Through Four Seasons' Eyes Budapest - IMEX America

125
Café Zsivágó
(VI. Paulay Ede utca 55;
www.cafezsivago.hu)
Journey back in time at this
deliciously decadent Russianstyle
parlor and café where the
atmosphere is enhance by dim
lighting and a bar stocked with
fine vodkas such as Stolnaya
and Russian Standard as well as
Czech Staropramen on tap. Live
music features on weekends when
anything from a jazz band to a
Gypsy quartet set the tone for the
evening. Daytimes are quieter
and perfect for sipping tea while
snacking on sardines.
Castro Bisztró
(VII. Madách Imre tér)
A short stroll from Deák tér,
under the arches of Madách tér’s
historic residential complex, this
café-cum-bar has a dedicated
local following. Castro first set up
shop on Ráday utca over a decade
ago and has been doing booming
business since moving to this
location. A great place to fuel up
on hearty Serbian fare, a handful
of Hungarian standards or more
exotic dishes before diving into
a night in the bar quarter. A
decent selection of beers on tap
and pálinkas are served in a funky
interior complete with heavy
brocade tablecloths, old film
posters and rotating art exhibits.
Centrál Kávéház
(V. Károly Mihály utca 9;
www.centralkavehaz.hu)
A popular haunt for writers at
the turn of the previous century,
Centrál has retained its oldworld
charm in a beautifully
restored interior adorned with
Art Nouveau details, extra
high ceilings, large plate glass
windows and comfy booth
seating. Decadent cakes and
specialty coffees are the main
reason to come here, but full
meals and affordable lunch
specials are also worth sampling.
Espresso Embassy
(V. Arany János utca 15)
Very recently opened for
business, the Espresso Embassy is
an offshoot of the popular Printa
Café. It carries on the tradition of
serving outstanding coffees from
direct trade suppliers. Situated
in a 200-year-old building in the
heart of the business quarter,
attention has been paid to all
the details from the modern yet
warm atmosphere to the hightech
machines, which deliver a
perfect cup every time. A fine
selection of American-style cakes
as well as hand-brewed filter
coffees and loose leaf teas.
First Strudel House
of Pest
(V. Oktober 6. utca; www.reteshaz.com)
Embracing an age-old tradition
of strudel-making, the First
Strudel House of Pest features
a rustic interior decorated with
simple wooden furnishings and
old tools of the trade. Known
locally as rétes, the house strudel
is prepared by stretching layers
of dough until paper thin, filling
them with fruit, cottage cheese or
ground nuts and brushing each
layer with oil to produce a f laky
crust when baked. Traditional
and hearty Hungarian meals are
also served.