Imagine a place at the foot of a hill, surrounded by lush greens and a thriving thermal pool. Now imagine a place where you not only find yourself enclosed by such unbelievably serene natural surroundings, but where lavish delights await to tickle your senses. Imagination is a good thing, but it’s even better when creative dreams become a reality. 50 Bar is this dream realized.

50 Bar is a mini biosphere in itself, giving home to dozens of frogs, ducks and even some cats. As I sit on the terrace with Giovanni Marco Scavelli, one of the owners of 50 Bar, I look around to take in the surroundings of the terrace – it really doesn’t get much better than this. We discuss the „wildlife” and the menu and after short pause we both become aware of the most dominant sound on the terrace – the croaking of frogs in the nearby pond. Giovanni looks at me with a smile and adds, „Don’t worry, we’re not going to do any frog’s legs!” After some joking and giggles, we go on to discuss exactley what 50 Bar is all about…

An Environmental Beat

50 Bar, located near the Margit Bridge in Budapest, sits between the historical Molnár János aquatic cave and Lukács Thermal Baths. The bar is a unique new addition to Budapest’s colourful palette of wining, dining and music. The surrounding in itself offers an oasis in our beautiful concrete jungle, but the concept of this spot goes way beyond what meets the eye. The three owners, Giovanni Marco Scavelli, Giovanni Pignataro, and Richárd Tóth took a strong eco directive in every element of their bar. The flashy interior design, created by Slide® Design, not only offers a unique colourful experience, but was created entirely from recycled materials which are illuminated with ultra efficient LED lighting. All paper products are supplied by high quality recycled material providers, and waste products disposed of selectively. While renewable energy installations are still at the level of planning, all appliances work with efficiency standards, and the heating for winter is taken care of with the bar’s very own geothermal pump. The pump supplies all the energy needed for heating the building with zero immpact and emissions, making this an environmentally-friendly and semi self-sustainable establishment. In support of unneccesary waste accumulation, 50 Bar also offers guests fresh, filtered tap water, which is environmentally alternative to bottled water. These are just the first steps the owners have taken towards ensuring a low environmental footprint, and a high level of efficiency both in terms of resource and energy use. These smart and easily implemented eco-actions not only reduce costs, but make 50 Bar one of the first environmentally friendly bars in town.

A Musical Experince

Giovanni, who is also the Art Director of 50 Bar, explains that the concept behind 50 Bar was to create an entirely open and flexible platform for musical wining and dining. The sound system (a BOSE L1, the first of its series in Hungary) delivers an exceptionally clear and powerful surround sound experience. The system and 50 Bar are eagerly awaiting musicians and deejays who feel they can offer the bar and its guests an earful. The system offers an easy use plugin option, which means that the platform is open to any type of musical program – deejays, concerts, jam sessions. Giovanni explains, ”Anything is possible in terms of music. We didn’t want to create a box. So we decided that an open platform for volunteering musicians would add some creativity and pulse to the musical experience of the place. Or in other words, its an open bo, waiting for input, so lets see what we can fill it up with.”

Taking into consideration the high-end design elements, the high-tech sound system, and the unique surroundings, I ask Giovanni what kind guest crowd he is focusing on. „This is going to be an exclusive place, but one that’s for everybody, both in terms of entertainment and price,” Giovanni explains. „We are not aiming at making it a 5 star mission, we just want our guests to come here and enjoy some good food and the unique sights and sounds that the place has to offer.” With an amazing terrace, and a super sound system, I figure that 2 out of 3 is a pretty good start.

A Culinary Fusion

The menu is no exception to the flexibility of 50 Bar. Centered around mediterranean cuisine, the daily changing specials offer a taste of French, Spanish, Italian and Israeli cuisine, spiced up with some delicious Hungarain dishes. All ingredients will be fresh and from local producers where possible, with herbs supplied from 50 Bar’s very own bio-garden. Daily vegetarian meals ensure that no one goes hungary at 50 Bar, and the kitchen’s very own bakery caters for the bar’s baked goods needs in terms of bread, cakes and pastas. All the bar’s culinary activities will be run by Richárd Tóth, a worldy culinary explorer, who will offer the comprehensive touch needed for the great variety of cuisines the bar will tantalize its guests with. While the menu boasts a strong mediterranean influence, the wine menu will focus on Hungarian vintages, albiet leaving some room for a taste of Italy.

Make sure you don’t miss the grand opening on June 18 for a complimentary full taste of all that 50 Bar has to offer! For reservations call +36 1 326 0619 and contact Giovanni at jblasta@gmail.com for music bookings.

50 Bar – Food and Sound

Opening hours: Tues – Sunday 12:00pm – 1:00 am

Address: II. Frankel Leó út 48, Budapest, Hungary, 1023