"Our Bar"
Attendees: Ben, Di, Lauren
Price: 500ft pint, 750ft palinka (local firewater)
Location: Ferenczy István Street 5, Near Kálvin tér
Distance: 3min stroll from our international guardians.Ambience: Intimate space to take a date with enough privacy to share a chat (or a pash as many locals will do without hesitation). The side-street location gives it a certain obscure/local charm.
Character: Typical Budapest neo-classical style with high ceilings and large windows facing into the street. The same rugged quality seen in other 'ruin bars' but with a greater sense of optimism rather than pure grime.
Decor: A haphazard mixture of deformed children's toys strung up, scribbled graffiti on the walls and a menagerie of charmingly mis-matched chandeliers gives the place a casual yet edgy cool.
Comfort: The main area is densely filled with tables and wooden chairs which could be a little more comfy but also add a nice amount of chaos to the surroundings. With table service you won't need to get up much so it's not too much of an issue. Seats at the bar for the budding Hungarian conversationalist.
Patrons: Very 'couply' the night we visited with generally smaller groups matching the small table type configuration. A welcome deterrent for the drinking & tourist crowd.
Staff: Attentive table service goes against the local standard of 'service with a scowl'. Floor staff speak English and can help you choose a suitable flavour of palinka, a fruity local liquor that legally at least 37.5% alcohol and often much stronger. Cute guys at the bar mostly speak Hungarian.
Selection: Extensive drink and cocktail menu with some nibbles. Standard selection of local and regional tap beers. Exceptional local type lemonade served in a jar with ice - highly recommended. Daytime cafe menu
L.S.R: DJs on the weekend, however tonight we're struggling through some Hungarian pop-rock styles - a missed chance to match the atmosphere with something a bit cooler. The chandeliers definitely do a better job of setting the tone.
Amenities: A bit small and cramped. However, a duck toilet seat features in the ladies. Ken and Barbie doll arrangements to show m/f.
Top Suggestion: A couple of meal options on the food menu would make this the perfect place to begin a night out!
Field Notes: An early closing hour is slightly disappointing but helps steer the atmosphere away from the more boozy tourist bars that can be found around town. As well as being a bar and cafe, Csendes also includes 2nd hand clothes shopping during the day.
Memorable Quotes: "It's got a great flavour!" (LMS, tasting palinka) which one did you get? "I have no idea!"
"An orgy of headless barbies!" DL
"An orgy of headless barbies!" DL
Arbitrary Score: 87
With a lively social atmosphere and a great choice of drinks (sadly the Hungarians aren't a beer-loving nation so you'll have to excuse that), Csendes manages to create a whole greater than the sum of it's parts. A great returnability factor will make you want to remember the address for your next foray into Eastern-Central Europe
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