Post: #26

Doblo wine bar. Great date spot

Post: #27

Here is my short review of the places I ve been to so far.

Restaurants:

Fast food:

Meat & Sauce - Awesome fast food place for meat lovers. Cheap and delicious. Meat sandwiches dipped in gravy.

BMB Burger - AWESOME burgers at great price, their homemade fries are fantastic.

Funky Pho - If you like pho, this place is pretty good, the portion are quiet small however, and the selections are very limited.

Dining:

Menza - Good atmosphere, always busy, but their food is kinda average, very reasonable price however.

Porto Di Pest - Terrible food, slow service, surprise surcharge, DO NOT EVER GO THERE.

Ket Szerecsen - Great food, nice homely atmosphere, a bit pricey, make sure to try their seafood tapas.

Bigfish Bistro - Best seafood in the city, period. Freshly grilled seafood that taste amazing! Very expensive if you are big eater like me.

Cafe Vian - Average food, good atmosphere, nothing outstanding. Their food taste like something came out of a freezer.

Imasz - Sushi restaurant, their big plates are very good priced, tons of selections of sushi, great place to get full.

Fine Dining ($$$$):

St. Andrea wine bar - Very nice environment, perfect for business lunch and dinners. Their food taste amazing, especially the steak and venison.

Prime steak & wine - Best steakhouse in town, unreal atmosphere, portions are good, but sometimes they don't get their steak right and their sides are salty.

Bars

Warmup Cocktail bar - You have to go to this place, much better with a date. The servers will ask you questions, and then make custom cocktails for you based on your preference. Best cocktails I ve ever made, look and taste amazing.

Boutiq bar - romantic atmosphere bar with nice mixed drinks, a bit pricey, but very good for a date.

Spas

Magnolia day spa - Simply amazing, they have a ton of refreshments for you to enjoy, masseuse do not speak english, so it was difficult to communicate, but it was great massage. Their facilities are very clean, and their couples bath is amazing.

Mandala day spa - Best spa in town, very fancy / high tech place with amazing decorations, amazing bath, amazing massage, and their jacuzzi room feels like heaven.

5 Elements Thai spa - Best place in pest side of the town to get a professional massage, lots of massage varieties, good price. This place is strictly for massages, it's not fancy, there are no refreshments.

More updates coming in next week as I visit clubs, pubs, and more pubs.

Post: #28

Great info, thanks Shane.

Post: #29

You can get a place in the best part of the city for $500-$$700 per month.... Id stay far away from Instant as possible I hate that place. So many better places with better looking women.

Post: #30

I relocated to Budapest a month ago, though I didn't really settle in until a week ago: I was staying with a friend until I got my own place, which got prolonged by two weeks after I lost my ATM card in the Moscow airport.

My experience is somewhat atypical in that I already had a social circle before I came here: I used to write for Right On, a subsidiary of the right-wing publishing house Arktos, which is based in Budapest, so I was already friends with the company's staffers. That was actually part of why I chose Budapest: the solo adventuring life I had in the Philippines doesn't appeal to me anymore.

Given that I write under my real name, I can't (and won't) give out too much information, but some tips I've gleaned:

1. Being part of a social circle is a must because Hungarians are somewhat cliquish and distrustful of foreigners. Once you're in one, you're golden. Even if a girl isn't interested in you, she'll help set you up with other girls she knows.

2. Tinder is also really effective for meeting girls, though the quality may be lower than girls you meet in real life. A good tip is to have a pic of yourself wearing a MAGA hat (I'm not kidding); your response rate will double, particularly if you swipe during peak hours (which appear to be 6-10pm Mon. - Thurs.). It's worth springing for a Tinder Plus package as well as additional Tinder Boosts, since they really work at getting you useable matches.

Another tip: write in your profile that you're living in Budapest or something that makes it seem like you're here for the long-haul (i.e. you're not a tourist who's going to bail). I wrote that I moved to Budapest for work, which is technically true, since I'm reporting on the Dutch and French elections and other major news events in Europe later in the year.

3. I'm learning Hungarian as a matter of principle, but the majority of Hungarians you'll meet are conversant in English, so not knowing Hungarian won't hurt you. The only time the language barrier was an issue was when I went to the post office, since it's primarily staffed with little old ladies who learned Russian or German as their second language.

4. Service in restaurants sucks. Home delivery sucks. Having to bag your own groceries at the supermarket sucks. Having to BRING your own bag to the supermarket sucks. If you're used to minimum wage-slaves waiting on you hand and foot with fake smiles plastered across their faces, you're in for a rude awakening. None of it really bothers me, but it might bother other people.

