whenever he thinks it can be put to good use. Not only has he...
Oct 02 '06
Serious Reservations About Native American-Themed Teahouse
In case you hadn't noticed, there's a tea war brewing in Budapest, and Jókai utca is the front line, with no fewer than five teahouses on the relatively short street that runs from Andrássy to Nyugati tér. One of...
Sep 25 '06
District VII Café Pulls Bohemian Rabbits Out of Hat
Naming your new café after a cult kids TV show is always a good idea, given how much time even non-hipsters spend reminiscing about the idiot boxes of their youth. "Bob and Bobek" (above, with big floppy ears; we're...
