Élesztőház for me is synonymous with beer (after all, its name means yeast house), more specifically Hungarian craft beer, and plenty of it: there are always more than twelve varieties on tap, often the most recent fever dreams of domestic breweries, and trust me on this one — the imagination of Hungarian brewers knows no limits.

There is no reason to panic though, classic lagers or pilsners are also readily available and in case you’re actually not that much into beer, Élesztőház is in fact something of an institution and also harbours a street food bar (beware, while the beers can be paid for by card, the restaurant only takes cash), a ruin café, a wine bar, an apartment restaurant and something called a hopstel. Given that I love puns almost as much as I love beer, I almost feel like booking a night just to experience it, since one of my favourite accommodations abroad was a room above a brewery in London.

The early hours of the afternoon are quiet times by Élesztőház standards, but evenings, especially as the weekend approaches (time to get acquainted with the Hungarian concept of ‘kispéntek’, as in a Thursday which is a ‘Littlefriday) can get quite busy, so booking is strongly recommended for bigger groups. Smaller groups or solo travelers will probably find a place to squeeze in somewhere in Élesztőház’s maze and perhaps make new friends over a pint of mind-bending pineapple IPA.