| Introduction | |
 The
pubs listed here are a few which might be of interest to the visitor to
Budapest. Those likely to attract the most attention of the serious beer
lover are the two home brew pubs, which are a welcome recent addition to
Budapest's pub culture. The range of beer available is fairly limited, being mostly standard pale lagers. The odd bock beer, here called bak, is about the only variation. Most of the beers on sale are brewed within Hungary, with some beer being imported from Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. The licensing agreements many Hugarian breweries have with foreign companies can, however, make it difficult to be totally sure of the country of origin. |
|
Budapest PubsPubs in Budapest come in a variety of styles: some are like German or Austrian beerhalls, some like elegant turn-of-the-century restaurants, others are modern bars. This all reflects the many and varied political and cultural forces which have influenced the city.One word of warning; be very wary of the waiters in the central areas of the city. When confronted with a foreigner, they seem to have trouble remembering the correct price of anything. A good idea is always to have the waiter confirm the prices when you order. It's then pretty obvious if they try to add on the standard 100% foreigner surcharge. Outside the more touristy parts, this fortunately does not seem to be the case. |
|
Budapest HotelsBudapest Hotels Hungary Grand Hotel Royal BudapestKempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest Hotel Gellert Budapest Hotel Taverna Budapest NH Hotel Budapest Hotel Liget Budapest City Hotel Matyas Budapest |
| Budapest Pub Guide |
| Pub listings |
| 1. Gerbeaud | |
| V. Vörösmarty tér 7 1051 Budapest. Tel. 429 90 00 Homepage: http://www.gerbeaud.hu |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:30-23:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 3 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 2 | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: Snacks, cakes, meals. | |
| What appears to be a typical café for afternnon coffee and
cakes in the Hapsburg style, turns out on closer inspection to also have
its own brewery. Entering from the Dorrotya Utca side, a staircase leads
down into a cellar brewpub and restaurant. As well as the homebrewed pale
and dark beers, there is also an extensive menu of traditional Hungarian
food. For those more interested in chocolate cake than chocolate malt, there are plenty of temptations in the café upstairs. Update: Thanks to Steve Westby for letting me know that the "brewing installation" is fake and that the beers are actually brewed elsewhere. |
|
| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| 2. Aranyászok Sörözö | |
| József Nádor tér Budapest Tel. 291930 |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-23:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 2 | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: Snacks, meals. | |
| A small one-room beer pub on a square in the centre of Pest,
which has a pretty unassuming exterior. The furniture is an odd pine/tubular
steel combination, fixed to the tile floor, just in case you feel like taking
any of it with you when you leave. The booths into which it is divided are decorated with old beer labels and photos of the Köbányai brewery, which seems fairly appropriate, given what most of the people in there are pouring down their throats. The 70's atmosphere is now dated enough to be a bit charming. It's a bit like the way the witless designers of Department S or Jason King would portray a supposedly trendy club. I would hurry up if you want to see it looking like this, as I can't see this sort of look being tolerated much longer. Quite intimate. |
|
| Rating: :*** | Public transport: |
| 3. Paul's Pub | |
| Váci utca 49 Budapest Tel. |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 10:00-02:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 22 | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: Snacks, meals. | |
| Corner pub on a newly-pedestrianised section of Váci utca
away from the posh shops. The single upstairs room is an overdose of pine
panelling, with every surface, including the ceiling, covered with it. Downstairs
is a restaurant. An ice cream fridge in the middle of the place is a slightly
bizarre touch, but generally the place is pretty cool. MTV with the sound
turned down is a nice Amsterdam touch. It has a fair selection of beer from Austria, Bavaria and the Czech Republic, as well as a fair few Hungarian ones. Good lard sandwiches, too. Three different Weissbiers are available. Note the amazingly long opening hours. Very civilised. |
|
| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| 4. Kaltenberg Sörözö | |
| Kinizsi utca 30-32 1092 Budapest. Tel. 215-9792 Email: info@kaltenberg.hu http://www.kaltenberg.hu |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 12:00-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 2 | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: Snacks, meals. | |
