Archives for “Art & culture” tag

Opened as early as 1936, Átrium (then May 1) movie theater was a vivid cinema during the socialist era, until it was closed in 2001. After being abandoned for a decade, Átrium recently opened its doors again and does its best to become Buda’s most important multicultural center offering movies, theatre plays, various cultural events and a café-pub with an artistic flair. As Buda is still behind the Pest side of the Danube concerning such contemporary cultural venues, Átrium is a long-awaited and much welcomed member in the Buda team.

The interior has been restored to resemble the pre-war elegance and minimalism. As you enter though, you might find yourself in a castle of illusion: the lobby’s black and white chessboard-like tiles and the mirrored pillars give a somewhat perplexing impression.

Átrium offers a colorful repertoire: for example they show plays from one of my favorite Hungarian theatre groups, Béla Pintér’s ensemble (some of their plays are with English subtitles!) and other plays by small and independent companies (the latest is The Lonesome West by Martin McDonaugh, with  English subtitles). They also focus on expats and travelers and aim to showcase English-speaking performances (for the program, check the website!).

Besides theatre, Átrium also hosts contemporary dance performances and as the name suggests, films and film clubs as well. One more cool thing: after my favorite DVD rental place called Odeon was closed in the 13th district, a small counter of Odeon has moved here to one of the lobby corners!

I’m always surprised by Budapest’s tempo when it comes to opening (& closing) new places in the city: hard to follow but it makes life exciting!

Müszi is one of the latest dots on the Budapest alternative map, it’s Corvintető’s direct neighbour (see Corvinteto article) and shares lots of Tető’s features: same building, same sort of very urban ‘hip-hop’ staircase, Corvin áruház top floor location, and almost the same tiles on the wall! But Corvintető doesn’t really belong to the underground any more. Müszi does!

So what’s Müszi about? Művelődési Szint (i.e: “the cultural floor”) is a “community space”, you can come whenever you want, you’re always welcome in what could be considered as a spacious living room! They have comfy old sofas, a ping-pong table, csocsó (Table football), chairs and tables everywhere. Of course, they have a bar catering to this young and not so young crowd that also comes during the day to work on their laptop!

But Müszi is not only a great drinking open-space, it has a lot of rooms that can be turned into anything they want. With various local organizations, they regularly hold practical workshops on sustainability (clothes exchange, composting etc), they also have offices for local NGOs, a co-working space and a garden!

So that’s for the day time Müszi, open 7 days a week. At night, concerts, exhibits, theatre plays are on the menu. But the party doesn’t last till the morning, 23:00 is a good average!

N.B: entrance from Somogyi Béla utca, ring the bell!

It’s been months since I promised I would review Gondozó, so here you go FINALLY!

I guess one of the reasons it took so much time is because the place counts as one of my little “guarded secrets”! I live nearby, in the 8th district, and Gondozó has seriously become my usual place to hang out. Since there is no point in enjoying it alone, I decided to share it!

Gondozó is hidden off the main Budapest boulevard (just 2 streets away), in the “ill-famed” 8th district, and it’s a 15 min walk from Ráday utca. In a way, the Gondozó crew is pioneer in turning the famous “Nyócker” into something similar to what the Jewish district is today.

Gondozó derives its name from the homeless shelter just opposite it. Welcome in the 8th district (again)! In fact, Gondozó is just another kind of shelter for those looking for a nice atmosphere in a romkocsma sort-of setting.

But here the design is nice and plain, actually why would Gondozó do more? It’s already an independent house with a (covered) garden and a barn-style interior. I love that they kept the original floor which really gives a “village” touch to the whole and is perfect for táncház (Hungarian dance sessions) held frequently here.

The service is very relaxed, you can feel friends are running the place. Plus the food is a hit most of the time! Great veggies and meat barbecues in sight (but wait till they hire a new cook!)!

When I’m telling you that (part of) the 8th district is becoming up and coming (see my article on Gondozó), Részeg szabó only seems to confirm what I’m saying.

Conveniently located just 5 streets away from Blaha Lujza tér on Népszínház utca – a once flourishing shopping street – The Drunken Tailor is a colorful hang-out in a bleak but fascinating Budapest neighbourhood!

Részeg szabó doesn’t hide its Latin American leaning in its well picked-quite-exuberant decoration neither in the gentle music the staff puts on. However it’s very Hungarian as food and drinks are concerned! Very decent fare and nice szörp (homemade syrups) on the menu!

The particularity of Részeg szabó is that it’s not exactly what you would call a “ruin pub”. Chairs and tables are not straight from the bin. And there is not graffiti on the wall. Not even in the cellar where Részeg szabó organizes concerts and Folk dance gigs (every Wednesday, highly recommended!).

Also it’s one of the very few places in Budapest where you can play board games such as the old version of the Hungarian monopoly!

Warning: mind the opening times, to make sure you won’t find the door closed!

Another serious competitor to Hivatal (check the Hivatal Kávézó article) just next door is Telép, a very cosy café in the new trendy afternoon-nightlife corridor connected to Gozsdu udvar and the Jewish quarter.

You can’t miss it: it’s this place almost entirely recovered by stickers (work in progress!) that also has a couple of chairs outside for nicer days.

I rediscovered Telép recently after a few months of caffeine shots in other places and just realized how much I missed out!

The thing about Télep is that you truly feel at home here, it’s the perfect place to work on your stuff when you are like me – on the move permanently.

It’s not so big but if feels spacious and tables are just perfect for bigger laptops. Last time I could even borrow a charger from another customer!

There is some nice background music, arty magazines in Hungarian (if you dare!) and really good coffees. Tejeskávé (milk coffee) comes with real milk here, no concentrate! For those overlapping their lunch or dinner, Télep has pastries and bagels to feed you with. 

Actually Telép is a living space, the upstairs serves as an exhibition and workshop space, a bit like the neighboring Printa (check the Printa article).