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Open: Mon-Sun, 10-22h
This week, I visited the Big Ben Teahouse. There are several of this place in Budapest, so please refer to the location I added at the beginning of the post to avoid confusion. This place can be approached in 10 minutes of walk from Ferenciek tere, as well as from Astoria.
Big Ben is not a huge teahouse, but for size, it makes up in quality and looks. The “normal” walls are painted beige and red with black and white photographs hanging from them; but then there are those covered with huge mirrors. Ladies, no need to go the restroom if you want to correct your make-up or check if your hair looks all right – a quick glace to the side will do the trick here.
Similarly to most teahouses I encountered before, the lighting isn’t too strong. The small lamps on the ceiling are particularly adorable, each looking like a small, non-functioning clock. Another nice touch to the atmosphere is the actual clock, which looks like a teapot and reads “Tea Time” (if it wouldn’t be obvious enough).
Customers may choose from twelve tables on where to sit; some of them have four, while others just two chairs. On each table, we can find four kinds of sugar in a nice, metal container. (Unfortunately, I sat at one that only had three, due to the container’s lowest part being broken.) You may also choose to sweeten you tea with milk, cream, or honey.
The menu looks like a brochure, therefore it’s a bit more difficult to navigate in in than in a “classic”, page-turning one. However, being small and a tad bit confusing doesn’t mean it’s lacking an overwhelming choice of teas. We can choose from over one hundred blends. Apart from listing teas by “color” (black, green, fruit, wellness, ayurveda, and “not-tea”), we can also search by country (China, India, Japan, “other countries”). Each tea has a small description, often containing its ingredients. Prices range from 610 to 790 Ft. Unfortunately, the menu is in Hungarian only.
If you’d rather drink coffee, you can choose from eleven kinds (including iced coffee, too); or hot chocolate, coming in several flavors. As for snacks, the menu lists five choices, which are: tramezzini, patty (pogácsa), cakes, cookies, Danish buttered cookie, and a “snack pack” (though I have no idea what’s in that one).
The service is rather quick, so I got my Irish Breakfast within ten minutes. For one teapot, one can request two cups, but since the friend who accompanied me ordered a different blend, I only got one. My tea was served with a really small cream-pot – which, by the way, was even too much. The pot was enough for two full and a half-cup; since the teacup itself was rather big, I’d say it’s a fair amount.
The teahouse offers a seemingly wide range of merchandise. Customers can buy the blends from the menu, teapots, mugs, cups, infusers, containers, thermoses, and, although they aren’t really merchandise, sweet nougat bars.
Overall, this is a really nice, mid-range place, which is worth visiting if you’re nearby.
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