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 Szilva Eszter

Látomás started out as a second-hand clothes shop thirteen years ago but now they already have three venues in Budapest, selling unique garments by small fashion labels. The three stores are a bit different in their style but one thing is common: each of them offers carefully selected clothes for those who had enough of mass produced items.

Látomás, meaning vision or fantasy in Hungarian, is something between a designer store and a multinational chain where you’ll find unique clothes at a rather reasonable price.

My favorite Látomás boutique is in Király utca where I always come across something attractive in the huge display windows which makes me enter. Inside there’s a small and tidy shop full of simple classics, elegant and minimalistic shirts, graphic T-shirts, casual jackets, leggings, trousers, dresses, and basically everything you need to look stylish. This winter I’d opt for the smooth knitwear lining the walls.

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Látomás | Shopping | Shirts HUF 4000
1077 Bp. Király utca 39. | Central Pest | +3612672158
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 19:30, Sat 11:00 – 16:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Because of the density of theatres, Nagymező street is called the “Broadway of Budapest” and nowadays it has also become one of the main party streets, but thanks to photographer Mai Manó who built his home and studio-house here at the end of the 18th century, it’s also a major venue for lovers of photography. With its rich and colorful decorations, this building always makes me stop for a moment when I walk around this area.

Mai Manó’s house functions from 1995 as a space dedicated to Hungarian photography. Besides the various exhibitions, Mai Manó, as it is regularly called, is unique because the impressive building itself which, with its wooden stairs and tiny corridors, is more like a palace than an ordinary museum. I am always surprised to see that the tight staircase eventually leads to the wonderfully spacious Daylight studio, the main attraction of the house. This room was used as a photography studio lit by the natural sunlight shining through the huge wooden panes of the windows. Besides enjoying sunlight and imagining how Mai Manó worked here, the studio is another perfect place for trolley gazing!

Mai Manó houses several rooms for separate exhibitions, a photography library and a joint gallery and bookstore as well where you’ll find a number of art albums, books and photo replicas. 

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Hungarian House of Photography | Art & culture, Shopping | Entrance adults HUF 1000
Nagymező utca 20. | Central Pest | +3614732666
Mon – Fri 14:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

It’s originally from Krakow, speaks English, offers interesting books and serves delicious coffee and tasty cookies in the heart of the Jewish district. Any guesses? Ok, I’ll help. Massolit, a café and English language bookstore from Poland, has recently opened its doors in Budapest as well, for the pleasure of expats, exchange and local university students, and basically everyone who speaks English.

For me, someone who graduated in English Literature, Media and Gender Studies, this place is a heaven of books as Massolit is specialised precisely in these areas (plus politics, history, Jewish Studies and other social studies) and offers great academic titles at reduced prices. Besides non-fiction, they have a selection of fiction as well. Reading requires coffee, of course, and here I get it from direct trade and in various seasonal blends.

The café and store is situated on a ground floor of an old building. The turquoise wooden windows, the black and white granite tiles, the palm tree and the big bookshelves embracing all these create an antique but still cozy interior. Behind you’ll find a terrace located in one of the nicest backyards of Budapest, especially friendly during the summer days when the garden is lush and green.

Similarly to the Krakow store, the Budapest branch also organizes concerts, readings and other social gatherings. In the back room you might bump into English courses as well.

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Massolit | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Espresso HUF 300
Nagy Diófa utca 30. | Central Pest | +3617885292
Mon – Sat: 11:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Design shop, gallery, café and silkscreen studio – you’ll find it all in place opposite the old synagogue in Jewish district’s Rumbach Sebestyén street.

Printa is a concept-store, that is, everything they offer is centered around a concept, here, eco-friendly design. Thus, the coffee they serve comes from direct trade and the items you can buy are designed by Hungarian designers who work with recycled or eco-friendly materials.

Besides the exquisite coffee beans, the trained baristas also guarantee that you get wonderful coffee here. As one of them said, we put sugar in our coffee only because the coffee is not of the best quality. However, if you have a sweet tooth, don’t be afraid, you’ll find sugar here.

Printa offers goodies from jewellery inspired by the beautiful matyó folk art embroidery to funny bags sewn from vintage leather jackets or silkscreen T-shirts with the names of iconic Budapest streets. If you want to make your own silkscreen print, register to the workshops!

The minimalistic but friendly interior contains two big tables and some seats at the counter, however, in a sunny weather you can take your seat outside in the huge windows. You might bump into exhibition openings and other social gatherings as well.

Printa is a great place to start a stroll in the Jewish district. What’s more, they have made their own, nicely designed map to downtown Pest. Delicious coffee and some cookies in your stomach, Printa’s map in your hands – you cannot get lost, only if you want to!

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Printa | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Espresso HUF 300
Rumbach Sebestyén utca 10. | Central Pest | +36302920329
Mon – Fri 11:00- 19:00, Sat 12:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Each city has its own iconic bookstore that means lot more than a simple retail place. This spot in Budapest is Írók Boltja (Writers’ Bookshop), located on the busy corner of Andrássy street and Liszt Ferenc square. Írók boltja is the place to go when you are interested in Hungarian literature as it offers a nice selection of books in English, German and French translation.

