Grund – A ruin bar where culture and fun collide

An awesome ruin bar in Budapest with happy hours, grill food, pub quizzes, a playground, and laser tag…

There is an old Hungarian novel about two gangs of boys at war, fighting for a spot on the streets of Budapest. This story about friendship and pride is called Paul Street Boys and is one of the most famous Hungarian books. Why did we tell you all this, you ask? Well, the spot they fight for in the novel is called ‘Grund’, which is exactly what one of the most popular ruin bars of today’s Budapest was named after. In this article, we’ll tell you all you need to know about Grund – so let’s put aside the Hungarian literature lesson and see what this diverse place holds for a new generation of boys and girls.

Hit the Grund running

Browsing our website, you can come across many different types of ruin bars. Besides the for sale pub budapest, we have Instant-Fogas, the largest ruin party complex (probably) in the world, Szimpla Kert, the alpha and omega of ruin bars, Mazel Tov, the Middle-Eastern ruin restaurant, Doboz, the ruin bar with the most bizarre collection of art pieces as decoration, and many more. As difficult as it is to stand out from such a long list of peculiar places, Grund still manages to do it by offering a surprisingly broad range of events and free-time activities on their premises, both indoors and outdoors: happy hours, grill food, regular events, pub quizzes and even laser tag – all spiced with the inimitable ruin bar charm. 

When talking about the different parts of Grund, it’s best to divide the complex into four parts. 1 – the front garden comprises a playground, a lot of seats, and the grill kitchen. 2 – the main bar area on the ground floor with many seats, a DJ set, a dancefloor, and an indoor tree. 3 – the first floor with countless smaller rooms that resemble living rooms, ideal for private events and friendly gatherings. 4 – the garden in the back with its outdoor bar, even more seats and foosball tables. As for size, Grund has a staggering area of 500 m2 only inside, so there’s plenty of space to rock your body. 

Grundbreaking initiatives at Grund

This place isn’t your everyday ruin pub. It’s a social, cultural and innovational hotspot for the whole 8^th district in Budapest. Among the many possibilities, there’s Ground, a flexible event hall and community space where smaller-scale, more intimate events can be held. Grund has its own barista school, wine club (The Wine Assassins) and is pursuing continuous research among parents of local kindergartens to find out how digitalization affects their children. In the spirit of sustainability, they use refurbished furniture, their bike storage is made out of garbage, their irrigation system uses rainwater, they use wooden cutlery, the DJ stand is made of empty beer crates and they have their own composting system. Also, staying faithful to the name and the previously mentioned, famous novel, a Paul Street Boys themed education program operates in the building. School classes have the chance to participate in these out-of-class team-building sessions and learn about literature, history, and culture based on information, as well as values and problems that can be found in the novel of Ferenc Molnár.  

The grundiose events of Grund 

Thanks to the capabilities of the facility, it can give a home to countless types of events. Besides the regular (and universally liked) drinking events like parties, weddings, sports game watching etc., Grund is the perfect place for workshops, meetings, and lectures as well. In addition, as their infrastructure is perfect for such events, they’ve also had tech shows and other IT related happenings in the house before, including a programming competition.

Grund beef and other delicacies at Grund

The grill kitchen of Grund goes back to the roots of buffet food: burger, quesadilla, hot-dog, and their vegetarian counterparts. And if you think about it, that’s all you need with your nightly dose of alcohol: protein, carbs, and fibre without any extra fuss. On the other hand, their drink menu demonstrates a whole different approach. For example, they have white wines from 12 different wine regions of Hungary, Mort Subite (cherry beer), Birra Moretti and apple cider on tap, which is as rare as a hen’s teeth in Budapest. Talking about crowd-pleasers, it’s our obligation to mention the cocktails that go down faster than Vanilla Ice’s music career, especially during happy hour! This brings us to probably the biggest attraction of Grund: their everyday happy hour deal that lasts from 6 pm to 8 pm and gives you the cheapest beer, several few shots, and ALL THE COCKTAILS at half price. Fearing for your liver and morals? We bet you do, as many young men and women before you, but no judgement on our part – who could say no to half-price cocktails?  

A playgrund for both adults and kids

Although Grund is a few streets away from the suspected location of the novel’s original ‘Grund’, this place really keeps the spirit alive. Back in 2007, for the book’s 100^th anniversary, a playground resembling the woodpiles of the ‘Grund’ was built, so kids could experience the exciting events of the famous story in an authentic setting. Fortunately, the owners have thought of the entertainment of bigger kids as well, so the venue also has its own laser tag arena. At a fair price, you can laser blast the hell out of your comrades in the basement or at the playground – it’s all up to you. Then, if you proved yourself in combat, it’s time to exercise the most complex organ of your body and sign up for one of the QuizNights, so you can test your knowledge in all kinds of topics.

Grunded prices

The prices are on a regular ruin bar level, but if you consider the possibilities the venue offers, they are more than just. A nice burger is only 1800 HUF (5 EUR), a pint of beer is around 800 HUF (2.5 EUR) and the cocktails are around 1500 HUF (4 EUR). And don’t forget about the happy hour, when you get two cocktails for the price of one! Wines are a bit pricier, starting at 500 HUF (1.5 EUR) per 10 millilitres, but it’s probably thanks to the wide selection. The playground is totally free and the laser tag is 2100 HUF (6 EUR) for an hour per person, which is basically nothing. 

Q & A

What’s the best place for a birthday party in Budapest?

Grund has multiple separate rooms and separated areas as well, so it’s a perfect choice for any smaller events for up to 50 people. They also have table service, DJs, happy hour, and food.

What can I do at Grund?

There are many free time and cultural activities at Grund beside regular drinking. They have foosball tables, pub quizzes, a playground outside, and even laser tag in the building. You can also join their wine club, barista school, or attend one of their IT events.

Are there any happy hour places in Budapest?

Yes, there are. Grund has happy hour every day from 6pm to 8pm giving the cheapest beer, several shots, and all the cocktails away for half price.