Nappali Kávéház

The bars in Budapest generally fall into two categories: there are low-priced, bare-bones drinking joints on the one hand, and hip cocktail, wine, or craft beer bars on the other. The in-between territory is noticeably thin: a laid-back bar to pop into after a long day’s of work for a well-deserved highball of scotch and soda. And this is what Nappali, which tranlates to "living room," excels at.

This snug place has all the components of a cozy living room — bookshelves, dense carpeting, leather armchairs, and the obligatory Thonet chairs that no self-respecting Central European household can escape. But here's the twist: there's also ceiling-high shelves packed with premium bottles of spirits, mostly whisky. Think aged single malts like Oban, Lagavulin, and Glenmorangie, but also Japanese (Nikka, Hibiki), and other rare labels. An additional perk: Nappali is tucked away on a side street, so it isn't run over by tourists of the unfavored kind.