A disastrously enjoyable moment

Her arm hangs awkwardly, her color fading to a drab pink, and she is a plush doll with one eye gone. There are more oddities around besides her. Close by, there are wall-mounted notes, a sticker-covered mirror, a mess of cables leading to damaged computer screens, shattered kid’s toys, and a disco ball that dimly lights everything in its path. Every visible surface is covered in graffiti. There are mismatched pieces of furniture. This seems to be a true garage sale of unwanted, disheveled items at first glance. However, Szimpla Kert and other ruin pubs in Budapest often have interiors similar to this.

 

The capital of Hungary is located next to the Danube River. This is a city rich in culture, history, architecture, and hot spring-powered baths. The ruin pubs, the center of the city’s nightlife, are the main draw and most enjoyable feature of this place. Consider them an anti-club club with furnishings from thrift stores or flea markets, no theme or decor, reasonably priced beverages, plenty of entertainment, and a hipsterish but delightfully chaotic atmosphere.

Kert Szimpla
Remarkably, ruin pubs are quite new—they were established about 20 years ago. There was a Jewish ghetto in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter throughout the 20th century. The region was left in ruins during World War II and the Cold War and was home to abandoned, abandoned, and haunted structures. Ruin pubs originated when a few businesspeople chose to take a bet on one of these structures in the early 2000s, creating Szimpla Kert. Szimpla Kert, which translates to “simple garden,” quickly rose to prominence as a gathering place for creative types because to its eclecticism, antique mismatched décor, and grungy hipster ambiance.

These abandoned pubs were formerly just places for people to get together, but they soon became well-liked tourist destinations. It makes sense: partying in a distinctive (often subterranean) venue, meeting locals and other travelers, entertainment, and reasonably priced beverages are all offered by ruin bars. They have a similar aesthetic and feel, yet they also have certain distinctive qualities. Beneath an old fig tree, Füge Udvar is an open-air area including an escape room. Dzzs is a hangout for creatives in the area, and its eclectic décor lets art—some of it provocative—take center stage.

Easily one of the largest, Instant & Fogas is really a merging of two ruin bars, and it even has bouncers at the door. It’s a maze of seven dance floors, each with eighteen bars, DJs, and music of their own. Here, one may stay overnight and dance beneath a circus tent while taking in the overhanging bunnies and owl pictures. In addition to music, there are arcade games, pool tables, and foosball tables for amusement. There’s a large patio for anyone looking for some peaceful time, and it’s open till the early hours of the morning.

The sensation of a ruin bar, without the loudness, may be had nearby at Csendes Létterem. It’s the unique ruin bar that doubles as a café throughout the day. People gather at the ruin bar at night, when it is illuminated by two antique chandeliers, for a drink and to take in the walls, which are a tribute to all forms of artistic expression. They are filled to the brim with notes, letters, oddball dolls, trinkets, antique finds, toys, and even artwork.

Füge Udvar
Mazel Tov is a more recent ruin bar that offers substantial Middle Eastern and Jewish fare. Think of it as a more sophisticated ruin bar with plenty of greenery providing the perfect dance background and very little décor. Köleves has more Jewish cuisine, but its rear garden is worth visiting instead of the restaurant. Repurposed circus wagon turned kitchen, hammocks, and tin tables give Köleves Kert an air of a ruin bar.

Outside the Jewish Quarter is maybe the most imaginative ruin bar. The communist-themed Red Ruin Bar is located in the center of Pest on a peaceful street. It’s not your usual ruin bar, but it does meet the distinct, eccentric description. Pop art, graffiti, puns, and cocktails named after Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong are some of the ways Budapest parodies its communist history. Inside, under subdued red lighting, the main feature is a mural depicting these figures laughingly attending a “communist party.” You can learn Hungarian here in less than two minutes. Simply choose from their amazing assortment of the regional fruit brandy, pálinka, accompanied by rock or heavy metal music.

Ordering at a ruin bar is as easy as choosing a beer, a native Hungarian spirit (such as pálinka or unicum), or the fröccs, a popular Hungarian wine spritzer prepared with either white or rosé wine.

Discovering new things in Budapest’s ruin pubs is a feeling. You’re never sure what to anticipate. Just ask the plush animal with one eye.