Tilos a Tilos (The Forbidden is Forbidden) is located in one of the coziest squares of Pest, beloved by locals, students, and expats living in the area. I enjoy spending time there during summer evenings, enjoying relaxed conversations with my friends. The square itself is literally surrounded by universities and was turned into a pedestrian zone with summer terraces.

This space was a cult and legendary place right after the system change in 1990 – 1995. This was the first place where young Hungarian rebels opened a cafe called Tilos az Á (English “Trespassers W” as this name is based on the table near the piglet’s house from ‘Winnie the Pooh’). The place was literally a nest of all the alternative folks of Budapest who were hanging out there, criticizing the politics, organizing concerts and discussions, and even running their pirate radio ‘Tilos’ (Forbidden). The radio exists now as a fully legit station, by the way.

The place attracted a lot of artists and performers, among which Frank Zappa whose name the place had after 1995. It still has a unique full 360-degree panorama painting that Jean Michel Verret and others created in 1992. This unique piece of art depicts a view from a Carlton Arms hotel in New York. The painting stayed until today despite numerous renovations and changes of owners.  If you want to touch the memories of the early 1990s, while enjoying your meal or a cup of coffee, Tilos a Tilos is the place to be.