The Best Ruin Bars in Budapest

The Best Ruin Bars in Budapest

Budapest's ruin bars began as a practical solution to a problem: the city had plenty of empty buildings and not enough cheap places to drink. In 2001 a group of founders opened a bar inside one of those abandoned buildings, moved a few times, and in 2004 settled in the old Jewish Quarter. The idea caught on. Today the ruin bar is part of the city's mainstream nightlife, and the original, Szimpla Kert, is close to being a tourist attraction in its own right.

What makes them worth seeking out is the combination: cheap beer, mismatched furniture, weird art, courtyards, and buildings that were never designed to be bars. Locals and visitors sit at the same tables. Tour groups occasionally file through with cameras. Somehow it still works.

How the ruin bars grew up

Once Szimpla proved the model, imitators appeared across the city centre. Some lasted a season; others have been running for more than a decade. The economics are precarious. A developer buys the building and the bar closes; residents complain about noise and the bar closes; and rumour has it that a few operators simply moved into a ruin without paying rent until the owner noticed.

The secret is long gone, and ruin bars are now a legitimate business. The same idea has spread into restaurants, nightclubs and dance venues, including upmarket places that borrow the aesthetic without the decay. Budapest has moved higher on lists of European cities worth visiting partly because of them.

Szimpla Kert

The original, and still the one to see first. Sit at a mismatched table, look at the artwork, and talk to whoever is next to you. There is indoor and outdoor seating, food as well as drinks, and an old Trabant parked inside that serves as both sculpture and sofa. Early evening is relaxed; later it turns into a party.

Fogashaz and Instant

Fogashaz means “House of Teeth”, a name left over from the denture-repair business that once occupied the building — the old sign is still the clue. It is less a bar than a complex: several bars, clubs, lounges and dance floors under one roof.

Instant, one of the first ruin bars in the city, occupies one section and is the loudest. A bar, a dance floor and DJs keep it going until sunrise; drinks cost more here than elsewhere. Other rooms are calmer, with lounge seating for actual conversation and ping-pong tables. The decoration throughout is deliberately chaotic: strange colour combinations, battered furniture, objects hanging from the ceilings.

Doboz

Doboz is another complex, and at night its bar becomes a club with very loud music. Drinks are pricier than at the classic ruin bars, and the building has been renovated enough that purists argue it no longer counts. The crowds disagree. There are multiple rooms, a courtyard filled with local art and sculpture, and a full menu for anyone who wants to eat before the music takes over.

Anker't

A former factory with several courtyards and a large dance floor, Anker't covers both sides of a Budapest night: lounging in one area, DJs and live music in another. During the day it changes character entirely, hosting a weekly market and film screenings, and serving decent food. It is the sort of place you arrive at for one drink and leave at closing.

Kuplung

Kuplung — “Clutch” — is a former car repair shop, and it is deliberately hard to find. That is part of the appeal. Inside, a large fabricated whale hangs from the ceiling among other urban-themed artworks. Local bands and DJs play most evenings.

Corvinteto

Corvinteto is known for its rooftop, its views and its music. The atmosphere is more dance club than bar, and the crowds arrive late, climbing the floors above a supermarket. Come early if you want a quiet drink; come late if you want the DJs.

Practicalities

Budapest is inexpensive by western European standards, which helps. The city has plenty of party hostels, and pub crawls run most nights if you want company. Ruin bars are scattered through the old Jewish Quarter and the streets around it, close enough to visit several in one evening.

Where to stay

Hostels: Miller Hostel sits in the heart of Pest, with doubles and shared or private bathrooms, free WiFi, parking, a kitchen and laundry. Budapest Budget Hostel is quieter and colourful, with dorms and private rooms, a large kitchen and dining area on each floor, sunny terraces and free WiFi. Flow Hostel is light and airy, centrally located, with dorm and private rooms, free WiFi and a friendly common area.

Mid-range: Budapest Holidays Harmony offers units with WiFi, flat-screen TVs and kitchenettes in the centre. The Elit Hotel includes breakfast, is 500 metres from the central station, and has a bar with an outdoor terrace serving light meals. Liszt House Apartments in Centre has clean modern rooms, free WiFi, parking and is about a mile from the old town.

Luxury: Hotel Rum Budapest is close to the Gellért Baths, with art-filled rooms and buffet breakfast on the roof terrace. The Aquincum Hotel has a spa with thermal pools, a fine-dining restaurant and a Danube-front location. Hotel Erzsébet City Center is elegant and central, with a steak restaurant and wine bar. Central Basilica Apartment is a spacious two-bedroom flat within walking distance of the old town, with kitchen access.

If you are in Budapest in December, combine the bars with the Christmas markets. See how I visited four cities in three countries for €100.

Bryan runs Budget Your Trip, a site dedicated to travel costs around the world, and has visited more than 50 countries.