Szimpla Kert, Budapest

Szimpla Kert is a ruin bar in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, known in Hungarian as “Simple Garden.” It began in 2002 as an informal place for an inexpensive drink and conversation, then became a major visitor attraction and a gathering place for local activities. In 2004, its owners moved into a neglected former residential and industrial site on Kazinczy Street, choosing the extra space instead of allowing the property to be demolished.

The new venue opened with a courtyard used for screenings of independent and underground films, giving it a cinema-like identity as well as a bar. Its programme now reaches far beyond drinks: you can find concerts, film events, exhibitions, a living library, a farmers’ market, and a bicycle flea market here. The result is a drinking place that also functions as a community hub.