ICE, ICE, ICECREAM BABY

Everybody loves icecream. And nothing seems to be a better thing to do in a new city than tasting amazing icecream while strolling down the streets and looking at shop windows. 

Gelarto Rosa

If you are in Budapest, these are the icecream places that you should definitely try.

Most of them offer delicious hand crafted or home made, while some just "simply" amazing Italian icecream. 

Soooo, ready for the list? Here it is! 

(Forest fruit cup - Facebook)

AUGUSZT CONFECTIONERY

This amazing confectionery was established in 1870 and today they have 3 shops throughout Budapest. Their most popular flavours are vanilla, rice, poppy seed and cottage cheese! Obviously as a confectionery, they also sell delicious cakes as well, and you can also have lunch in their Midtown shop. 

Don't forget to check them out at the following address:

14-16 Kossuth Lajos Street in District 5, 

the shop is located between the Elisabeth bridge and Astoria. 

Opening hours:
Monday - Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
Saturday: 11 am - 6 pm

http://www.auguszt.hu/en
www.facebook.com/augusztcukraszda

(Auguszt Confectionery - downtown location - Bogart-photo)

www.levendulafagylaltozo.hu

LEVENDULA - LAVENDER HANDCRAFTED ICECREAM

This company now offers 5 franchise shops, 4 of them are in Budapest and one is in Szentendre. 

In the wintertime they have chocolate truffels, while in the summertime they sell icecream.

As the name suggests, one of the main ingredients of their delicious goods is lavender. 

They also offer both lactose and sugar free icecream in their stores. 

All together they have 80 different flavours (for example camembert cheese, chianti red wine, ginger ale), and some of them come in a really interesting colour. 

This is where you can bump into one of their stores:

• 25 Rákóczi Street (Next to Uránia Movie Theater) in District 8
• 21 Szent István krt. in District 5
• 6 Vámház krt. in Distrct 5 (Accross the street from the Big Markethall)
• Behind Mammut shopping Center in Buda
• 8 Fő tér in Szentendre (about 30 kms north from Budapest)

Opening hours:

Usually between 11 am - 10 pm, but please check each location!

http://levendulafagylaltozo.hu/

www.facebook.com/Levendula.Fagylaltozo

www.fragolafagylaltozo.hu

FRAGOLA

Fragola has been spreading like crazy  in Budapest, it is actually getting hard to keep track of where they are opening their latest store. But wherever you see these cute drawings, you can suspect that you will be seduced within minutes.

According to their description, their icecream is original hand crafted icecream that is coming all the way from Italy to your cones. 

Beside icecream, they also sell sandwiches, soups, pizzas, salads, and other sweets - however the selections are not the same in every store.

You can find them at the following addresses, but as I mentioned, they are opening new branches all the time, so it is worth checking their website and Facebook page.

7 Csévi Street in District 2

7 Nagymező Street in District 6

3/A Károly krt. in District 7

37 Katona József Street in District 13

They've just opened Fragola Beach at Római Part in District 3, where you can get your icecream from this cute Italian icecream truck:

Cute Italian icecream truck - Facebook

http://www.fragolafagylaltozo.hu/

https://www.facebook.com/fragola.fagylaltozo

Nándori icecream - nandori.hu

NÁNDORI CONFECTIONERY

Nándori was established in 1957 and is located in the pedestrian street called Ráday in District 9. This is the street, where you can find many great restaurants as well. Once you are finished with your lunch or dinner in one of these restaurants, keep some more room for dessert! It is a must to try. Simply delicious! Of course they have cakes as well! 

Address:

53 Ráday Street in District 9

Opening hours:

Monday - Saturday: 7:30 am - 7:00 pm

Sunday: closed

http://www.nandori.hu/cukraszda.php

https://www.facebook.com/nandoricukraszda

Icecream sundae - Gerbeaud.hu

GERBEAUD CONFECTIONERY

It's probably not a big surprise that one of the most famous Hungarian confectionery has one of the best icecream in Budapest. Gerbeaud also has its own cake named after him, you can read more about it in the list of food that I recommend you to try if you are visiting Hungary. 

The Gerbeaud Bistro and Confectionery is a prestigious place to visit in Budapest, it was established in 1858 and is located in the very center of the city.

