% Arabica

Arabica is a glitzy Kyoto-based Japanese specialty coffee chain with more than 200 locations worldwide. In Europe, after London and Paris it was to Budapest that the company branched out, specifically to Király utca, the historic heart of Budapest’s lively Jewish Quarter.

Customers can choose from two kinds of beans for the coffee orders and there’s also a roastery on the premises selling made-to-roast packaged beans. The polished location took two years to outfit as the owners, sparing no expense, designed everything down to the minute detail (it’s run as a franchise location by a Hong Kong-based couple).

While adhering to the parent company’s bright and minimalist design, there are local touches, such as the customized glazed tiles of Zsolnay, the famous Pécs-based ceramics manufacturer. Lighting fixtures came from Italy and France; heated Toto toilets from Japan; the soaps from Aesop!