Bars and Cafes in District VI (Budapest)

Cafe Eklektika

Eklektika has been open for just a short while but has established itself in Budapest's vibrant café scene with art exhibitions and crazy furniture you can purchase. Manager Agnes Preisburger has created a friendly, arty atmosphere and her knowledge of the food and wine business has paid off with unusually high-quality Hungarian wines available and a Mediterranean-inspired menu. A former bank has been gutted and the vaulted ceilings provide an almost religious feeling of calm. Exhibitions of colourful paintings or black and white photography adorn the walls. The clientele is young, arty and alternative. An upright piano in the corner awaits those who want to tinkle the ivories-the emphasis is on feeling right at home. The menu includes pasta, grilled turkey and toasted sandwiches.

Cafe Vian

Named after the French writer Boris Vian, this cafe features vast amounts of space with comfortable sofas and artsy chairs. The bay windows let in summer breezes from the square. Different artwork is featured monthly. Try the sandwiches, salads, and delicious coffee. Good wine is served here but it is extremely expensive. Loads of tables outside give the hip folks a chance to see and be seen. If you want to avoid that, come during off hours, like on a Saturday early afternoon.

Ketballabas

Owned by one time Budapest club BVSC and National Hungarian team soccar star Gyorgy Bognar the name Ketballabas means 'two left footed' something Mr Bognar obviously wasn't. The venue combines the lively atmosphere of a sports bar, especially when matches are shown on the television and a more upscale restaurant. When dining in the more elegant part you sit underneath some goalposts and admire the portraits of football players and other sporting memorabilia. If you're brave, come on match day, but be warned, there's not much room in this cellar bar. Food is the usual fare, with steaks, chicken, turkey and fish. There is also some vegetarian food and salads. Given the location, prices are reasonable.

Podma Caféban

This is a relatively new tea house, established about recently. It aims to encourage Hungarians to discover the as yet unknown pleasures of tea drinking. This establishment is all polished brown wood, evoking a warm, cozy atmosphere. Downstairs, there are shelves, filled with tea caddies, colored tins, samovars and tea-making equipment. Many customers make their way up the wooden stairs to the balcony, which has space for ten little round tables and round-backed chairs. Tea is served in a china cup and saucer. On the street level, you can select from a vast range of teas to take away, from Assam Noble Blend through Oolong and Gunpowder to fruit teas and 'Five O'Clock Tea', which has a pungent punch to wake you up in the sleepy part of the afternoon.

Harom Hollo

This cafe has a long history and was once a haunt for writers and poets. The café has a tasteful atmosphere with red marble floor, grey marble tables and wooden chairs. German classes of all levels are taught over a cup of coffee. Newspapers, periodicals and magazines (mostly in German will provide you with something to read. Cocoa is served in giant yellow French soup bowls. Order a coffee and the friendly waiter will bring it on a silver tray with a glass of water, just like in a Vienna coffee houses. A range of sandwiches and cakes sit under glass and more elaborate daily specials are chalked up on the board.

Sir Lancelot Medieval Restaurant

Yet another theme restaurant for those carnivores with a sense of fun, Lancelot transports you back to medieval times, days of old when knights were bold. The walls and ceilings are cleverly painted with fleur de lis, artful lions. Don't even think of looking for low-fat food here. Vegetarians should head elsewhere as there is only meat and plenty of it. Guests are encouraged to enter into the spirit of things and eat with their fingers (they dress you in a bib to wipe your fingers on), although that's not easy with the chicken ragout soup served in a hollowed out loaf of bread. Try the sausage with horseradish, flank of sow or smoked bacon dishes. The potato wedges are drenched in sour cream and there's even dessert. Lute music plays in the background to help aid digestion. You should drink the quality wine, rather than mead. 

Cafe Muvesz

Muvesz contains interior design from the turn of the century. Some of the chairs may be in need of repair, but the decor is nonetheless impressive. The coffee is excellent and the cakes are delicious. This place is popular with students who come over to study, neighbors who pop in to read papers, old ladies who drop by to chat and the ubiquitous tourists. As the waiting staff are not always prompt, and it may take a while to get the bill, ask for it well before you want to leave. There are eight coveted tables outside.

Muzeum Kavehaz-Etterem

Situated on the busy Muzeum korut, this long-established restaurant calls itself a 'coffee house' but it is much more, offering high-quality meals and sophisticated surroundings. The decor is plain, simple and elegant. Diners sit in hushed anticipation of their meals and polite waiters scurry to and fro. Traditional turn-of-the- century decor and chic fixtures and fittings abound. The Muzeum Café and Restaurant, like all traditional Hungarian restaurants, serves a lot of meat. Unless they eat fish, vegetarians will be hard pressed to find something to nibble on. Fish is available in abundance - from Salmon Ragout with Gnocchi, Salmon and Spinach and King Crab and Mashed Potato. There is also Leg of Goose or Liver and even Russian Salmon Caviar if you really want to splurge.

Morrison's Music Pub

Located on a side street near the Opera, Morrison's is still a cool place to hang out after all these years. The first room is a pub with a long bar counter containing a red, British-style phone box (the bar's trademark) as well as other bits and pieces including Thomas the Tank Engine memorabilia. The bartenders are friendly and the drinks are sold at moderate prices. The next room has a few tables (in case you don't like hanging around the bar) and it leads to the dance floor, which could be bigger, considering how packed it can get. Alternatively, you could sit in the chill-out room, which contains nine TV sets stacked on top of each other. The regularly have DJ and live performances by artistes, the schedules for which can be found on the website.

Vista Café

If you are in the mood to lounge around and gorge on delicacies, Vista Café is the place to be. The serene and calm settings combined with friendly ambiance put you to ease in an instant. Immaculate service and tasty dishes coupled with a wide variety of beverages make it a pleasant experience. It also provides party and banquet services. For further details, call ahead or check the website.

Aloe Kávézó

Aloe Kávézó, the cellar bar, is located on a side street, not far from Deak ter. It has a warm, friendly atmosphere and is open until late. There is also a good selection of cocktails and Stella Artois on tap along with toasted sandwiches. It is decorated with comfortable sofas and armchairs you can lounge in and there are posters on the walls as well as a selection of old radios. The waiting staff are friendly and efficient.

Incognito

This is the first café that opened on List Ferenc ter, one of the city's most popular downtown locations. The square is extremely accessible and consequently gets pretty crowded as soon as the bars open. Make sure you keep a watchful eye on your belongings as professional pickpockets prowl the area. Incognito has a relaxed atmosphere, ideal for sipping your afternoon coffee or evening beer, while seated on comfortable second-hand chairs with friends. The walls are covered with framed album covers of Sly Stone, James Brown, Steely Dan and other heroes of the 1970s. The music policy is predominantly acid jazz - the waiters even wear t-shirts with this emblazoned on the front. Needless to say, in warmer weather the outside tables are extremely popular.