| A brewpub in a large beer cellar in the Bavarian/Czech style
with a vaulted brick ceiling, tiled floor and wood panelled walls. Off the
corridor which runs down one side of the main room, is a strange area full
of slot machines, which is a little out of keeping with the atmosphere of
the rest of the place to say the least. In addition to the home-brewed beers, there are also pale and dark Maisel's Weisse in bottles. The pub is ownes, as the name suggests, by the German Kaltenerg brewery. The beer is pretty good and cheap in the bargain. The meals are excellent and reasonably priced, too. Respectable, but not ridiculously posh. The best thing is that it's location slightly outside the city centre means that the waiters don't try to cheat you. |
|
| Rating: **** | Public transport: |
| 5. Chicago | |
| Erzsébet Körút 2 Budapest Tel. 122-9230 |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: Snacks, meals. | |
| Brew pub in a modern building on a large square, very handily
placed next to the Blaha Lujza tér. The large central carved wooden bar
is surrounded by booths, all in a vague turn-of-the-century style. The walls
are covered in a selection of slightly odd beer-related pictures, mostly
with an American flavour. Over the bar is a panoramic photo of Chicago and
the copper brewing vessels in the next room are visible through a couple
of windows. Overall it has a bit of a strange atmosphere and seems more like a trendy hangout than a serious brewery. I have had reports that it is no longer brewing itself, but has its beer made elsewhere. *** This pub has closed *** |
|
| Rating: :** | Public transport: |
| 6. Corso | |
| Petőfi Sándor utca Budapest Tel. |
 |
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00-23:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 2 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 0 | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: Snacks, meals | |
| Multiroomed pub-restaurant with some rather handsome brown
murals partly covering the interior walls. Quite posh, but with charmingly
obstinate staff, who have their own ideas of what you should be ordering
and show their disapproval when they think you get it wrong. Pretty good
food at a very good price, if you don't mind the odd dirty look from the
waiters. It has a summer beer garden at the rear. If you're into wine, they also sell a very nice tokay. |
|
| Rating: *** | Public transport: |
| 7. Henri Belga Sörözö (Belgian Brasserie) | |
| I. Bem rakpart 12, Budapest. Tel: 201 50 82 Fax: 225 83 50 |
|
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 12:00-24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 3 | |
| Number of bottled beers: 30 | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: Snacks, meals. | |
| A list of bottled belgium beers to drool over - approx 30
and all seemed to come with matching brewery glass. Has separate drinking
and eating areas. Food is top class, varied with local styles available,
but not expensive. 3 draft beers. Nice relaxed atmosphere. (Report courtesy
of Brian Willis.) |
|
| Rating: | Public transport: |
| 8. Mister Sörház | |
| Régifóti út 31, 1152 Budapest. Tel : 01-306 7931 Fax: 01-306 9722 Email: mistersorhaz@axelero.hu http://www.restaurantguide.hu/mister |
|
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun 12:00 - 24:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: | |
| This is what Phil Booton has to say about this pub: "Get the M3 metro to Ujpest-Kozpont and then tram 12 to its terminus. Ten minutes walk from there in a rather rundown area. But persevere and you will be rewarded with a really nice pub. Very good service, first class food and top beer at cheap suburban prices. They do only one beer at HF200 a half-litre (60p). This was sweeter than the average Pils. Traditional Hungarian food - many dishes under HF1000 (3GBP). " Sounds pretty good to me and probably worth the trek out of the town centre. |
|
| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Jäger Budapest | |
| Etele út 1-3, 1119 Budapest XI. |
|
| Opening hours: | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: | |
Regular draught beers:
|
|
| Food: | |
| Brewpub |
|
| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Kaputa Sörözö | |
| Szebeni u.2, Csepel (Budapest XXI). |
|
| Opening hours: | |
| Number of draught beers: 1 | |
| Number of bottled beers: | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: | |
| Pub in an outer suburb of Budapest. Sells a beer from Harmath
Sörfözde, which is also located in Csepel. |
|
| Rating: | Public transport: |
| Paulaner Brauhaus | |
| XII. Alkotás u. 53. Mom Park, 1121 Budapest Tel: +36 1 224 2020/248 1000 Fax: +36 1 225 3723 Email: info@.paulanerbudapest.hu/ http://www.paulanerbudapest.hu/ |
|
| Opening hours: Mon - Sun 11:00 - 01:00 | |
| Number of draught beers: | |
| Number of bottled beers: | |
| Regular draught beers: | |
| Food: | |
| A brewpub owned by Munich brewery Paulaner. *** This pub has closed *** |
|
| Rating: | Public transport: Tram 59, 61, Bus 8, 139 |