Ruin bars in Budapest

Somewhere between the faded grandeur of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the brutal hangover of Soviet rule, Budapest found a second life in its scars. And nowhere is that more intoxicating, both literally and metaphorically, than in the ruin bars.

Strange evening at Szimpla Kert.

Last time I was in Budapest, ruin bars weren’t as much mainstream as they are today. It all started when creative people saw the use for old abandoned buildings in the 7th District, once part of the Jewish ghetto which was crumbling after the horrors of WW2. More followed and alternative spaces started to appear all around the city, with mismatched furniture that looks like it came from your grandmother’s attic and more graffiti than a Berlin squat.

At first it was feared that these ruin pubs would be shut down, but they turned out to be popular and managed to survive. Today these crumbling water holes are among the most visited places in all of Budapest.

Down the rabbit hole at Szimpla Kert.

The first of them, Szimpla Kert, is the mothership. Born way back in 2002, it didn’t just set the bar, it was the bar. This is a sprawling chaotic temple of decay and creativity, filled with bathtubs for seats and enough junk to make a hoarder weep.

But it’s not just Szimpla. Fogashaz and Instant have combined forces into a surreal maze of dance floors and glowing chaos. Doboz features an evil red-eyed robot perched in a large tree. Red Ruin is where you find Lenin with a yellow mohawk.

All hail Megatron at Doboz.

The ruin bar scene is an unfiltered look at the resilience of a city that refused to be sanitized. A nightlife culture born not from money, but from rebellion, desperation and creative grit.