If you only have one night in Budapest and you want to party, Szimpla Kert or Simple Garden [Budapest, Kazinczy u. 14, 1075 Hungary] is the place to spend it. The city has a unique bar scene with containing ruin pubs, bars which were established in post-WWII ruined buildings of the Jewish quarter. One mans trash is another mans treasure. These popular pubs are full of mildly grungy artistic junk somehow evolving into an absolutely enchanted atmosphere. This is a must see destination even if you aren’t a drinker, just to observe the art and artifacts as if in a museum.
At Szimpla there are two floors, maybe you can find the map amidst all of the clutter.
Your first floor has multiple bars, an outdoor patio, and a place to grab some grub.
They play movies on certain nights, you can rent a hookah.
You might find some a live band pumping out some jams down here, we bopped around to some groovy bass.
Find some stairs and head up for a relatively quieter scene. There are additional bars up here, and more funky art of course.
Most importantly however, make sure to find your way to the foosball table.
Two innocent girls in Budapest exploring Szimpla Kert were transformed into competitive beasts and invested a decent sum of money and time into a foosball tournament all of their own. I regret nothing. This night was one of our most cherished memories of pure unadulterated silliness. Oh, make sure you check out the bathrooms upstairs (don’t worry, they’re not all like this).
Even if you are not a bar person, you must make an exception for Szimpla Kert. Explore. Find yourself an interesting nook. Play some foosball. Drink some Hungarian Palinka and enjoy!