Not long ago we went off to Budapest, Hungary. You won't be in Budapest but you might be thirsty ! Not recommended for the beer tourist. But there are a few pubs, & brewpubs that a worth a look. Pubs in Budapest come in a variety of styles: some are like German or Austrian beerhalls, some like elegant turn-of-the-century restaurants, others are modern bars. This all reflects the many and varied political and cultural forces which have influenced the city.
There are a lot of bar/restaurants in the main street from the market down to the square, and around the castle area, beware of the waters in these! They are self tipping and usually double the price of everything for tourists. But even in this area you can find a couple of bars worth a look. A good thing to get is a 3 day travel pass for around £7.50 lets you use the public transport in the city, excellent metro system. | "Thirsty"? Not these Beer Tourist, that's for sure! Translate This Page  |
 | One of the best is Paul’s Pub on Váci utca 4, this is a corner pub, selling a fair selection of beer from Austria, Bavaria and the Czech Republic, as well as a fair few Hungarian ones. Three different Weissbiers are available although from the bottle. Don’t knock it this is as good as it gets. Kaltenberg Sörözö on Kinizsi utca 30-32 is a German brewpub, get there as it opens in the evening around 6pm to be sure to geta table excellent food, and a choice of 3 draught biers, including an excellent dark larger. The brewery can be viewed behind a glass screen.Its a beer cellar in the Bavarian/Czech style with a vaulted brick ceiling, tiled floor and wood panelled walls. Just outside the main city centre so you don’t get ripped off. We made this our local. |
A must do visit while in Budapest is to the spar baths this is excellent value for just £6 you can stay all day and they even have a couple of bars in there to! There are saunas, steam room, hot pools cold plunge pools, whirl pools, ice rooms, you can get a massage or mud treatment for around £5. I can not recommend it enough, just do it!
A visit to the catacombs is also a must do, these are series of tunnels under the castle with some interesting, artefacts. Someone has a good sense of humour. Anyway enough of that and back on the beer trail.
Chicago on Erzsébet Körút 2, a brew pub in a modern building on a large square, very handily placed next to the Blaha Lujza tér. The large central carved wooden bar is surrounded by booths. The walls are covered in a selection of slightly odd beer-related pictures, mostly with an American flavour. Over the bar is a panoramic photo of Chicago and the copper brewing vessels in the next room are visible through a couple of windows. A really good brewpub to visit, but it is quite a long way out of the centre through the de-militarised zone, is Mister Sörház on Régifóti út 31. To get there take the M3 metro to Ujpest-Kozpont and then tram 12 to its terminus. Its then about ten minutes walk from there, in a rather rundown area. You will be, however, be rewarded with a really nice pub. Very good service, first class food and top beer at cheap suburban prices. They do only one beer which is a Pils, which is a touch sweeter than average. Traditional Hungarian food - many dishes under £3.Otto’s recommendation is to go to the market @ Fovam Ter, trams 47 or 49 just south of Kalvin Ter which is open 6am to 4pm, 2pm Sat closed Sun. ON the upper level there are around 6-7 bars/café that all do at least 2 draught beers each one selling from a different brewery so you can get 4 beers and 2 meals for under a £5. The best beer we found was the Dreher Pils @ 6% and the most excellent Dreher Bak @ 7.8% this one is a dark “bok” beer, beware it is very easy to drink. Also in the market downstairs you will find a stall selling Palotai Asok from a micro called ER-PÉ Serfözö, the beer comes in a 1litre PET bottle, about 75p. Walk down the centre aisle of stalls and find "Kmety & Kmety" about half way down. We also visited Gerbeaud, on Vörösmarty tér 7. A fake brewpub, does not brew and I don't think it ever has. The beer is average and the food is ok although it is in a large square its not that expensive. | "Market Place" Adventures!  |
