Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
or
korsó
(0.4L or 0.5L). Many pubs and bars now also serve a range of the nation's craft
beers from microbreweries across the country.
Hungary makes some excellent wines too, many unknown outside its borders. The most
distinctive reds come from Villány and Szekszárd in Southern Transdanubia and the best dry
whites are produced around Lake Balaton and in Somló. The red Bikavér (Bull's Blood)
from Eger and the honey-sweet white Tokaj wines are much better known abroad, however.
For more on wine(
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A
borozó
is a traditional establishment (usually a dive) serving wine; a
pince
(or
bor
pince
) is the same thing but in a cellar. Modern wine bars are the new black. Many serve
wine by the deci (decilitre, 0.1L) so you can sample a wide range of vintages. And, just in
case, they usually serve light dishes (cheese, sliced meats, salads etc) as a blotter. Another
very popular way of drinking wine is to water it down with soda to make a drink known as
fröccs;
these come in a variety of sizes with ratios of wine to water altered to your taste.
(
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Don't leave Hungary without trying its two most famous spirits.
Pálinka
, a strong brandy
or eau-de-vie distilled from a variety of fruits (most commonly from apricots or plums),
kicks like a mule and is served in most bars, some of which carry an enormous range. You'll
also come to recognise Unicum and its unique medicinal-looking bottle. It's a bitter aperitif
that has been around since 1790 and is now available in three different versions. If you ac-
quire a taste for it, head to the
Zwack Unicum Heritage Visitors' Centre
in Southern Pest.
Garden Clubs & Ruin Pubs
During the long and often very hot summers, so-called
kertek
(literally 'gardens', but in
Budapest any outdoor spot that has been converted into an entertainment zone) empty out
even the most popular indoor bars and clubs. These vary enormously, from permanent bars
with an attached garden, and clubs with similar outdoor sections, to totally alfresco spaces,
only frequented in good weather.
Ruin pubs (
romkocsmák
) began to appear in the city from the early 2000s, when entre-
preneurial free thinkers took over abandoned buildings and turned them into pop-up bars. At
first a very word-of-mouth scene, the ruin bars' popularity grew exponentially and many
have transformed from ramshackle, temporary sites full of flea-market furniture to more
slick, year-round fixtures with covered areas to protect patrons from the winter elements.
Many garden clubs and ruin pubs have DJs, live music or jam sessions. Table football,
ping-pong, pool and other pub games are frequently a fixture, and a number of places offer
street food; some also host escape games. (
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)
