Műhely Pub (=Workshop), Budapest – A Factory Worker Wonderland
(306. stop, 232. Budapest stop – after 4 visits)
I love pubs with thematic appearance pretty much. Especially when they were made with creativity, devotion, and passion to the last detail. In Budapest, on the Buda side you can find one of my favorite ones, in a very cool, but less known student pub area. It is secretly hidden, in a crossing street, half way between a metro station and our main tram line (4 and 6).
If you’re once hunting for real local, but rich pub life in Budapest outside the most known party quarter of the 7th and partly 6th District, go right to district Eleven and look for a street called Bercsényi! Even if you get lost there, you are on the best place, you possibly could be. You will pump into pubs automatically and only good ones. Műhely Pub is in the next street, closer to the Danube bank. It was actually an auto repair workshop before it was turned into a pub. To achieve its current design took two years to the enthusiastic designers, the pub owners themselves.
First, I spotted Műhely Pub suddenly from a bus window while travelling in the street. I had a hard time to read the name plate. When I went there intentionally on foot to have a closer look last April, I realized why.
The letters already consist of different working tools, but the bigger surprise is downstairs. I was like “WOW WOW WOW”, when we headed down on the slope, that served for the cars back then.
The place has a huge hall, with mysterious twilight and it represents everything what the name requires. The ones who know me can tell that I am a technical illiterate. About many objects here, I had just a distant idea, what they can be good for but I couldn’t name them in crosswords. Fortunately, Edvárd, the bartender that time was helpful enough to specify many of them. There are here: lathe machine, conveyor belt as wall decor, cable reel as bar table, small table on stacker, a height-adjustable lamp assisted by a carabiner, crane trolleys, hand drill head, workshop lamps, table grinder and yellow and black safety mark. I have to be honest with you, I copied the whole thing from my notes. The thing I could recall by heart was the cable reel.
I was able to recognize by myself the drills and my biggest hits, the toilet doors made of former lockers, the cloth hangers created of wrench and the sofa covers sewn of work clothes.
Even the bar itself looks marvelous. I am a fan ot the script: Anyagkiadás: 8-12 (=Stuff delivery: 8-12)
If this all wouldn’t be enough yet. There are funny work safety posters on the wall from old times. They could be an exhibition. I don’t show them you now, I better keep them for surprise.
By the way, there is a whole motor here on display too, which is even hard to notice among all the others stuff.
You really feel like in Wonderland here, even after several minutes you just look around fascinated, and even the dark Kozel, they have on tap can get you only sober from here.
Műhely has different faces in different times. It can be quite calm to a friendly chat on Saturdays during the day. But in student peak times despite the enormous size, it can be full of guests. There are also older regulars, but mostly young people are coming here. The biggest crowd, like elsewhere is to be found at Saturday nights. There is also a stage for concerts or stand up comedies. Something frequently happens here. Their Facebook page also have revealed some karaoke parties.
Thanks to the special measuring cup supply, you can get shots in every possible portions. So they don’t get confused if you ask for 7 cl of your favorite liquor.
Photo: Dégay Péter, photo edit: Kovács Edvárd
Unfortunately, Edvárd no longer works there. He has moved to another city. He was one of the coolest young bartenders I’ve got to know in my continuous pub crawl. Whenever I have sad or indifferent experiences regarding his generation in bars, I always try to stop myself from too sudden generalizing by listing some counterexamples in my head. He was one of them.
Interesting facts: Rumor has it that some of the illustrative material of Műhely Pub was found in the basement of a school in the countryside.
DRY MATTER CONTENT:
Beers: After several months I am not very certain about their current beers, but in September they still had Cerny Kozel on tap and the complete beer sortiment of Favágó Sör (former Szarvasi Sörmester), Hungarian craftbeer in bottles.
Pub food: Good news that they have grilled sandwich. Traditional Hungarian type. I have tried, it was decent enough.
EXTRA: The pub itself is the extra here. One of the prettiest interior designs I have experienced. A real masterpiece and since my photos there is even more progression there.
They used to have an idea box on the counter, where they collected from the staff and guests some ideas, how they could improve the place.
Cím: 1111, Budapest, Budafoki út 29.
Nyitva tartás: Monday-Friday: 11:00-24:00, Saturday: 14:00-24:00 Sunday: closed
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/M%C5%B1hely-pub-934724023225834/reviews/
