BUDAPEST GO LOCAL: Late night bakery snacks – special treat at RÁKÓCZI PÉKSÉG

Friday, 3 September 2010

Late night bakery snacks – special treat at RÁKÓCZI PÉKSÉG

Budapest has great nightlife. Apart from the millions of bars, beers, concerts, walking streets to choose from (of which most of are located close to each other), one of the main night-life drivers are the non-stop open shops/buffets. In the centre, the jewish- and the university districts especially but actually everywhere – they are on every corner. You can recognize them from their lighting signs, usually with the coca cola logo as well, and the small crowd in front of it. Prices aren’t so high compared to the luxury service that you can eat drink and buy cigarettes (in Hungary they are sold in all the shops) at any time of the day.
But forget about sandwiches and gyros (döner, kebab). Now I tell you about a very special bakery spot, usually open all night long, many locals' favourite night snack place.

It is named after II Rákóczi Ferenc – one of our key figures in history. He was the leader/prince of Transylvania (the only truly free territory left of the Hungarian Kingdom in those times) from 1704 till 1711 when he became the leader of the uprising against the Hapsburgs. All the avenue got named after him in 1906, when II Rakoczi Ferenc’s and his companions’ ashes were brought home to Hungary (all of them had died in exile) – and the procession went from the St Steven (István) Basilica till the Eastern Train Station exactly along this road.
So the avenue is already special in its historical aspect, but the Rákóczi Bakery (pékség) even more. You can buy beer, coffee and every kinds of salad (all of them with mayonnaise: try the one with corn, delicious), and of course: all kinds of bakery stuff (péksüti).