Kocsis Irma: A tour of our Locals. (A very quick one) - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1993)

6 : 3 Borozó és a Franci 6 : 3 Wine-Tavern and the Franci

IX. Lányai utca 62

The wine-bar that once belonged to Nándor Hidegkúti stands beside the Franci Ale-house, in the Ferencváros. On the wall, naturally, the time-darkened poster of the golden team of Hungarian football. The name commemorates the famous win over England at Wembley. There is a small gallery in the Franci, holding not more than a couple of tables. A closed door beside the back table on the right leads into mysterious nothingness. I peep through the keyhole, a snow-bound landscape, a little house with warm yellow lights showing in the windows, and a well not far from the house, with footprints around it in the snow... (a naturalistic painting above the other box).

Mester utcai Kocsmák The Pubs of Mester utca

IX. Mester utca 5 and 4 HB, Haller út 17

First, there is the Kiskőrösi Borozó at 5, Mester utca. A typical cellar pub, you can hear the hubbub from afar. If you look in at the basement windows, you will see heavy leather coats jostling in the depths below. The entrance is easy to miss, there is an identical door leading into the piano-tuner’s cellar next door.

The next pub used to be a beer garden, the Liliom Sörkert, with red gravel, galvanized iron tables, tubular chairs. It has closed down, an office building has sprung up in its place. Opposite, or almost next door to a furrier is the famous “Poet Bird-seller”, or

BIOLÓGIAI ÉLŐLÉNYEK TENYÉSZTŐJE (BREEDER OF BIOLOGICAL LIVING CREATURES)

In this street you will also find the Kinizsi Söröző. Towards the end of the street, in 41/B there is another cellar-pub worthy of note, with a wine-glass made of iron on the door and iron letters saying BOR BOR (WINE WINE). This is the wine-cellar with the staircase.

Mester utca ends with a carcase of a pub that has a large railed-off counter for the barman and a large number of

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