We know the city of Budapest has no shortage of reasons to visit, from its stunning architecture to its impressive history, but the Paris of the East has another trick up its sleeve. With an innovative craft beer scene unlike any other throughout Europe, it’s pretty much got liquid gold running through its streets. From craft beer cruises to beer baths and the Budapest Beer Festival, this corner of the world is a pint lovers heaven. Pack your bags, line your stomachs and follow our guide for where to drink beer in Budapest.
Step into the pages of a Jules Verne novel and try an assortment of local artisanal craft beers at Budapest’s first steampunk saloon. Featuring 23 taps, Krak’n Town is located in District VIII and is the home of some of the best small craft beers in the city. Brewing three of their own beers, Pils, IPA and Rubynk, the gastronomy and underground bar’s décor takes you back in time with its portholes, suspended hot air balloons and waitstaff dressed in semi-Victorian outfits. This is a unique place to start your Budapest beer experience.
Save this one for a sunny day and sip on a cold one in one of Budapest’s best beer gardens. Just south of Liberty Bridge, Jonas is sitting right on the banks of the Danube, offering panoramic views of Gellert Hill and the stately buildings of Budapest University of Technology. Named after the biblical story, the bar inside this whale-shaped building offers eight brews on tap and features local craft beers from Hungarian microbrewery, Reketye. Head back in the evening for a more romantic setting and watch the lights twinkle from the Buda side across the river.
Opened in 2013, this beer experience is a leading pioneer of the craft beer scene in the city. Creating a cultural environment down a small side street, the owners wanted to manifest the ultimate haven for beer lovers equipped with a Hopstel – beer themed hotel, a bar specialising solely in imported craft beers and the chance to try your hand at home brewing. As one of the very first craft beer hubs in Budapest, the collection of ventures live in a former glassworks factory in the IX District and is well-worth adding to your list of must-sees.
Right in the heart of the tourist area, HOPS exudes the charm of a neighbourhood tavern. Decorated with wooden furniture, wallpaper made from beer-coasters and a ceiling covered in hops sacks, you might say this bar is dedicated to the craft beer cause. Owned by a pair of brothers who learnt the trade from their father, the space features ten varied porcelain taps and over 250 different bottled craft beers from around the world. HOPS is definitely the place to go to discover Budapest’s notable history of commercial beer production.
Kick off your Budapest bar crawl at Lehuto bar in Gordon’s Courtyard, the hub of the city’s nightlife. Operated by local brewery, Horizont, try some of their eleven rotating beers on tap, six of which are home-brewed in Hungary. The cosy subterranean bar in the basement seats around thirty people on high wooden stools and the perfect place to experience the full extent of Budapest’s social scene after dark.
Not necessarily dedicated to showcasing the best of Budapest’s craft beer scene, the ruin bars are still a must when visiting the capital. Originating in the Jewish Quarter, these cool make-shift bars built inside dilapidated pre-war buildings are great drinking spots and full of history. Bursting with personality, the inconspicuous buildings create the hipster vibes of the underground bar scene making them the place to host all your drinking sessions. Be sure to stop by Szimpla Kert in Kazinczy u.14, the pioneer of the genre for a taste of the local lifestyle.
Heading to Budapest anytime soon? Make sure to tag us in your photos of the best bars in Budapest using the hashtag #ryanairstories for a chance to be featured on Ryanair’s social media channels.
Flights to Budapest
- Lucy Norris
2017 © Ryanair DAC. All rights reserved.
