Image by Eszter Szilva

Cukorka means candy in Hungarian and from December it also refers to one of the coolest places in Budapest where you can indulge in sugary delights and the stunning design and idea behind this tiny candy shop. It’s always inspiring to see places like this being born in Budapest.

The vivid red walls almost shocked me when I entered the candy shop but everything gets calmer in the other corner where candies are made on a sterile steel counter in front of bright white tiles. Behind there is a row of transparent bottles with flavor and color materials which made me feel like I came across some secret laboratory. And that’s pretty much the case because all the candies are made here by hand according to less-known, traditional recipes from abroad and from Hungary as well.

You can choose from at least ten-fifteen different tastes of candies and lollipops ranging from cinnamon to piña colada, all made on the spot by the friendly staff. If you have difficulties picking your favorite (which I had, of course), tasting  them at the counter might help you out. Cukorka also organizes “candy shows”, when you can get an idea how these sweet little treats are made.

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Cukorka | Shopping, Snacks | Pack of candies HUF 900
Múzeum körút 7 | Central Pest
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 15:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

This is a place which you’d probably never come across accidentally, unless you get lost on your way to the nearby Children’s railway which is a popular spot for relaxing. Located in Hegyvidék district up in the hills of Buda, Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design (MOME) is outside the regular path of tourists, but worth a trip, especially if you’re interested in arts and design. Or just want to discover the greener side of Budapest which makes a striking contrast to downtown’s bustle.

The campus is a nice park, which is full of surprises. No wonder, as there are lot of inspiring artists here. You can bump into photos or other art objects randomly displayed. Just as every university buffets, MOME’s canteen (open to the public) is also noisy, people sit by their laptops or chat with each other. The red wooden benches and the industrial design makes this place a bit similar to the popular bars in the Pest side. The food comes in menus, or you can order pizza as well. The walls are full of design related program flyers which might help if you’re up to an exhibition or a party. The place also functions as a café with a nice terrace decorated by colorful graffitis.

The canteen is actually the ground floor of the dorm, a building which reminds me more of a guest house in the mountains than a regular university building. It’s a perfect place to have a break and absorb the laid-back atmosphere.

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MOME Kantin | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Menu from HUF 650
Zugligeti út 9 | Outer Buda
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

After passing Oktogon and walking down Andrássy street, it’s not so easy to find a nice café. This problem is partly solved by Ecocafé which was opened this year on Budapest’s famous avenue. The name is telling, you’ve guessed it, the café offers organic and fair trade coffee plus healthy home-baked snacks. Budapest’s slowly discovering the power of organic…

Biking home from Városliget park, I came across this spot randomly as the little terrace with flowers caught my attention. Stepping inside, I was impressed by the large, bright and modern space. Although everything is new and look somewhat sterile (especially if I compare it to my favorite places in Budapest), the kind waiters, the peaceful music and the calming combination of white, green and brown colors always make me feel relaxed. The place is mostly full of foreign students studying in Budapest, or tourists and locals heading to Városliget for a relaxing stroll.

The coffee is excellent, a blend of Guatemalan, Brazilian and Ethiopian beans. Cappuccino goes well with some cakes for baguettes, all of them made here. Those on the healthy side can choose wheat grass juice, or ask for soy milk with the coffee.

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Ecocafé | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Espresso HUF 330
Andrássy út 68 | Outer Pest
Mon – Fri 07:30 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

El Rapido has introduced a pretty unusual combination to the bar scene of the seventh district. It’s a taco buffet and a deli upstairs, plus a flea market bar in the cellar where everything you see is on sale.

Located in the busy Kazinczy street, El Rapido offers cheap and fast tacos and other Mexican-like fast food. The target group is clear: mainly those who arrive late in the evening from the neighborhood’s clubs and bars. As El Rapido is a deli as well, the shelves are packed with international food such as curry sauces, exotic spices and Mexican beers. 

While the small buffet is mostly crowded with people waiting for their snacks, downstairs you’ll enter a much more tranquil place. The smoky cellar bar is full of old tables, chairs and seemingly useless but funny retro gadgets, books and other bric-a-bracs. It feels a bit like sitting in a storage. That sort of a storage where you can choose from forty different types of Mexican tequilas… The slogan is the following: you can buy anything here. So if you feel that your chair is perfectly comfy, you just have to bargain a nice price and be happy with your Budapest souvenir.

