David Holzer

Retail

Black Friday: ’Tis the day to Shop Online

The day this issue is published, November 27, is the official Black Friday. From now, there are 26 days to...

Sights

From Deák tér to Kálvin tér; a Synchronistic Exploration

For some reason, my wanderings around Budapest in a southerly direction from Deák Ferenc tér never seem to extend any...

Food

Pulling Stunts, Attracting Locals: How Budapest Restaurants are Surviving

Onyx and Costes, two of Budapest’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants, recently pulled stunts to keep their name in the public eye....

Drinks

The Devilishly Good Story of Hungary’s Leading Energy Drink

Whenever I passed a billboard for Hell Energy, I always wondered the same thing: why “Hell”? After I discovered the...

Music

Enjoying a ‘Stan’s’ eye View of the K-pop Phenomenon

I hadn’t given Korean pop, better known as K-pop, much thought until I noticed that my local Cinema City was...

Interview

The U.S.-born Hungarian Supplementary Success Story

When I first started coming to Hungary around five years ago, I was struck by the fact that most young...

Analysis

Vacation or Staycation? Wise Words From a Viral Happiness Guru

David Holzer found himself caught up in the need for COVID testing towards the end of his holiday in Mallorca....

Sights

Beyond Budapest: Dispatches From Lake Balaton

In a recent interview, quoted on the Guardian website, Budapest city mayor Gergely Karácsony said, “We want to spread out...

Transport

How Will Flying Look This Summer?

After months of lockdown, David Holzer has finally begun to appreciate how Hungarians feel about not having an ocean anymore....

Sights

Art Cinemas Open Their Doors While Drive-ins Thrive

The news that the art cinemas of Budapest would be opening their doors without restriction at the end of June...

Retail

‘Feed the Doctors’ Initiative Becomes Permanent Non-profit

“Feed the Doctors”, the initiative founded by members of Budapest’s restaurant scene at the height of the pandemic, has evolved...

Retail

Nourishing Mind and Spirit: The Future of Budapest’s Restaurants

David Holzer finds his mind, not to mention his stomach, pining for the forbidden fruits of a Budapest restaurant, and...

In Hungary

Face Mask Chic and the new Flirting Normal

David Holzer securers himself a Hungarian designer face mask, and is transported back to a memory of devastating Islamic eye...

Social

Playing on: Producing Music Under Lockdown

For the past few weeks, the Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) has been presenting what it calls “Quarantine Soirées” live from...

Social

Armchair Culture: Virtually Touring Budapest’s Museums and Galleries

David Holzer decides to take advantage of the “stay at home” orders by embracing culture coronavirus-style; going on a virtual...

Art

What János Bródy Means to Hungarians

For János Bródy, who turned 80 this year, 2026 has been momentous. On April 10, he was one of more...

Culture

Hungarian Jazz Great Gábor Szabó Honored at Magyar Zene Háza

With the opening of a pop-up exhibition at Budapest’s switched-on Magyar Zene Háza, the 90th anniversary of Gábor Szabó’s birthday...

Culture

How Hope Became Hip in Hungary

Minister of Health Zsolt Hegedűs’ election victory dance has won him a New York Times accolade of being one of...

In Hungary

Beyond Budapest: Szeged, ‘City of Sunshine’

Much as I am happy when I meet people who tell me, “We went to Hungary, we loved Budapest,” I’m...

Art

120th Anniversary of Hungarian Artist Vasarely’s Birth Celebrated

Vasarely 120 at Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts, which closes on Aug. 16, is the first large-scale retrospective of one...

Art

drMáriás on What ‘Petflix’ Means for his Art

A young Hungarian friend of mine recently used the ingenious “Petflix” to describe her and her friends’ fascination with this...

Music

Budapest’s BluesSteel Band Keeps the Flame Burning

My musical tastes are pretty eclectic, and I’m always happy to watch live music because, well, it’s live. But there...

Art

Optimism and Dystopia: The Black Mirror at the Ludwig Museum

I had been resisting schlepping to the Ludwig Museum. The name conjured up images of a fustian pile filled with...

Music

Sex Pistols’ ‘50 Years of Punk’ Tour Comes to Budapest

The week before my wife and I watched the “System-Breaker” concert live online from Heroes’ Square, we were strolling down...

Culture

Hungary’s Bud Spencer Worship is Deep Rooted and Still Full of Beans

Wandering through our local supermarket, I couldn’t help but smile and be more than a little curious when I spotted...

Culture

Hungarian Musical Living Legend György Kurtág Honored at 100

The 100th birthday of the great Hungarian composer, György Kurtág, on Feb. 19 was celebrated with a festival of his...

Budapest

If March is Here, Then Spring has Sprung in Budapest

The great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald may have sung of the delights of April in Paris, but, for me, March...

What János Bródy Means to Hungarians

For János Bródy, who turned 80 this year, 2026 has been momentous. On April 10, he was one of more...

Hungarian Jazz Great Gábor Szabó Honored at Magyar Zene Háza

With the opening of a pop-up exhibition at Budapest’s switched-on Magyar Zene Háza, the 90th anniversary of Gábor Szabó’s birthday...

How Hope Became Hip in Hungary

Minister of Health Zsolt Hegedűs’ election victory dance has won him a New York Times accolade of being one of...

Beyond Budapest: Szeged, ‘City of Sunshine’

Much as I am happy when I meet people who tell me, “We went to Hungary, we loved Budapest,” I’m...

120th Anniversary of Hungarian Artist Vasarely’s Birth Celebrated

Vasarely 120 at Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts, which closes on Aug. 16, is the first large-scale retrospective of one...

drMáriás on What ‘Petflix’ Means for his Art

A young Hungarian friend of mine recently used the ingenious “Petflix” to describe her and her friends’ fascination with this...

Budapest’s BluesSteel Band Keeps the Flame Burning

My musical tastes are pretty eclectic, and I’m always happy to watch live music because, well, it’s live. But there...

Mákos Pite and Red Dope

It’s spring, and the poppies of Hungary are blooming in the field. Sitting outside a café in Szeged, I’m munching...

Optimism and Dystopia: The Black Mirror at the Ludwig Museum

I had been resisting schlepping to the Ludwig Museum. The name conjured up images of a fustian pile filled with...

Sex Pistols’ ‘50 Years of Punk’ Tour Comes to Budapest

The week before my wife and I watched the “System-Breaker” concert live online from Heroes’ Square, we were strolling down...

Hungary’s Bud Spencer Worship is Deep Rooted and Still Full of Beans

Wandering through our local supermarket, I couldn’t help but smile and be more than a little curious when I spotted...

Hungarian Musical Living Legend György Kurtág Honored at 100

The 100th birthday of the great Hungarian composer, György Kurtág, on Feb. 19 was celebrated with a festival of his...

If March is Here, Then Spring has Sprung in Budapest

The great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald may have sung of the delights of April in Paris, but, for me, March...

Hungarian Animated Classic ‘The Tragedy of Man’ Released on Blu-Ray

Marcell Jankovics’ extraordinary, animated feature-length version of Imre Madách’s 1861 play “The Tragedy of Man” is the most ambitious Hungarian...

Art Quarter Budapest: An Oasis of Artistic Freedom

I found out about Art Quarter Budapest by a circuitous route that began with me reading about the Hungarian noise...