Krúdy Söröző

Budapest's Grand Boulevard, Nagykörút, doesn't just separate the city center from outer Pest, it's also the unofficial dividing line between the polished and the gritty, the white collar and the blue collar (with exceptions, of course). As a result, bars along here tend to draw people from all walks of life.

Krúdy Söröző, an unpretentious, all-welcoming, Communist-era neighborhood watering hole, is one such establishment. Despite the wifi and the flat screen TVs, the space feels distinctly 1980s, as do the prices. The patrons? Penniless college students, construction workers, neighborhood thugs, and the occasional aging regular, weary from a decades-long, pálinka-infused stupor. These customers give the place soul, its most endearing quality.