Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 337

and you'll seldom go wrong with a pound of strawberries, a cup of raspberries, or a
couple of peaches.
The Központi Vásárcsarnok (Central Market Hall), at IX. Vámház körút 1-3
( & 1/217-6067 ), is the largest and most spectacular market hall. Located on the Inner
Ring (Kiskörút), just on the Pest side of the Szabadság Bridge, it was impeccably recon-
structed in 1995. This bright, three-level market hall is a pleasure to visit. Fresh produce,
meat, and cheese vendors dominate the space. Keep your eyes open for inexpensive saf-
fron and dried mushrooms. The mezzanine level features folk-art booths, coffee and
drink bars, and fast-food booths. The basement level houses fishmongers, pickled goods,
a complete selection of spices, and Asian import foods, along with a large grocery store.
The market is open Monday 6am to 5pm, Tuesday through Friday 6am to 6pm, Satur-
day 6am to 2pm. The nearest metro station is Kálvin tér (Blue line).
The recently restored Belvárosi Vásárcsarnok (Inner City Market Hall), at V.
Hold utca 13 ( & 1/476-3952 ), is located in central Pest in the heart of the Lipótváros
(Leopold Town), behind the Hungarian National Band at Szabadság tér. It houses a
large supermarket and several cheesy discount clothing shops, in addition to a hand-
ful of independent fruit-and-vegetable vendors. The market is open Monday 6:30am
to 5pm, Tuesday through Friday 6:30am to 6pm, Saturday from 6:30am to 2pm. Take
the metro either to Kossuth tér (Red line) or to Arany János utca (Blue line).
The Rákóczi téri Vásárcsarnok, at VIII. Rákóczi tér 7-9 ( & 1/313-8442 ), was
badly damaged by fire in 1988 but was restored to its original splendor and reopened
in 1991. There's only a small area of private vendors; the rest of the hall is filled with
retail booths. Open Monday 6am to 4pm, Tuesday through Friday 6am to 6pm, Sat-
urday 6am to 1pm. Take the metro to Blaha Lujza tér (Red line) or tram no. 4 or 6
directly to Rákóczi tér.
In addition to these three large classic market halls, Budapest has a number of
neighborhood produce markets. The Fehérvári úti Vásárcsarnok, at XI. K ó rösi J. u.
7-9 ( & 1/385-6563 ), in front of the Buda Skála department store, is the latest clas-
sic food market in Budapest to be renovated. Some of the charm is lost, but such is
progress. Just a block from the Móricz Zsigmond körtér transportation hub, it's open
Monday 6:30am to 5pm, Tuesday through Friday from 6:30am to 6pm, Saturday
6:30am to 1pm. Take tram no. 47 from Deák tér to Fehérvári út, or any tram or bus
to Móricz Zsigmond körtér.
The Fény utca Piac, on II. Fény utca, just off Moszkva tér in Buda, formerly a non-
descript neighborhood market, underwent an ambitious reconstruction in 1998 in
connection with the building of the Mammut shopping mall, to which it is now
attached. Unfortunately, the renovation has meant higher rental fees, which have
driven out most of the small independent vendors. Except for a small area on the first
floor designated for vendors, the new market retains little of the old atmosphere.
Open Monday 6am to 5pm, Tuesday through Friday 6am to 6pm, Saturday 6:30am
to 1pm. Take the metro to Moszkva tér (Red line).
Lehel tér Piac, at VI. Lehel tér ( & 1/288-6898 ), is another neighborhood market,
whose reconstruction was completed in 2003. The market features a wide selection of
fresh food and meats, cheap Hungarian trademark products as well as rinky-dink
clothing, kitchen appliances, and flowers. Unfortunately, the reconstruction, as in the
other cases, has diminished the neighborhood charm we used to love so much. Inter-
estingly for history buffs, the designer of the controversial architecture—resembling
a tacky, colorful adventure park—is none other than László Rajk, the son of the