Address:

7-8 Vörösmarty Square in District 5

Cafe opening hours:

Mo - Su: 08.30 am - 9 pm

Bistro opening hours: 

Monday - Sunday 12-22

http://www.gerbeaud.hu/en

Rose shaped icecream - Facebook photo

GELARTO ROSA

Gelarto Rosa is not only hand crafted, but the icecream there is actually served in a rose shape. Not only kids but adults love it as well. 
The owners also admit that they can't create the same icecream twice, so don't be surprised if one flavour doesn't taste the same the next time when you stand in the 30 minutes line that is usually queuing in front of the place.

You should try their basil lemon and pistacchio flavours.

Address:

3 Szent István tér in District 5

Opening hours:

Monday - Friday: 10 am - 10 pm

https://www.facebook.com/GelartoRosa

ladelizia.hu

LA DELIZIA COOKIE MANUFACTURER

Originally a cookie place, they make delicious cookies, also gluten and sugar free ones, and in the summertime they offer amazing icecream. 

They have basil strawberry, Madagascar vanilla, and many more great flavours.

You can taste all the flavours before buying.

Address:

13 Jókai Street in District 6

http://www.ladelizia.hu/eng/

https://www.facebook.com/ladelizia.budapest

ARTIGIANI GELATI

This place is completely out of the main tourist attractions, but if you are really after the good stuff, it's worth the trip. The shop is within a couple of minutes walking from Széll Kálmán square, the exact address is 8 Csaba Street in District 12, and this is what you can choose from. Quite convincing, right? :)

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Missing something from the list? Tell us in your comment!

SZIMPLA DESIGN SHOP

Szimpla has come up with something really cool. Again! Their new store called SZIMPLA DESIGN SHOP handcraft & boutique has opened recently in District 7, only a couple of steps away from Gozsdu Courtyard. 

I've been passing by it for some time but finally today I remembered taking my camera with me so I can show everything they have in their store. At the moment there is a huge construction going on in front of the shop, so it is not that easy to approach it, but believe me, it is worth the dust and noise to get there! 

Szimpla Design Shop

You only need to take a couple of steps down to the basement, and what you see there is like a completely different world. It's colorful and bright, looks just like a little jewelry box. I soon found out that the guy behind the counter is actually one of the owners, so he knows everything about all the items that can be found in the store. 

Oldschool radio turned into a lamp

He was very helpful showing me around, telling me little stories about almost every furniture. Because what you find in this store is mainly a previously owned item, usually refurbished by a designer or a very creative person. 

Yes, this is a lamp made of cassettes.

There's plenty to see, one of my favourite things was this lamp that was made of old music cassettes. As I was told, beside many other great music bands of course, you can find Spice Girls and Ricky Martin cassettes among them. I think it is just a great thing to turn some old, somehow useless things into a practical item for your home. Not to mention that this way the disco memories of our childhood can stay with us forever. 

Organic soaps and other great things

The owner is very enthusiastic about all the items that can be found in the shop. He also told me that they are searching for new items all the time, they also buy and trade old things that could use some refurbishing.
And that's not all. They are also planning to use the place for arts and crafts workshops for anybody who is interested in new ideas. For more news check out their Facebook page, their website is coming soon! 

Useful information:

Address: 

24 Síp Street in District 7

Opening hours:

Sunday, Monday: Closed

Tuesday - Friday: 12-19h

Saturday: 11-15h

I took a lot of pictures, so if you would like to see the picture gallery, please click HERE.

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BEST FOOD BARGAIN IN BUDAPEST

You can taste before buying

Finding a delicious meal in a foreign country that suits your taste can be a tricky thing, especially when you don't know what to expect from a certain  nation's eating habits. I hope you have already checked out MY LIST OF FOOD about what you should definitely try while you are in Hungary.

Things can get even trickier if you are visiting Budapest as there are just so many restaurants that you can and should visit, and no matter what your plans are, there is one street in Budapest that you will visit for sure. It is called Váci Street, which is the most famous pedestrian and shopping street of Budapest. This is the street that all guidebooks recommend you to visit, as this is the street where you will not only find all the souvenir and other antique shops, but there are also plenty cafés and restaurants offering you traditional Hungarian and international dishes. And now, I will tell you where you can eat for the best price in Váci Street.

