Introduction: Caledonia

Welcome, Kind Reader, to Café Budapest, the premier blog for listening to a complete layman ramble about things he couldn't possibly comprehend. Having grown up on instant coffee drowned in milk and sweetened until it can hold the spoon erect, I feel I can rightly claim to be the authoritative voice on all things caffeinated. However, Budapest offers much more than just hot water and packets of Nescafé, and it may be that I just need to explore a bit to realize how ignorant I am.

We start this journey of self-discovery in a bar off Oktogon, sitting at a table with two expats and a slowly dying laptop. The place, decorated with a Scottish flag and a bunch of empty whisk(e)y boxes stuck to the ceiling, is called Caledonia, and allegedly offers almost 100 kinds of whisk(e)y--the parenthetical (e) persists because their stock extends far beyond Scotch.

But Martin, I hear you say, this blog is about coffee, what are you doing in a pub, however classy? Rest assured, Kind Reader, I'm not so much of an alcoholic that I would start at one in the afternoon. Caledonia serves a decent coffee, too, with a separate jug of milk and everything, plus you can actually taste real coffee beans if you're into that kind of thing. Also, let's call it poetic license, but I'm definitely going to take certain liberties with the focus of this project.

One of those liberties, apparently, is going to be food, since I just ordered a full Scottish breakfast. Yes, shut up, it's still called breakfast if it's in the afternoon. It's Saturday, I slept in, give me a break. Anyway, as far as I can tell, it's the classic baked beans, sausage, toast, and eggs, and then there's mushrooms, a grilled tomato, and ham. And even my tastebuds, accustomed only to Tesco-grade cereal and unadorned pasta, can tell that this stuff is delicious.

Did I mention that the place is classy? It has matching furniture, for a start--none of this dive bar or ruin pub nonsense, certainly. It all looks distinguished and reserved, frankly an unusual atmosphere for a down on his luck college student. The decor is low key but appealing, all set in shades of beige, with plaques on the wall celebrating pressed pork, homemade sausages and pork pies, gold plated lamps along the walls and on the bar, and even a couple of actually tasteful paintings around the rooms.

And yes, that was plural rooms. The expats sitting with me say that there is a whole separate corner of the pub dedicated to the aforementioned whisk(e)y experience, something which must definitely be investigated when I have the means to pay for anything more than a barebones coffee. For now, though, at least, I'm obliged to keep at least a cursory adherence to the blog's nominal purpose. I sip my coffee, add another metric ton of sugar, and smile for the camera.

Caledonia (1066 Budapest, Mozsár u. 9.)

Coffee: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Decor: 9/10 

Prices (Ft)

Coffee: 350.-

Scottish Breakfast: 1700.-