Nightlife in Budapest: hidden pubs, iconic clubs

By Julius Hendricks

When you go out with your friends, it can be hard to decide where to go. Are you going to a pub or a club? Do you want to dance or talk? Here are some of the best places to visit in Budapest and when you should go.

Let’s say you’re looking to go out with your friends on a Friday night but don’t know where to start. Do you want to jump right into a crowded room, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, most of whom you’ll never see again? Or would you rather sit under the cozy, warm yellow glow of “Billy’s Pub” and enjoy a cheap beer with good music pumping in the background? To me, this is a no-brainer. Billy’s Pub is a chain of pubs with three locations across Pest. The one I frequent before a lovely night on the town is the location right next to the Király utca (street) 4/6 stop (Erzsébet krt. (boulevard) 53). Here, the bartenders are incredibly nice and always have their Spotify playlist pulled up on the iPad behind the bar. Techno is a favorite, but sometimes you might get lucky and hear some Rihanna bouncing off the industrial-style walls. Billy’s is a favorite because it offers a liter of “Billy’s Beer” for only FT 1,200! Now that’s a price you can’t beat. Billy’s also offers a good selection of food, if you’re there before the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. If you miss the food, there are always nachos and chips displayed beautifully in a glass case behind the bar. So, if you’re looking for a great place to hit before a night out, check out Billy’s Pub. With three locations spread across the city, it’s convenient, cheap, and always a good time. 

Most clubs in Budapest aren’t open on Monday, and the ones that are don’t have many people. The one exception I’ve found is Morrison’s 2 (Szent István krt. 11). Every Monday, Morrison’s 2 is packed with students, mostly from all over the world coming to Budapest through Erasmus. The entrance fee is FT 3,000 most days, but on Mondays, you can pay FT 6,000 for unlimited drinks all night. Now that’s a deal you can’t pass up (unless you aren’t there to drink). When you walk in, you’re greeted by various hallways and stairwells leading to several rooms with different styles of music. Going to Morrison’s on a Monday means seeing every dance floor packed with students from every corner of the world. The main area is an open courtyard with football (soccer) projected onto big screens in every direction. Go up a couple of stairs, and you’ll be on the busiest dancefloor with people dancing to nostalgic music, mostly from the 2010s. Morrison’s 2 is great because at the main bar in the courtyard, they have pizza, which is perfect if you’re hungry but don’t want to pay the entry fee again, as they don’t let you return once you’ve already exited.

Go down a couple of flights of stairs and through some busy hallways, and you’ll find the karaoke room. Here you can pick from an array of songs to sing with your friends on the little stage. The lyrics are projected behind you, and the selection of music they have downloaded seems endless. The best part about karaoke here is that everyone in the room is also singing along to whatever song you choose, even if this sometimes means you can’t even hear yourself. Morrison’s 2 also has several foosball and ping pong tables in different rooms and hallways across the complex, so if you’re looking for something to do other than dancing or meeting new people, stop for a game or two. When you’re out on a Monday night looking for a great place to go, check out Morrison’s 2, but beware of the line, as it wraps around the block.

If you’ve already been to Morrison’s 2 and are looking for something similar but safer and (in my opinion) better, check out Füge Udvar (Klauzál u. 19). Here you’ll find another main courtyard flanked by dance floors playing all types of music. In this courtyard, you’ll also find the famous fig trees that Füge gets its name from. Under the trees, there are picnic tables you can sit down at with your friends. Open from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week, Füge is a great club to visit. What sets it apart from other dance clubs is the arcade inside. Here you can play any assortment of games you want, just make sure to ask the bartender for some game tokens at the bar. At Füge, the music is always good, but the vibes are better. Everyone’s there to have a good time and dance to great music, so if you’re looking for a great place to try with friends, I recommend Füge Udvar. Just make sure you visit on a Friday or a Saturday when all the rooms are open.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the world-renowned ruin bar Szimpla Kert (Kazinczy u. 14). This pub is arguably one of the most visited attractions in Budapest, visited by tens of thousands every year. At peak hours, this pub can reach its maximum occupancy of 600 patrons, but throughout the night, as many as five thousand pub crawlers stop in for a drink or to listen to great live music. The atmosphere at Szimpla is always lighthearted. From the friendly bouncers at the entrance to the (mostly) nice bartenders, I haven’t had a bad experience there. When you walk in through the main entrance, your eyes immediately jump around, almost overwhelmed by the menagerie of miscellaneous graffiti on the walls and colored lights jumping here and there. The old piano covered in stickers to your right adds a sort of lighthearted charm to Szimpla Kert. Here, drinks can be expensive, as it is incredibly touristy. When I say touristy, I mean it. I’ve rarely seen Budapest locals sitting at the tables in the courtyard. But there is a pretty good deal on drinks where you can spend FT 3,000 on a drink in a cup, and whenever you bring the cup back, they refill it and charge FT 2,500.

To the right of the main courtyard in Szimpla, you’ll find a small stage where live performances happen almost every night. From night to night, the music jumps from techno to folk to jazz to samba. Szimpla is the perfect place to go with friends to watch a show without paying a cover charge. The only thing to be wary of in Szimpla is the drug dealers outside the entrance. The soft choir of “cannabis? cocaine?” is whispered to you briefly as you walk down Kazinczy utca, like the gentle whoosh of the cold autumn wind as it drifts through the forest. But pay them no mind, just ignore them, and walk away. But, if you feel especially unsafe (which isn’t likely as the street is always packed with tourists), there are usually officers at each end of Kazinczy utca. On a lighter note, Szimpla is a great place to go for music, drinks, and great conversation. The maze of rooms offers great places to sit down for a chat, and the graffiti all over the place gives each night within the ruined walls the most exquisite backdrop.

Whether you’re looking to sip a cheap beer in the warm glow of Billy’s, dance shoulder to shoulder with students from around the world at Morrison’s, enjoy the laid-back courtyard of Füge Udvar, or wander the colorful maze of graffiti-covered walls at Szimpla Kert, Budapest has something for every type of night out. Each place offers its own personality, and part of the fun is figuring out which one fits your mood. You don’t need to know exactly what you want before you step outside. Half the adventure is in trying new spots with good friends. Budapest’s nightlife isn’t just about bars or clubs; it’s about the memories you make in them. So, get out there, explore a little, and find your own favorite place in this incredible city with something for everyone.

Photos by Julius Hendricks