Fifteen years ago, Budapest’s now-pulsating seventh district — also known as Erzsébetváros — was a derelict neighborhood filled with abandoned buildings.
Then, a sprawling old factory was converted into Szimpla Kert, a “ruin pub” with rooms sporting thrift-store furniture and a massive outdoor patio.
The new pub helped transform the city’s Jewish Quarter into a mecca of cool, underground culture.
Since then, the warren of streets behind the Dohány Street Synagogue has welcomed numerous restaurants, cafes and wine bars, and the area’s jubilant, indie spirit is fast spreading throughout the rest of busy Pest and quiet, hilly Buda.
Attila Höfle, founder of the offbeat tour company Budapest Flow, captivates visitors with excursions to ruin pubs and unconventional art spaces in the seventh district and beyond. “The Jewish Quarter is the very essence of what I love in Budapest because it’s full of contradiction: traditional Jewish culture and hipsters at the same time and in the same place,” he says.
“You can feel and experience Jewish life before World War II inside old shops; the Communist period of Hungary at retro restaurants; and contemporary Budapest through street art and street food.”
Here, it is possible to begin the day tucking into shaksuka at Kőleves (Kazinczy u. 41), then peek inside the colorful Kazinczy Street Orthodox Synagogue (Kazinczy u. 29-31) before planning a night of stellar Hungarian wines at Kadarka Bár (Király u. 42).
Höfle’s tours might encompass stops to a mural of the Rubik’s Cube — a Hungarian invention — brightening a firewall; Massolit Books & Café (Nagy Diófa u. 30), where patrons munch on homemade bagels in the garden while perusing English-language tomes; and MÜSZI (Blaha Lujza tér 1), a cultural center known for its roster of film screenings and improv shows in the adjacent, on-the-rise eighth district.
Another of Höfle’s go-to spots is Inda (Király u. 34), an avant-garde gallery highlighting the works of Hungarian and international artists in thought-provoking exhibitions like the intimacy-themed “Dazzle.” Fans of the space might also relish Tinta Art Café (Bartók Béla út 1) in Buda, to partake in wine tastings and listen to Brazilian music.
On this same colorful street, jalapeño-topped bean burgers are dished out at Vegan Love (Bartók Béla út 9), and drip coffees are savored alongside sun-dried tomato quiche at the book-lined Kelet (Bartók Béla út 29), all stark, modern contrasts to the circa-1916 Danubius Hotel Gellért (Szent Gellért tér 1), a few doors down.
While the Gellert may still stand as an icon, today the city’s best accommodations nod to the past but are decidedly fresh and inspired. Take the Hotel Moments Budapest (Andrássy út 8), a 99-room newcomer (rates start at $145) near the Hungarian State Opera House, set in what was the city’s first movie theater.
This 1884 landmark features an original staircase and ceiling paintings amplified by a rich palette of purple, gold and black.
Kelet is one of Budapest’s best spots for coffee, joining new-wave standouts like Espresso Embassy (Arany János u. 15), where cortados are sipped underneath a vaulted brick ceiling; Kontakt (Károly krt. 22), a tiny space luring in java aficionados with “Roket,” a potent nitro cold-brew; and WarmCup (Erzsébet krt. 39), which just found a new home inside the movie theater Art + Cinema. In addition to serving flawless pour-overs, these joints have spawned a community devoted to good coffee.
At WarmCup, filmgoers and coffee geeks sit at the communal table eating lavender madeleines washed down by filtered brews made from Burundi beans, while Tiki, an elegant Whippet mixed with the Hungarian breed Mudi, dozes in a corner.
“For me, this world is not about making money but sharing passion,” says owner Gábor Mordy Jakab, who worked in the film industry until he was seduced by the barista life.
“I like to create things and I want to show my guests how they can enjoy the best cup of coffee possible. We are growing a strong specialty-coffee scene in Budapest because when you do things together with other people, everything is better.”
Soon, he would like to introduce coffee-laced cocktails to the soothing space, and show documentaries that speak to the wider world of food and drink. “So many tourists have come and discovered Budapest and this is why we are trying harder than ever — whether it be the arts, craft beer or coffee — to show authenticity, quality and soul,” he says.
A similar organic revolution is happening in the confectionery realm, with bakeries including Chez Dodo (Sas u. 7) and Zazzi (Bécsi út 57-61) competing with the Old World cukrászdas (traditional bake shops) making uniform, predictable desserts.
Szonja Márk envisioned something new when opening Édesem (Kis Rókus u) near Buda’s Millenáris Park — a bakery where homey salted caramel brownies and strawberry rhubarb strudel snag the spotlight instead of classic Hungarian cakes.
Here, Márk embraces Belgian chocolates and French cream. Most importantly, she hopes the warm atmosphere is reminiscent of grandma’s kitchen, where “you can say hi and ask me what I’m baking.”
But like most locals, she knows that keeping bygone Budapest at the forefront of the city’s rapidly developing narrative is essential, and so the walls of Édesem are decorated with recipes from famed Hungarian baker József C. Dobos’ early 20th-century cookbook.
“Its illustrated pages show me the richness of the past, the stunning cakes with the overwhelming amount of nuts and fresh fruits,” says Márk. “That’s what we have to find again: the happiness of preparing food and feeding people.”