The Ruin Pubs of Budapest

One unique feature of Budapest is the ruin pub.  In recent decades, some entrepreneurs have taken old abandoned buildings (some since the time of WW2) and turned them into bars and nightclubs, all while maintaining a degree of cool dilapidation.  One of the most popular Budapest ruin pubs is Szimpla Kert, and it was a few blocks from our hotel and far from the more modern parts of the city.  After receiving a highly enthusiastic recommendation from our hotel concierge, we arrived after 8 PM on a Monday night and it was bustling.  It appeared to be 2 buildings and the roof was missing in parts.  Inside was a warren of little rooms where you could relax on a sofa, sit at a table of your choosing, or even in the back of an old Hungarian car.  Everywhere you looked, there was graffiti or art of one sort or another.  I'm not sure this place would pass an American health code, but the food was good.

I was concerned that it would be a little touristy -- and it probably is -- but I didn't hear a lot of English being spoken.  There were clearly locals there and the average patron's age was probably 25 (it was dark, so I still fit in).  Anyway, we had a good meal and I wanted to try the palinka -- Hungarian fruit brandy.  I walked up to a decidedly unimpressed female bartender and looked at the chalkboard with about 10 kinds of palinka.  I confidently ordered the first plum version on the menu, trying to pronounce it correctly in Hungarian.  She looked blankly at me and the following conversation ensued:

"What did you want?" she asked.
I said it again.
She asked me again.
And I said it again.
And then she asked, "Why do you want that?"
"Uh, I like plums?" (My confidence was waning at this point.)
"That's the worst.  You should try this [other kind of plum palinka]."

I wasn't thinking quickly enough to ask why they would serve something that she thought was so terrible, but in any event, the prices were the same, so I went with her selection.  Maybe she was angling for a tip because she was "saving" me from my terrible selection.  Anyway, the palinka was 100 proof and I don't really feel the need to try it again, though you should try it once.  And in case you get the same bartender, order the second plum palinka on the menu, not the first.

Here's the upstairs terrace connecting 2 buildings at Szimpla Kert.  You can see the various rooms along the sides.