Entrance of the Corso Gourmet

The Corso Gourmet Restaurant is located on the second floor at 54 Váci Street in District 5. The restaurant belongs to a Hungarian grocery store chain called CBA. You can find CBA grocery stores throughout the country, they are one of the biggest chains in Hungary. However, they operate several smaller self-serviced restaurants in some of  their CBA PRIMA stores, to my knowldeg there is only one Corso Gourmet Restaurant in the country. At the moment I really think that they offer the widest selection of food for the best price in Budapest. 

Their interior design reminds me of a 5 star hotel's buffet. It is a self-serviced restaurant, you can choose from different soups, main dishes and desserts. 

You need to get your tray at  the front then you can start putting all the delicious food on it. All dishes can be seen through the glass and if you have any questions the staff is extremely helpful. Everything is being made fresh as they have a huge kitchen in the background.

If you would like to make your food warmer, you can simply use the microwave that is available for everybody. 

Best bargain in town

Food prices are just great. You can get main dishes with sides for about 1200 HUF (ca. 4 EUR) but that's not all. Corso Gourmet offers daily menus for a real bargain until 5 pm. And the best part is that they offer it not only on weekdays but 7 days a week! Their 2 course meal cost 799 HUF (less than 3 EUR) and the 3 course meal is 990 HUF (ca. 3,30 EUR). You can usually pick from one soup and two main dishes. 

Aaaand, here comes the best part:

Between 5 pm and 9 pm you can pick from any soups, any main dishes and any desserts for 1200 HUF (4 EUR). 

They also offer a wide selection of wine, you can mix your own drinks from fresh fruit syrup and club soda, they even have a fröccs vending machine, and you can also taste palinka!

We had a three course meal each, so all these food with drinks and pickles cost 3080 HUF (10 EUR)

Seating is spacious and comfortable. They also organize wine tasting dinners, and have a lot of special events. Food is amazingly delicious, the portions are absolutely satisfying, the staff is kind, so it is really a must try experience!

Useful information:

Address: 54 Váci Street in District 5

Opening hours: 11 am - 9 pm

Website: http://www.corsogourmet.hu/en/

Facebook: http://goo.gl/o69WBT

Please take a look at the pictures I took while we were there. Enjoy the food, the atmosphere and the great prices!

Spacious interior

Cool and comfortable seating area

Amazing wine selection

Spotlessly clean restrooms

Let's not forget, underneath it is a CBA store as well! :)

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BUDAPEST FISH FESTVAL IN THE PALACE QUARTER

Living in the Palace Quarter has its many advantage. I love the neighborhood because there are so many beautiful buildings, everything is within walking distance, yet it is quiet and liveable. There have been plenty refurbishing going on int he past couple of years, and it makes me happy to see that a lot of new restaurants and shops open in the area. If you are around in the middle of February, don’t miss out on the Fish Festival that will take place in the garden of the National Museum and its surroundings at Pollack Mihaly square.

There will be over a hundred types of fish to choose from

There will be over a hundred types of fish from all over  the world to taste, you can take part or just watch the fishsoup cooking competition and listen to some folklore music. In 2014 the guest country is Russia, so you will be able to taste plenty of Russian fish specialities as well!

Of course you will also be able to taste wines and palinka, and many other traditional Hungarian dishes. The 3 day festival also offers a lot of programs for children, so it can be also a great family time to look around at the festival. Early birds can get a lot of things for a discounted price, you can print their coupons from their Facebook page.The coupons are only valid on 13 February, so make sure you get there on time!

Traditional Hungarian fishsoups

Useful information about the festival:
Where: District 8 at the National Museum and Pollack Mihaly square
When: 13-16 February, 2014. 
Website: http://budapestihalfesztival.hu/http://budapestihalfesztival.hu/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BudapestiHalfesztival

Would you like to know what else is worth tasting in Hungary? Check out our recommendations here!

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LIVING HISTORY THROUGH AMAZING PICTURES

A selfie way before it was cool (1920)

The other night we just had a discussion about Fortepan with a friend over a bottle of wine and some snack, and she suggested that the founders of this site should deserve a Nobel price for creating such an amazing thing for the world. And I really think she is right. I’d known Fortepan for some time and I actually found it pretty amazing even when I first saw it, but I never really took the time to browse its pictures thoroughly enough, and to be honest, I also didn’t think that so many more pictures have been uploaded to it recently. But why is Fortepan so precious to us? Not only because it was created by Hungarians, there's so much more to the story. 

