In Budapest, a bankrupt bar gets a second life

In Hungarian, Zsír means fat or cool. The music bar used to be an old-fashioned pub where local men would watch TV, but soon after COVID-19 pandemic hit, it went bankrupt and closed.

Kjartan Code, a travelling musician from Massachusetts, USA, discovered the closed pub and reopened it while preserving the original furnishings. Now, in the evenings Zsír hosts musicians from all genres, from Hungarian folk music to gypsy rappers.

@negynegynegy went to the bar and talked to its founder and clients.

Partners

Share on

Discover more

May 28, 2026

Museums, too, struggle with political control in Europe

May 21, 2026

Life on the Periphery: Inside Budapest’s Forgotten Neighborhoods

May 19, 2026

Peripheral stages: how small theaters foster social cohesion in rural Poland

Stay tuned!
Subscribe to
our newsletter