Grandio is yet another recent addition to Budapest’s kert scene, and belongs to the increasingly oversaturated romkert category. What sets this romkert apart from the others (and makes it my favorite among the new places) is that unlike the kerts which are increasingly stretching the original meaning of the word (garden), Grandio is filled with trees and plants, so that once you sit down you can’t even see across the place.
Opened in tandem with the Grandio Party Hostel located upstairs, Grandio is a pun on the site’s location, Nagy Diófa utca 8, located one street off of District VII’s nightlife nexus Kazinczy utca. And while technically a romkert, most of the tables and chairs appear like they were actually bought not acquired or collected, and the atmosphere the greenery creates reminds you that you actually are sitting in a garden.
Prices for a korsó of beer range from Ft 450 for Borsodi through Ft 600 for Staropramen and Ft 650 for Hoegaarden, and the staff are friendly and bilingual. There are no toilet attendants, yet the toilets are kept clean and appear to have been recently renovated.
Additionally, since it is essentially the “house kert” for the hostel located upstairs, there’s always a decent-sized crowd of young backpackers hanging around, but due to the greenery, you can manage to keep apart from them should you wish to, as the place essentially splits into two sections: one for the backpackers, the other for the less hyper guests more interested in knocking back a few over conversation.
Even if Grandio ultimately does not become this summer’s grandest new kert, it’s certainly already the greenest.
I’ve been there love it except for the bar staff who will short
change any English speaker especially the blond haired girl
who should take the title of biggist bitch in Budapest from
urwan in simpla!!! Cause she’s cronic ,tried to ripp me off
twice already tonight
Out here in the boondocks I wander to a Kosma where I pay 200HuFs for a Korso of good named beer. I Sit in a real garden and listen to the nightinhgales argueing in the woods opposite or sit under a lean-to and watch the thunderstorms flashing and banging about.
I allways carry the right price in coins on me
Definitely the best candidate for the SGNK award.
Stylish, grand but still cosy in the jungle.
Excellent atmosphere. Absolutely the greenest in
this urban jungle, so qualifies best to the “KERT”
title.
Awesome place to watch football too….
@Colm
As much as I sympathize with you, this particular speaker of English hasn’t been ripped off at all there (and I’ve been several times now). Perhaps you should take the time to learn a few words of Hungarian. Asking for a beer, asking how much something is and your basic numbers really isn’t that hard to learn, even in Hungarian.
@PIP
unfortunately short changing the külföldiek seems to
be something that happens far too often here whether
you order in hungarian or not. Grandio may be one
example although I haven’t experienced it either
there. Must be an essential part of bar staff
training!
@PiP…you aren’t really saying that it’s Colm’s fault that he is getting short changed just because he doesn’t speak Hungarian are you? Would you accept this line of thinking in your home country if they treated foreigners this way?
Maybe the Hungarian education system needs to improve its teaching of mathematics, especially when people are required to do mental arithmatic.
Or maybe it’s the kis penz/kis munka work ethic in action.
Either way, I’m sorry that Colm feels aggrieved at the bar staff in Grandio.
@C’est Moi.
Point taken. I was just taking issue with Colm’s point that they will “short change any English speaker”. That’s not a fair statement to make based on one bad night, especially as it was evidently written under the effects of the demon drink. But he’s entitled to his rant, he had a bad night.
In my former home country people are ripped off all the time, foreigners and residents alike. We call it “the public transport system”.