Jewish Quarter

Budapest's bustling Jewish quarter is steeped in history but still evolving. In this vibrant area — the city's most populous — designer shops alternate with bakeries, nightclubs, and three beautiful synagogues. The Jewish Quarter is also home to relaxed restaurants serving delicious food, whether Israeli, Mediterranean or Indian. And as well as ruin bars, youth outings like “Beat on the Brat”, arty Kisüzem and beery Fekete Kutya are fun. .

The Jewish Quarter is filled with the historic sites of the Jewish community that once thrived here. There are three synagogues in the area, the Dohány Synagogue being the largest synagogue in Hungary and the second largest worldwide. The neighborhood has a cemetery, memorial garden and museum where visitors can learn all about the Holocaust and the Budapest Ghetto that once existed in the area. A small portion of the wall, reconstructed from some of the original bricks used, still exists in the courtyard of a building on Király Street. As you walk around, you will notice narrow streets and passages, like those on Gozsdu Udvar – connecting long streets.

Fortunately, Jewish culture is not just a thing of the past. The Jewish Quarter is experiencing an amazing revival of Jewish culture, represented by a wave of new Kosher restaurants and eateries. Furthermore, some Orthodox Jews have returned to the area, helping to restore cultural traditions.

Murals on busy Rumbach Sebestyén include a picture of the Austro-Hungarian aristocrat, the queen “Sissi”, wife of the emperor Franz Joseph, who held an esteemed position for the Hungarians; and another depicting the "Match of the Century" as Hungary's golden army defeated the British at Wembley.

A distinctive cultural feature of Jewish Warter are the ruin bars, which, although old looking, are in fact very new. They are a by-product of the decay the region faced after World War II and the catastrophic effects of the Holocaust that devastated the region and stripped it of its population and identity. Around the early 2000s, young people wanting to drink somewhere else, away from the stuffy bars and pubs in the center, bought abandoned buildings in the neighborhood and turned them into bars. . With little money to spend, they are filled with furniture picked up from lofts and basements and decorated with the work of local artists. It didn't take long for the concept to take off and before long, pubs were popping up everywhere. Today, the most popular restaurants are like Szimpla and are always crowded every night of the week and have expanded beyond their original vision, hosting food markets, organizing concerts and running restaurants.

Although Hungarian food is delicious, Hungarians have begun to crave food from all over the world and like many cities, street food has become extremely popular and the Jewish Quarter is one of the most popular places in the world. of the best places to find it. On Király Street, Zing presents the best burgers in the city. Pizza, on the other hand, is a city favorite, and one of the best places to go is Pizzica. Finally, for those wanting more food choices, Karaván is a street food court that recently opened down the street from the ruins bar Szimpla.

Coming to the Jewish Quarter, visitors will feel like being immersed in history, culture, change in thought and lifestyle, and can comfortably experience food and entertainment life like a local. true Budapest local.