A Taste of Freedom

You need only to visit the Szabadság Café, near the square of the same name, to get a taste of Hungary’s hunger for freedom (szabadság) in the early 20th century. The café opened in 1902 on the same spot where Count Lajos Batthyány, the first prime minister of Hungary, was executed by firing squad for treason against the Austrian emperor, after the 1848-49 revolution failed. Today, an eternal flame burns in his memory on the square outside the café.

Szabadság Café, consciously or otherwise, kept Batthyány’s spirit alive, becoming a haven for the great writers and thinkers of the early 20th century. The radical literary journal Nyugat (West), published between 1908 and 1941, has its roots here. Its goal was to lift Hungarian literature to the Western level of enlightenment and freedom. Endre Ady, a celebrated poet who spent time in Paris, sat here many a time, writing articles that sparked heated literary debate and political controversy.

Which brings us to today’s Szabadság Café, which opened six months ago in the spirit of the original. Though no pictures remained of the original interior, a piece of the ceiling remained, with a tulip motif that epitomized the Art Nouveau style of the time, says general manager Nándor Sebők. In designing the renovated space, he and his team used the tulip motif throughout, as well as other hallmarks of Hungarian Art Nouveau style, often referred to as secessionism.

So saunter over to Szabadság Café for a taste of turn-of-the-century Budapest, which enjoyed its golden age at about the same time as Paris, that other grand, riverside city. Wave to the wax figure of Endre Ady, who writes in a nook to the left of the bar. Sit inside, alongside the dramatically draped windows, or upstairs (the smoking area) next to an oil painting of one of Budapest’s stunning sights. If weather permits, have the real Budapest-Paris café experience outdoors, watching passersby and contemplating the future of literature or politics.

I started my sojourn outside, catching a glimpse of the Eternal Flame and watching tourists traipsing by, since the café is a short walk from Parliament, Szabadság tér and the US Embassy.

Rain forced me inside, so I went upstairs for a look at the exhibition of photos of Nyugat editors and contributors, which fed my journalistic passion. Then my lunch arrived (to feed my other passion), ricotta-filled pork tenderloin baked with parmesan, with truffle ravioli and tomato sauce, one of many dishes that caught my eye on the vast, reasonably priced menu.

Szabadság Café also serves breakfast, everything from fresh croissants and strudel to omelettes and English breakfast fare, which together with its lovely Lavazza coffee would be a nice start for any day, and great for a morning business meeting.

For an elegant evening, Szabadság Café also plans live music concerts featuring local jazz and classical ensembles. And, true to its historical role, Szabadság Café plans literary evenings hosted by Hungarian authors who will sign new publications or read from their works.

The café also offers the best of Hungarian wines, and plans a new menu this fall that will focus on Hungarian specialties. Some of these are already on offer, such as goose liver fried in brioche crumbs with apple steamed in Tokaji wine, and duck steak with tomato-pepper stew (lecsó).

Dessert? Well, we certainly hope they’ll be keeping the brownie with chocolate chips on the menu, served with maple-walnut ice cream! If you have a hankering for something Hungarian, you can choose the túrógomboc, ricotta dumplings covered in almond crumbs and served with sweetened sour cream.