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El Rapido | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Taco al pastor HUF 600
Budapest, 1075, Kazinczy utca 10. | Central Pest | +36302792861
Mon – Tue 11:30 – 02:00, Wed – Fri 11:30 – 03:00, Sat 12:00 – 04:00, Sun 17:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Szilva Eszter

Facades of classic cinemas with their black letters and neon commercials always impress me. The entrance of Szikra Cool Tour House opposite Nyugati station is one of these spots. The name of this complex institution is a Hunglish word pun: kultúrház (yes, to be pronounced Cool Tour House) means cultural center especially since the early socialist era where different events were organized from official celebrations to concerts of local choirs. Szikra’s programs are just as diverse.

Built in the 1920s, Szikra functioned as a cinema until the end of the 1990s. Its main sensation is the roof of its theatre room which can be opened and closed thanks to a clever machinery. When I was there last time at a Pecha Kucha night, the audience gathering to listen to designers and architects was just as amazed by discovering the starry night above their heads as cinema goers of the 1920s could have been. There’s something magical about sitting in a traditional theatre and watching the sky framed by golden stuccos.

Szikra admittedly goes against Budapest’s famous ruin bar trend by evoking a cabaret milieu. The ornate and shiny decors and the posh bar go perfectly with the atmosphere of the theatre. The program ranges from mainstream to alternative, from jazz concerts to independent theatre performances or DJ sets. The building houses a bar and bistro which you can reach from the street from as early as 8 o’clock in the morning. The snacks and drinks keep you sated until the show begins.

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Szikra | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Snacks, Theaters | Espresso HUF 250
Budapest, 1066, Teréz krt. 62. | Central Pest | +3619110911
Sun – Tue 10:00 – 02:00, Wed – Thu 10:00 – 04:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 06:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Papa Gyrosa (Papa’s Gyros) is a tiny buffet, offering Arab food and sweets. As opposed to Szeráj which is attractive because of its central location, Papa is relatively hidden, small and cozy. And it offers delicious food, of course. Papa’s is located in Lövőház street, a recently refurbished pedestrian area of Buda within a stone’s throw from Millenáris park.

I’m a fan of this eatery because besides the regular gyros (or döner, as you like) which either comes in a pita or on a plate, they serve various dishes with a Middle Eastern flair. Even if it’s outside my regular route, I often cross Margit bridge with my bike to taste Papa’s delicious Arab meal which is not so easy to find at this price in Budapest. The spicy biryani is made with chicken, almonds and raisins and I never miss maklube, a traditional rice pilaf with eggplant and pomegranate. Meat lovers will appreciate kebab which is served with a hearty tomato sauce.

My extra favorite thing however are chick peas which I’m happy to find in many variations, for example with bulgur or in a parsley salad. If I’m lucky, I jump in on days when chick peas with tomato are on the menu.

The atmosphere is warm and friendly, the staff is ready to have a chat with the guests. All this makes Papa’s a popular place in the neighborhood: kids coming home from school or people from the nearby offices flock here to get their daily gyros.

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Papa Gyrosa | Snacks, Restaurants (Arab) | Gyros in pita HUF 600
Lövőház utca 24/b. | Outer Buda | +3617851116
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 21:00, Sat 10:00 – 20:00, Sun 11:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Retro style is in nowadays, but Bambi is not a neatly designed retro parlor, it’s just a simple café which opened its doors fifty years ago and has not changed much since then. Located in one of Buda’s nicest side streets just a few steps away from Margit bridge, Bambi is equally perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon coffee or some glasses of post-work beer.

Bambi has become an institution, where time literally stood still. However, it’s one of Budapest’s liveliest cafés always brimming with people. If I fancy freshly baked baguettes, sophisticated cakes or triple chocolate latte machiattos with rice milk, I don’t go to Bambi. Here, I get simple or double espresso in a glass, foamed milk comes in a red dotted mug and the classic hot cheese sandwich or debreceni sausage is served with mustard and ketchup. Everything is decent and affordable, but that’s not the point, Bambi is famous for itself.