The store is special because it has a history of more than hundred years, always connected to writers and poets. Originally a café, it functioned from the 1890s as a legendary gathering place for writers and intellectuals until it was transformed into a bookshop in the 1950s. The members of the Hungarian Association of Writers could buy books on discount here and they organized public readings. Írók boltja offers literary and cultural events as well where writers and readers can meet in person.

I might not be a natural born businesswoman, but for me, a good shop is where I don’t feel compelled to buy anything. Here, I’m free to grab a book with a cup of tea or coffee and sit down in the corner. At the same time, I can peacefully enjoy the bustle of the outside world through the huge windows. Sometimes it feels like sitting in an aquarium full of books, magazines and literature fans instead of fishes and shells.

Finally, a secret: some parts of the café’s original decoration were discovered and preserved. If you cannot find them, just ask the super friendly staff!

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Írók boltja | Art & culture, Shopping
Andrássy út 45. | Central Pest | +3613221645
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 11:00 -19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Ferenc Nadai

Arioso is a coffee-, furniture- and flowershop very close to Deák Ferenc Square. It’s a small, friendly place where you can sit down in the middle of the day for a tea and a hot sandwich, or maybe a salad, and have some peace away from the rush of the street. Besides the street front area, Arioso also has an even mellower garden in the back, open whenever the weather is nice.

They also have furniture and other home decoration elements like candelabras for sale, and if you walk a few meters down the street, you’ll find the Arioso flower shop (which is where the photo was taken) with a wide selection of really elegant potted and vase plants, bouquets and the like.

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Arioso | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Tea HUF 350
Király utca 9 | Central Pest | +3612663555
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Miklos Zsamboki

Treehugger Dan’s Bookstore & Café is owned – very appropriately – by “Treehugger” Dan Swartz, an avid local environmental activist. As such, the selection of second-hand books includes quite a few titles on enviromentalism, politics, sociology and the like. Dan also uses the venue for various public lectures and events, such as “Free Independent Financial Advice” and “Greenpeace Friday”.

The place’s name includes “& Café” for a reason. It offers a selection of tasty Fair Trade teas and coffees, which you can drink in the back of the store at two tiny tables – don’t plan on bringing more than 3 friends!

Treehugger Dan also has two other venues in Budapest: a larger one in Lázár Street (just behind the Opera house), which also acts as a tourist information centre as well as a regular venue for Budapest’s premier English-language poetry reading series, The Bardroom; and a third place at Süto Street 2.

Besides selling used books, Dan also buys them, but only at the Csengery Street location.

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Treehugger Dan’s | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Books HUF 900
Csengery utca 48 | Central Pest | +3613220774
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 17:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Hélène Bienvenu

Gozsdu udvar is a scenic Budapest passage at the heart of the Jewish district. It leads from Király utca 13 to Dob utca 16 (and the other way round of course!).

It was built at the very beginning of the 20th century by a Hungarian Romanian philanthropist, Mano Gozsdu. At the time Budapest was a bustling capital, I have absolutely no problem imagining how lively it could have been over there. The promenade connecting the six yards to each other was probably full of little shops and workshops. Unfortunately WWII came and communism followed suite. The passage was left abandoned.

And here’s the good news: Gozsdu udvar was renovated in 2008. It’s now all bright and shiny (maybe a bit too much?), slowly filling up with luxury homes, cafés and bars.

Gouba market is held there in the open-air every Sunday along the passage from early spring (end of March) till end of October. It is similar in spirit to WAMP (check the article here), the famous Budapest design market. One could argue that it’s even more pleasant as the location is quite unique and gives a feeling of a real market.

On Gouba you will find Hungarian design items (jewellery, clothes, accessories…) but also some antiques, drawings, stationary… It’s the perfect place to shop for original Hungarian presents!

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Gouba – Gozsdu udvar | Shopping, Snacks | Free
Király utca 13 – Dob utca 16 | Central Pest
07:00 – 22:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by András Nagy

Handmade quality chocolate, all forms and tastes that a real connoisseur can dream of. Pralines and table chocolates are just the top of the iceberg. Personally I am a big fan of (dark) chocolates, I don’t even want to hide my enthusiasm.

The shop is really small where the design and the lights create a calm atmosphere that accentuates the bitter-clean smell of chocolate and cocoa beans. I’m still in the phase of tasting various pralines, certainly I can recommend all of the flavors but I wouldn’t miss the lemon-oil caramel bonbon at no cost. The sweets are wrapped in stylish wrappers or put in design-boxes.

Chocolate can also be used as raw material to create artworks: chocolate sculptures, boxes or “rusty tools” show the skills of the craftsmen and -women. Eating these beautiful pieces of art would be blasphemy! Well, hard times sometimes bring the heretic out of the chocolate believer.

The street where the shop is located has been undergoing a major transformation for some time and it has turned into a nice pedestrian street, just like the surrounding area. You’ve got to watch out not to walk past the shop, look for the chocolate brown shop front.

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Rózsavölgyi Chocolate | Shopping, Snacks | Box of bonbons HUF 2715
Királyi Pál utca 6 | Central Pest | +36308148929
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 13:00 & 13:30 – 18:30, Sat 12:00 – 18:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest