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Produced by Kayakman Media
Hungary has the oldest coffeehouse (kávéház) tradition in central Europe, beginning during the 1541-1699 Ottoman occupation. This predating not only the earlies coffeehouse in Vienna (1685) and Prague (1708), but also Italy (1645) and England (1650) by 100 years. In 1714 the first uniquely Hungarian coffeehouse opened in Buda. By the end of the 19th century coffeehouse culture in Budapest flourished and it soon became known as the "city of coffeehouses." A well-deserved title, since with nearly 600 throughout Budapest it had more per capita than any other major European city in that time.
Many of these coffeehouses developed their own personality and attracted unique sets of patrons. With artists, actors, journalists, and philosophers hanging out it in their favorites, coffeehouses became known as "the cradle of Hungarian culture." But between WWI and the fall of communism in 1989, the new political environment and resulting delipitated economy forced coffeehouses into a serious state of decline. Most of them closed their doors never to reopen, although a few managed to survive by reinventing themselves as student unions, casinos, and such.
Today there is a coffeehouse revival taking place all over Hungary, with a number of the historic coffeehouses being restored to their turn-of-the-20th-century grandeur. In contrast, there are also a number of new "quickie cappuccino" style coffeehouse chains opening, including a future Starbucks. This channel is dedicated to reporting on this revival of Hungarian café life in all of its manifestions from the well known to the little known.
Visit my flickr photo collection of Hungarian Cafés
Café reviews covered in this channel to-date: