Set in a dilapidated former stove factory with an old Trabant given pride of place, Szimpla is Hungary’s most celebrated nightlife spot. This ruin bar set up shop nearby in 2002 before settling in the then-sedate Kazinczy Utca two years later. Since then, it’s evolved into much more than a bar, hosting concerts and live theatre from 8pm, four times a week. The bar’s central courtyard also hosts flea markets selling second-hand vinyl, Hungarian haute couture and, occasionally, customised musical instruments.
Ideal for the hungover, a GMO-free organic farmers’ market takes over Szimpla on Sunday mornings. Choose from pork sausages from Hungary’s indigenous Mangalica, organic veg, cottage cheese, jam, honey and peanut butter, all sourced from local farms. The all-you-can-eat brunch offers all this, plus muesli, kifli rolls, fruit juice, tea and coffee for 5,000 HUF (around €15). The restaurant upstairs sells beef, chicken, veggie and vegan burgers, and Hungarian ratatouille lecsó.