Goulash Communism Tour with Treats

We will start our tour at Bambi Presszó, an iconic retro café from the early 1960s located in a block locally called the Lottóház (lottery house). Here you can taste gombás melegszendvics (a grilled open sandwich with mushroom sauce) and while sipping a coffee in a retro glass; here we’ll talk about the historical causes of why the Kádár era’s ‘welfare socialism’ evolved.

From here we’ll continue our journey by the suburban train to the Békásmegyer housing estate, built in the early 1970s as part of the Party’s grand plan to solve the city’s housing shortage. Here we will be hosted by Erika, a former teacher of Russian, who lives in the miniscule housing-estate flat where she raised her three children. Apart from listening to her personal stories, you can also peep into the life of such a typical apartment block, and experience what community living is like in everyday life.

From here we’ll proceed to Pajtás Étterem (the ‘pioneer comrade’ self-service restaurant), preserved intact from those times and still popular among locals. While having a typical ‘working-class’ fixed meal, you’ll get familiarized with the welfare policy of the Kádár regime, and experience what life was like under communism for children.

We will end our tour on the Pest side in the 8th District, which was infamous for hosting the red-light area of the city. Though the urban gentrification process has now reached this district, it still has the charm of bygone socialist times. After a short stroll you will be hosted at Rákóczi Square 10, where you can see a mini exhibition of memorabilia from communist times, including household items and communist awards of all kinds, while listening to the “Best of Communism” music album.