So let me tell you a bit about it!

Fortepan started as a private collection of photographs that were taken between 1910 and 1990 mainly in Hungary and the pictures were uploaded by the two founders. They started with 500 pictures that they found either at home or among household junks. As words had spread, more and more people scanned and sent their pictures to the founders and also in the meantime several libraries and institutions contacted them offering their archives, so today it has over 33.000 pictures and this number is increasing day by day. 

Soldiers in World War I

The site is very simple to use, you can read all about it by clicking here. 

But if you think that you would only find pictures of Hungary, then think again! I’ve just realized that there’s a lot of pictures uploaded from all over the world. 

Do you live in New York City, in Switzerland or in a small village of Germany? Check out the site, as you might be surprised, they might have pictures from your neighborhood from your grandparen's childhood as well.

Women in Coney Island in 1915

Check out their site and take the time to browse for either amazing pictures of Hungary in the 20th century or maybe you also have some great pictures that you would like to send to Fortepan so everybody around the world can see it. 

The 1956 Revolution in Budapest

Believe me, it's amazing to see pictures of times that you only heard about from your grandparents, or I think it is also funny to see pictures from my childhood realizing that everybody else looked exactly the same in the 1980s in Hungary.

The Berlin Wall in 1988

It’s like recreating the world in pictures that existed before this whole online social craziness took over. Enjoy what you see there, and if you like it, please spread the word to the world!
For more about Hungary, join us on Facebook! 

HUNGARY'S ATTRACTION SHADOW PERFORMANCE THEATER WON THE 2013 BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT!

Once upon a time in 2013, Hungarian dance group called Attraction Shadow Performance Theater went to London in order to try themselves at Britain's got talent, and I must tell you it was a brillant idea. Why? Because they actually won the 2013 Britain's got talent! 
Today, this amazing dance group is performing in front of over a billion people at the Chinse New Year Gala.

Watch their first performance here that dazzled the judges and the audience as well.

Their semi-final shadow theater performance has been watched over 5 million times!



Aaaand obviously they have an amazing shadow performance about Hungary as well: 

We just can't get enough of them. What about you? If you like what you've just seen, please share with your friends! :)

IN THIS SURGERY ROOM EVERYTHING IS EDIBLE

Are you stressed, exhausted, have mental problems? They can help! 

How about drinking a shot from a doctor's needle as an appetizer? Then you should eat the food that comes out from the surgery room. If you wish, you can sit in a wheelchair while eating, and feel free to use the lab if you need to go to the restroom. 

Confused? Don't be! I'm only talking about the latest and probably one of the craziest restaurants that has opened recently near the Blahaz Lujza square in Budapest. It is called Rendelő in Hungarian, which can be translated as the doctor's office or a clinic.

Upstairs interior

If you've ever wondered, what a real socialist doctor's office must have looked like, then you've found it. Everywhere you look, you will see surgical lamps, wheelchairs, infusion holders and all other medical equipments that otherwise could only be seen at the doctor's.

The brain and its parts as wallpaper

Just like at the doctor's

But let's keep in mind that it is actually a restaurant and a bar, so let me tell you a bit about the food as well.

They serve Hungarian and international food, and they also have fish & chips! It's worth stopping by on a weekday, as they offer lunch menus between noon and 5 pm. You can get a two course meal for 890 FUF, while a 3 course meal cost 1090 HUF. Very good food for very good price.

A three course meal cost 1090 HUF (ca. 3,50 EUR)

If you are around some other time, you can try their pastas for an average price of 1700 HUF or main dishes for about 2000 HUF.

The staff is very kind, they speak English, and it is just something that you can not miss if you are in Budapest!

Streetview, just a couple of steps away from Blaha Lujza square

Contact details:

Rendelő resto & bar

1085 Budapest, 8 Somogyi Béla Street

Opening hours: Monday - Wednesday: 11:00-24:00, Thursday - Saturday: 11:00-01:00, Sunday: 12:00-22:00