5. Budapest has the best public transportation system I've ever seen in my life. The metro and trams run on time, are clean, and can take you pretty much anywhere you'd want to go, and the ticket vending machines aren't constantly breaking down. Only downside is that the metro shuts down at 23:30, but if you're out that late, you can just get a cab (which are also cheap).

6. If you're flying from the U.S., try and fly Aeroflot if possible. It'll allow you to enter Schengen directly through Hungary, which will spare you some major headaches down the road, and it's cheaper than having a layover in the U.K. (a Comfort Class ticket only cost me $750, which included extra leg room and two free checked bags). Downside: Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow is one of the worst airports I've ever been in.

I wrote a blog post about my initial experiences in Hungary here:

http://mattforney.com/brief-thoughts-liv...t-hungary/

Post: #31

I had to look up Maga hat thinking it was a traditional Hungarian hat and cracked up. Loads of Hungarians are very distrustful of Soros and the jewish lobby so I'm not remotely surprised.

Post: #32

(02-07-2017 07:38 PM)Matt Forney Wrote:  6. If you're flying from the U.S., try and fly Aeroflot if possible. It'll allow you to enter Schengen directly through Hungary, which will spare you some major headaches down the road, and it's cheaper than having a layover in the U.K. (a Comfort Class ticket only cost me $750, which included extra leg room and two free checked bags). Downside: Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow is one of the worst airports I've ever been in.

Tip: When you're coming from US to Europe, if you want to enter Schengen directly whichever country you want, use Turkish Airlines.

For example: New York => Istanbul => Budapest

Since Turkey is not in EU, you can enter Schengen via Budapest, plus Turkish Airlines is the best airlines in Europe and Istanbul airport is really good, if not the best. If you come from US, you can go to "Business Lounge" in Istanbul even if your ticket isn't Business Class.

Also, best food (free) on board and best planes.

Plus, way cheaper than most airlines. You're saying you paid $750 and out of curiosity, I just looked it up. New York => Istanbul => Budapest is only $500.

Post: #33

$1000 for an apartment in Budapest, isn't that overkill.

Post: #34

$1k a month is expensive yes, you guys have any tips on where to get a good deal on apartments?

My experience so far with Hungarian girls have not been so good, not very receptive, cold blood passive rejections, and very flakey.

Also will update at the end of the week of the new restaurants, dates, and clubs I went to.

Post: #35

(02-07-2017 07:52 PM)dongiovanni Wrote:  I had to look up Maga hat thinking it was a traditional Hungarian hat and cracked up. Loads of Hungarians are very distrustful of Soros and the jewish lobby so I'm not remotely surprised.

Haha I thought the same thing, googled only to find out to my surpise how non-Hungarian it was.

Post: #36

Hi Shane,

I am a local living here. Can show you a few places or meet up for a drink or two

Post: #37

(02-08-2017 05:02 PM)eetrader Wrote:  Hi Shane,

I am a local living here. Can show you a few places or meet up for a drink or two

Perfect man, msged you, how long you staying here?

Post: #38

Update,

Tinder date on Tuesday showed up, 7/10 with a nice fat ass, had drinks, she did 70-80% of the talking for almost 4 hours, made out in the bar, touched all over, made out outside, made out before she left for the bus, suggested wine at my place, she said how about next time.

Tinder date #2 on Wednesday showed signs of flakiness, I wasn't having it, so I just bailed, some 30 yr old 6/10, who gives a fuk.

Went to Szimpla, stayed there for 2 hours, checked out the place for the first time. 90% tourists, ratio is good, decent amount of hotties, people from all over the world. I felt a bit overwhelmed and everybody was in a set of 3+, I just froze and didn't talk to anyone, except for an Arabic dude who turned out to be a travel agent.

Solo game is fukn brutal, I don't know know how some of you guys do it. My experience with Hungarian girls have been terrible. In other Budapest threads, people say how Hungarian girls are friendly and receptive, and they get eye contact / fuked alot, I never experienced any of those. On the streets, people never make eye contact, in restaurants, and the few bars I went to, no eye contact at all. Dozens of Hungarian girls I met off tinder and IRL are extremely flakey, and brutal and cold with their passive rejections. In other words, my experience so far have been very negative except for 1-2 dates here and there. Maybe this is just the wrong time to be here or something, but it's very discouraging in the women department.

Post: #39

You get used to Solo game. In the beginning its really hard but after a while its no big deal.

I wont say its better than having a wingman but there are distinct advantages to solo game.

