Fecske Presszó

Photos by Zoltán Balázs (name order interchangeable)

Hey look, it's the third week and we're still going. Let's have a round of self-congratulatory bullshit applause, Kind Reader, for sticking it out past the bare minimum of effort. Today's topic is Fecske, because the coffee house I actually wanted to go to was closed.

Once again, the posting deadline finds me sitting in a barely caffeine-related place by Kálvin, and once again I'm obligated by my devotion to you, my dear non-existent Readership, to drink coffee and keep the source of all my suffering sober while everyone else gets to drown their painful consciousness in alcohol. Diligent students will already be familiar with Fecske, as it is right across from the central building of the Szabó Ervin library. Less diligent students might also be plenty familiar with the wide selection of drinks, conveniently listed on a chalkboard on the ceiling if you might feel like supinating yourself in abject despair, like I frequently do.

Hey look another shot of the ceiling

Decor-wise, the intellectual retro-chic vibe is consistent with the library-going audience, having the potential to draw the attention of hipster douchebags as much as unironic, proto-social bookworms. The gentle lighting and mellow warmth projected by the ever-present shades of beige are in beautiful contrast with the insufferable tension slowly tearing my soul apart. Some of the walls are plastered with black and white comic strips, while early 20th century photographs hang on others, and books of every creed and color line bookcases anywhere the head might turn.

My Vergil on this particular journey into the depths of my darkness having told me to broaden my hopelessly stunted horizons, I'm not drinking my usual barebones coffee today. This unspecified wonder, called bon-bon coffee, is simultaneously sickly sweet and shockingly bitter, reminding me that whatever rare pleasure this cruel life may provide, it does so only to put our constant misery in greater contrast. The side of mineral water cleanses the palate between sips just enough that the novelty of contextual pain never diminishes.

Toilet and shit

Fecske Presszó is a surprisingly low key and reserved hangout for the discerning alcoholic or caffeine addict, with the distinct but unassuming atmosphere the perfect background to the discussion of world-changing ideas and earth-shattering insecurities alike. The prices are business-like, but the service is personal and comfortingly intimate in tone. Decent coffee at reasonable cost, or booze for a small premium--regardless of preference, intellectuals of Budapest should keep Fecske in mind when going out.

Fecske Presszó (1085 Budapest, Baross u. 10.)

Bon-bon coffee: 7/10

Decor: 9/10

Prices (Ft)

Bon-bon coffee: 340.-