Café Alibi

4, Egyetem tér
Pest Centre, V, between Ferenciek tere (M3) and Kalvin ter (M3)

Forget the New York Kavehaz and the famed Gerbaud; it's Cafe Alibi that keeps on being voted Hungary's Coffee House of the Year. On the hatstand, there's a bowler hat and a black umbrella. Painted posters advertise Italian coffee and Absinthe, while an antique cash register stands proudly atop the counter. The clinking of china mingles with the background jazz and the customers’ murmers. Only the coffee itself departs from the 1920s theme by being really quite expensive.

The over-sized wall clock says five past six and free tables are becoming scarce. Perhaps it's the draw of the pastry selection or maybe it’s the chocolate cake.The blackboard menu, chalked up in English and Hungarian, is pretty ambitious too and at a very reasonable price: salmon steak and asparagus with creamy sauce; grilled 'young' squid in dill sauce...

Being next door to the University of Law, ensures a certain student presence but being so central, the clientele is broad, if strictly middle class. The location too beats that of the clutch of coffee shops a little further along Karolyi Mihaly utca, which have to contend with an absurd amount of traffic.

Overall, then, it's clear to see why Cafe Alibi has received such plaudits. Its bygone era feel is deliberate but not sterile, and an impressive food selection gives it the edge over many of its neighbours.