Travel writer Evan Rail visits some of the Hungarian capital?s best, and newest, hot spots in the piece, giving fair share to Budapest?s culture, night life and cuisine.
Rail touts the recently opened Borkonyha for ?homegrown fare? and local wines. He praises Onyx, Hungary?s second restaurant to win a Michelin star, after the ?stylish? Costes, for ?effortlessly bridging the traditional flavors of the country with contemporary international culinary techniques?. And he recommends the outlet of Culinaris near the parliament building before the trip to the airport to counter the effects of the in-flight meal.
Visitors should not miss the scene of young Hungarian designers, many of whom have boutiques near the centre of Pest, Rail writes, and suggests wearing home a pair of retro Tisza sneakers, a brand infamous in the communist era, as a souvenir.
Rail advises the venues Anker Klub and Corvinteto for nightlife as well as Budapest?s expanding number of garden bars ? ?grungy outdoor dives occupying a middle ground between beer gardens and anarchist squats, generally with a downmarket vibe?.
Writing about the city?s music scene, Rail notes ?new-folksters? Kistehen Tanczenekar, a.k.a. Little Cow, and the singer-songwriter Norbert Kristof, as well as Liszt, who is being celebrated this year on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
?Even if you don?t end up tasting every last domestic food specialty identified as a ?hungarikum,? or tracking down every up-and-coming designer, a weekend here provides a glimpse of the city?s justifiable pride, as well as an authentic sense of place,? Rail says.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / The New York Times
