Szlovák Söröző

Szlovák Söröző ("Slovakian beer hall") is an old-school bar and restaurant located on a drab side street near Budapest's Nyugati Railway Terminal. The main appeal of this unfashionable haunt with weathered wooden booths is its longevity — the place has been drawing throngs of beer-loving men of all ages for more than four decades. When I say men, I mean it: on some nights, not one woman is in sight, save for the waitress.

Four types of Czech and German lagers are available on draft, and dozens more by the bottle. There's also an exhaustive food menu, but most patrons, for good reason, come here strictly for beers and banter. If you insist on eating, try the sztrapacska, a Slovakian dish of potato dumplings coated in sheep's cottage cheese and pork cracklings. Unlike the dull interior and the stale food, which still evoke the communist era, Szlovák Söröző's prices have kept up with the present day.