While most people, especially the non-smokers, prefer sitting at the roomy terrace, regular guests tend to occupy the back corner of the café where they play domino, card or board games all night long. The interior is defined by red faux leather chairs, embroidery tablecloths and yellow-green mosaic pillars.

Bambi has its own rules that you can read in the terrace (only in Hungarian). For example, you have to pay as soon as you get what you ordered. Finally, when you hear a bell ringing, don’t wait for Santa Claus, it’s just the signal of the closing hour.

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Bambi Eszpresszó | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Espresso HUF 220
Frankel Leó utca 2-4. | Central Buda | +3612123171
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Sarki Fűszeres (Grocery store at the corner) is located next to Szent István park in Újlipótváros (thirteenth district), embraced by impressive Bauhaus buildings. It’s literally a corner of a house, often compared to the Flatiron Building of New York, while others tend to think that this place is a piece of Paris in Budapest. I’d rather say that it’s one of Budapest’s nicest faces. You won’t see it as often as the courtyard houses of downtown Pest, but it belongs very much to the city.

Sarki Fűszeres is something between a grocery store, a bistro and a café. Besides coffee and tea, they sell freshly baked breads, croissants, delicious cakes (you might bump into traditional Hungarian sweeties like Rákóczi túrós made with sweet cottage cheese) and a nice selection of cheese and ham. The tall wooden shelves are full of wine. You can order your sandwich with the ingredients you see in the counter or ask for a cheese plate. They are specialized in hearty breakfasts as well.

Unlike most of the cafés here, the lovely terrace of Sarki Fűszeres is open during cold weather – the heaters and blankets guarantee that you won’t freeze. However, you might enhance the warmth by sipping mulled wine cooked at the terrace in a huge caldron. Take your seat and enjoy the sight of the red, old school trolleybuses turning here to Pozsonyi street at a relatively high speed. Noisy and also a bit terrifying for trolley-freaks like me, but definitely part of the Újlipótváros picture.

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Sarki Fűszeres | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Espresso HUF 390
Pozsonyi út 53-55 | Outer Pest | +3612380600
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat 08:00 – 15:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Entering this tiny veggie buffet in Pozsonyi street makes you feel that everything you eat here is fresh, tasty and healthy. And the chefs of Nemsüti guarantee that it’s really the case. Here you can fuel up on yummy vegetarian or vegan dishes, soups, sandwiches, cakes and fresh juices. The food is always seasonal, fresh, does not contain flour, sugar and artificial stuff. The materials are of the best quality.

This family-run buffet is a true success story, quite similar to the triumph of the Sunset Cookies in Woody Allen’s film Small Time Crooks, translated Süti, nemsüti (‘Cookies, Not Cookies’) in Hungarian. Except the owners of Nemsüti had never intended to rob a bank. That’s the origin of the name, which might be a bit complicated by I could not help sharing it. In addition, Nemsüti didn’t sell cookies in the beginning. It started out as a simple sandwich bar offering healthy snacks, but now they cook menus and run a home delivery as well. In lunch time, the buffet is always full and might run out of the menus, so it’s advised to order the menu the previous day.

Despite its name, Nemsüti sells now cookies as well. All of them home made, with brown sugar and lots of fruits. Delicious, of course.

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Nemsüti | Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Main dish HUF 800
Jászai Mari tér 4/b | Central Pest | +3617826711
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 17:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Miklos Zsamboki

As the name suggests perfectly, Noir is a chocolate bar. While Hungary is not a chocolate world power like, say, Belgium, Noir certainly does its part in meeting the needs of local chocophiles. It’s got all sorts of chocolates, including hot drinking chocolate, hot drinking chocolate with various spices from chili to cardamom, hot chocolate with or without alchohol, or hot chocolate with or without spices and/or alcohol on ice.

What more need I say? If you have the craving for sweet, sweet (or dark andbitter) chocolate, this is the place to go. Do reserve a table if you’re planning to visit in the evening, it gets crowded around that time.

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Noir ChocoBar | Bars, Snacks | Hot chocolate from HUF 700
Hegedu utca 6 | Central Pest | +36202228555
Sun – Mon 15:00 – 22:00, Tue – Sat 15:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest