The 10 best ruin bars in Budapest right now – People from all over the world descend upon Budapest each year, with the Hungarian capital’s unique drinking venues acting as one of its top draws.
The 10 best ruin bars in Budapest right now:
The weekend nights see the streets completely mobbed in the party zone between Dob and Dohány utca near Klauzál tér. Ruin bar mugs are even sold in souvenir shops. The concept was originally a simple one. District VII, the Jewish Quarter, was dotted with neglected courtyards, surrounded by empty flats.
Enterprising locals decked out the spaces with fairy lights and mismatching, skip-found furniture, chucked in a few incongruous artefacts, limbless mannequins, abandoned cars from the Socialist era, put up a bar counter and – ta-da! – the ruin bar was invented. Add some light projections, maybe a bare firewall for films, and a DJ booth, keep opening hours dauntingly extensive, and there you have it: the ruin bar as we know it today. Here are our picks of the best.
- Szatyor Bar
- Instant-Fogas
- Csendes Létterem
- Szimpla Kert
- Koleves Kert
- Mazel Tov
- Füge Udvar And Udvarrom
- Grandio Jungle Bar
- Grandio
- Púder Bárszínház És Galéria
1. Szatyor Bar:
Szatyor Bar, a bohemian-inspired place in Budapest, is a popular ruin bar that offers a colorful and folk-themed ambiance designed by fine local artists of the place. Lounge style setting and contemporary artistic decor attract a lot of Hungarian artists and poets as well, apart from the tourist visitors. Szatyor Bar also organizes some live gigs weekly that enhance the energy of the place. Some literary programs are also held at this bar.
Location:- Budapest, Bartók Béla út 36, 1111 Hungary
Opening Hours:- Sunday to Wednesday:- 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Thursday to Saturday:- 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Things to Try:- Sparkling Wine, Craft Beer, Plum Palinka
2. Instant-Fogas:
Mega-pubs Fogas Ház and Instant merged into one 1,200-square-metre giga-party in the middle of District VII in 2017. Despite this, neither venue has lost its individuality: Fogas retains its classic ruin bar vibe, Instant its eccentricity. The new complex also accommodates other themed bars: Unterwelt (for party hits); Liebling (a chilled-out rooftop with good food and drinks); Robot (rock, metal, industrial), and Frame (D&B, jungle, dubstep). It’d take a very weary soul to not find a good time at Akácfa utca 49-51.
3. Csendes Létterem:
Venturing into this laid-back ruin pub in Budapest is a dreamlike encounter, no doubt with mannequins, vintage curios, and a toy horse hanging over your head, conceptual art illustrations decorate the interior while hundreds-of-years-old crystal chandeliers and intricate columns add to the appeal of Csendes.
The vibrant atmosphere draws students, artists, and couples to drink, chill, and hang out, as this is more a bistro that changes into a bar at night than a pub essentially. It stands out among the ruin pubs of Budapest, which makes it worth a visit. In summer, watch the adjacent Csendes Társ turn into an exquisite open-air porch by the great city centre garden of Károlyi-Kert.
Location: Budapest, Ferenczy István u. 5, 1053 Hungary
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 2:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Friday: 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Saturday: 2:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Sunday: 3:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Things to Try: Hamburgers, Mulled Wine, Latte, Beer
4. Szimpla Kert:
The opening of Szimpla Kert in 2002 was a milestone in the alternative life of Budapest. Converting an old factory into a huge open-air cinema and pub, they created a unique framework for hosting concerts, theatre shows and many different cultural events. Szimpla defines itself as a ’cultural reception space’, indicating the intention to embrace genres and performers off the mainstream, presenting them in an informal atmosphere. With constantly supporting initiatives for urban sustainability, Szimpla has been serving as an ultimate incubation house of green ideas from the very beginning, too.
The Szimpla lifestyle is brought to life by culture, creativity and constant change day by day. Everybody and anybody can make themselves at home, have a rest or have fun when visiting Szimpla in Budapest. Right from the beginning, their main mission is to shape the environment and make it more liveable and human friendly. Searching for the cultural treasures of both Hungary and the World, introducing and managing creative talents and their products as well as implementing and operating models that help sustainable development in many walks of life are all the things Szimpla lives by.
Kazinczy u. 14, szimpla.eu – Open 15pm-4am on Mondays until Thursdays, 12pm-4am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9am-5am on Sundays.
5. Koleves Kert:
Situated in downtown Budapest, Koleves Kert, or Stone Soup Garden, is one of the most popular outdoor ruin bars in the city. Described as a laid-back bar with wooden sheds, colorful tables, and overhanging tree canopies, this bar is a hidden treasure for tourists. Relax on the comfortable hammocks, and get some mouthwatering food, including freshly grilled dishes, for a lovely dinner. A lunch outing at this ruin bar can also be soothing as the mulberry trees and sweet-scented floral plants offer a cool shade in the garden setting.
Location:- Budapest, Kazinczy u. 37-41, 1075 Hungary
Opening Hours:- Sunday to Thursday:- 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Friday & Saturday:- 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Things to Try:- Draught Beer, Wine Spritzer, Tocsni
6. Mazel Tov:
Located in the heart of the Jewish quarter, Mazel Tov is a cultural space with an eye on gastronomy. Indeed, this ruin bar is more like a restaurant offering tasty Middle Eastern recipes. The establishment is very busy and it is preferable to book a table in advance on its official website.
Classic dishes include hummus (served with tahini, parsley, olive oil and pita bread), falafel and sabich, an Israeli sandwich with fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, tomato, cucumber and other ingredients. There is also no lack of fusion recipes and delicious desserts to top off the meal.
At Mazel Tov, the most striking feature is the plants hanging from the second floor, creating a friendly and cozy atmosphere. After dinner, you can come here to enjoy a cocktail. Its menu offers original drinks such as, for example, a peach spritz, a variant of the Italian drink with peach and prosecco, or a cosmojito, made with Absolut Blue, Mandarine Napoleon, Cointreau, cranberry syrup and cranberry juice).
Information of interest
Address: Akácfa utca 47.
Opening hours: 5 p.m. to midnight (Monday and Tuesday) and 12 p.m. to midnight (all other days).
7. Füge Udvar And Udvarrom:
UdvarROM and Füge Udvar are some of the city’s most unique of the ruin pubs in Budapest, found side-by-side on Klauzál Street. Step inside the courtyard of a castle-like ruin, where wooden benches are strewn across and drinks are very affordable. You can play pub sports like billiards and foosball (table football) while rubbing shoulders with the locals. The ambience is chill, making for a low-cost and tipsy night out with your friends.
Location: Füge Udvar, 1072 Budapest, Klauzál utca 19.
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 4:00 PM – 4:00 AM
8. Grandio Jungle Bar:
A few meters away from the Great Synagogue is the Grandio Jungle Bar, a newcomer that quickly climbed the hierarchies. As the name suggests, the bar is located in an inner courtyard and its tables are sheltered by a large vegetation. Many of its customers stay in the party hostel on the second floor but you can access the bar even if you are not staying there.
In addition to a few drinks, in this establishment you can watch soccer matches or participate in a karaoke night. So don’t hesitate and add it to your party tour of Budapest’s dingy pubs!
Interesting information
Address: Nagy Diófa utca 8.
Opening hours: Grandio Jungle Bar is open every day from 12:00 to 24:00.
9. Grandio:
What makes Grandio stand apart from the crowd is that if you had one too many drinks, you can actually stay the night as the building also functions as a party hostel. Cool, huh? The garden is a rock-inspired mess of knick-knacks. This is a jungle of party animals, where one dances the night way, every night.
Location: Grandio, 1072 Budapest, Nagy Diófa utca 8.
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 2:00 PM – 12:00 AM
10. Púder Bárszínház És Galéria:
This ruin pub in Budapest is on the buzzing Ráday Street. It might be just slightly on the pricier side, but it is an interesting visit and regularly hosts cultural events. The inner design is a treat for the eyes, adorned with colourful murals hanging from the roof up to the floor. Displays of local artists line the walls, as well.
Púder is quieter than other pubs, but it is worth visiting for a couple of drinks shared with your pals. The food is pretty great too, that is if you can manage to look away from the walls to check out the menu.
Location: Budapest, Ráday u. 8, 1092 Hungary
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday:- 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Friday & Saturday:- 12:00 PM to 2:00 AM
Sunday:- 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Things to Try: Puder Burger, Potato Strudel, Pineapple and coconut cold soup
Ruin bars:
It’s funny that they call them “ruin bars” – because for their founders, the venues generally lead to good fortune.
It started around 2001, so the story goes, with a bunch of young men looking for cheap places to drink. From their thirst and shallow pockets, some of the most lively and stylish places to drink in Budapest were born – the so-called ruin bars.
Derelict buildings and unused outdoor spaces have been transformed into friendly, pleasingly chaotic bars where you can still get a large beer for less than $2.
