Bodor Ferenc: Coffee-Houses - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)

Gyöngy (pearl)

Small is beautiful was the slogan some years back, and is still worth consideration. Gyöngy is a precious stone set in Mária tér, a square that breathes an aura of history but is sadly affected by privatization. A tiny gem — and the emphasis is on tiny. It could not be any tinier. Luckily, the customers sitting beneath the ceiling mirrors are reflected and doubled, drinking their beer bat-like, head foremost, the level of beer in their glasses ascending. The meagre treasure-trove of motifs is represented by a colonial-style carved wooden staircase and fruit machines that are practically museum pieces. This little café is one of the gems of the new Hungarian swallow’s nest trend.

10 BATTHYÁNY (JTCA, I.

GYÖNGY

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