- I find I can open more girls when I am alone.
- I can select the best venues for ME
- No worries about someone else pulling their weight

Overall I am just more of an efficient gamer alone but with a wing is more fun. Alone is all business all night which I do enjoy as well.

Following along.....

Post: #40

Just say your friend ditched you for a girl and you need friends for the night. Hungarians are often icy to start with but you can break through after a couple of minutes.

Post: #41

Hang in there Brodie, just about everyone struggled adjusting to Budapest in the beginning. Soon you'll prefer running solo like the most of us. Just takes abit to junk the brainwashing of the west, that being out alone is for losers and weirdos. Eventually woman will appreciate you more and say you have balls to even do that. You made the move to relocate across the globe and you're an interesting guy. So remember you're the prize!!!!

Post: #42

Shane - Hungarians are some of the most friendly people you will ever meet.

My ex was brutally cold when I first tried to date her, she ended being the sweetest girl I have ever dated.

Rome wasn't built in a day, you just landed there and like any other place, it will take time to adapt.

Keep posting........don't fall off the radar like most guys that move to a new place.

Post: #43

(02-09-2017 10:59 AM)International_Casanova Wrote:  You made the move to relocate across the globe and you're an interesting guy. So remember you're the prize!!!!

This is what I am trying to explain to my other American wing here who is a bit afraid to open German girls. You are special here.. NOT THEM. There are millions of duplicates of them in city and you are 1 of 5 in the whole fucking city. Make them understand that.

Post: #44

I honestly think nobody give a shxt if you relocated from the US to here. You are just another dick. So far, all the girls I ve talked to seem indifferent about it, and indifferent if you are rich or not.

Post: #45

Apparently Instant is closing down :/ terrible news

Post: #46

Shane I think you've missed the point I was trying to make. Your negative down and out attitude is probably attributing to your lack of desired results. Hoes can smell that shit from miles away along with Insecurities, lack of confidence and neediness (Especially Eastern European ladies). All I'm trying to convey is to focus on the positive aspects of your situation and not the negatives.

Post: #47

(02-09-2017 07:22 PM)shane.shepherd Wrote:  I honestly think nobody give a shxt if you relocated from the US to here. You are just another dick. So far, all the girls I ve talked to seem indifferent about it, and indifferent if you are rich or not.

Oh they do, they just have a good poker face.

Every gal I met from there was trying to leave for somewhere else, unless she came from a good family and had a nice life.

I met girls who would diss America to know end, guess where they are living now.

Post: #48

I did a double take when I saw Matt Forney suggest Aeroflot for flights - always though they were pretty terrible in the safety department. Apparently, that is no longer the case. But he is definitely correct about the Moscow airport (any of them) - never seen such a clusterfuck.

As for service in restaurants sucking, depends what you mean. If you mean they fuck up orders and forget stuff, yeah, that sucks.

If you mean not having a waiter constantly come by and bother you, American chain restaurant style, that's a bonus. In most European restaurants they leave you alone to enjoy your meal and conversation unless you actually call them over. Since they don't get paid in tips, principally, so there's no incentive to constantly turn over tables and rush people out like there is at Applebees or some other prefabricated corporate nightmare.

Ditto for bringing your own bag - all over Europe this is the norm unless you actually want to buy a bag on site, if available. Not a deal breaker for me either way.

Post: #49

I lived in budapest for 3ish months, thinking about going back this summer.
I worked on a pub crawl/volunteered at a hostel so i went to the same 5 spots every night with a break every once in a while to a few other places.

Instant is def closing, which sucks. I mean instant sucks but it was a good place to meet drunk tourist girls with lower expectations, if you swooped in right, you could take them home with ease.
I like szimpla but for some reason it didn't vibe with me right, plus its a tiny bit more expensive.
you can find a couple student nights, with cheap drinks and loads of students.
I like morrisons 2, and karaoke is always a fav of mine, and it has some dance floors as well.

I miss how much cheap street food there was, especially the pizza. you can find some good cheap pizza out there.

Honestly I only ever hooked up with people who stayed at my hostel or went on my pub crawl. and only "local" bird i hooked up with was this 35 year old russian chick.
I found the locals to a be a bit tough, sort of friendly but rougher to open and keep interested. And with some of the girls i worked with telling me i wasn't funny enough for them. so maybe try to lighten them up with soem jokes.

I didn't notice anything politically, I'm pretty outspoken about having liked trump and all that here and didn't feel like locals liked him all that much. Might have just been the ones i was with.

I will back up that they all want to go somewhere else

Post: #50

I'm not sure what I'm reading here is truly about Budapest......