Bem cinema

Budapest's most revered venue for original-language screenings, Bem sits at the gateway to the newly hip Margit Quarter on the Buda side of Margaret Bridge, where it first opened as a picture house back in 1908. Revived by cinemaphile László Kantor in the early 2000s as a repertory cinema, it earned a new audience keen on watching Hungarian classics with English subtitles or Magyar-friendly foreign films, often Hollywood or cult favourites. Almost going under during the pandemic, the lovely old Bem was saved by its customers, who crowd-funded its continuation as the nearby Margaret Quarter burgeoned with cafés and galleries. A great place to watch a film but also grab a drink – the best cinema bar in Budapest spills out onto the pavement on summer evenings.