This fourth post on Magic Music Pub (which is located in Ó utca) is written with great objectivity in mind; however, it is quite obvious that it is far from objective itself. It is objective as I will state clearly what my intention is, how and when did I obtain the information I base my judgement upon, and indicate clearly that what I write here is not a little opinionated, and, as such, should be considered with reason.
First of all, I visited this pub (M&M) on Thursday, the 10th of March, which was the day of Torkos Csütörtök (lit. 'gluttonous Thursday'), a day when many restaurants offered 50% off their food and drink prices, and when an abundance of people practically flooded restaurants that took part in the campaign. M&M pub was no exception, it wasn't only full, it hosted about 1.5 the people that could fit in it--it was full to the brim.
I went there with a company of fourteen (we had a reservation), posing a challenge of waiters and cooks alike--then again, it was a challenge they should have anticipated.
My intention is to inform you of my experience of a night out at M&M. I advise you to look upon what you are about to read with adequate scepticism. Here, we begin.
READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
We arrived at the pub/restaurant at 8pm, and were seated almost immediately at our reserved table on the ground floor, not too far from the bar, right next to a large window, so I had a good view of the going-ons both in, and outside the pub. The place was stuffed with hungry guests. The ground floor having two rooms, above one of which was a loft as well, we estimated the crowd around hundred-and-seventy, two hundred people--to say it was full, would be an understatement.The interior is that of a pub/restaurant which tries to be both, but turns out to be neither. There are the Thonett-style chairs, with their simple curves, and a nice and well-equipped bar, but the room we enter into still has an austere, somewhat chilly feeling to it with its vastness and undecorated walls--it lacks the cosiness of a pub. On this same account, it's not a restaurant either: it doesn't make you feel welcome, comfortable; you wouldn't want to stay in this first room for a long time for any reason. On the more general, the style that which one would find in a wealthy home lacking a sense of taste: tiles everywhere, some rock facing, but essentially lacking concept. There are some appealing details however: the aforementioned bar, or the wall-mounted lamps, which shine out of old trumpets and the like (not an original idea, check out the Mika Tivadar Mulató in the latest issue of 'TimeOut').
After being seated at 8pm, it took the waiter about half an hour to get to us. This isn't particularly strange, seeing that it was a busy night. As he started to take our orders however, it seemed that he was vaguely annoyed that we weren't some place else, and he had to bother serving us. Still nothing out of the ordinary I thought, some still have the idea that their place is the only one in town (you get that sometime, reminiscence of the communist era). The place was so full that he wasn't even able to move along the table, we had to holler our wishes all across the room, and when he was asked to come a little closer, he simply stated that he wasn't the flying type. I admit, at that point I would have left if I hadn't been a part of a company (and been able to move at all).
Another thirty minutes later, our drinks arrived; we were beginning to worry that we were forgotten completely, so it was quite a relief. Our waiter took our orders again, in the same way, this time for food, which was a little more complicated--he managed still. That was between nine and half past.
At ten we began to wonder why everyone else around us was leaving before they got their dinner.
At 10.30 it started to come together.
At 10.50 we asked our waiter and he said 'Dunno. Ninety minutes maybe?' So, after only three hours, we asked for the bill (I didn't think we should), paid, and left.
It was as if they were relieved that everyone was leaving at last. My general impression is that they didn't want us to come back--ever. With its incompetent and arrogant staff, unsightly interior and unwelcoming atmosphere, the place left little room for second thoughts: Magic Music Pub is a place I would advise anyone to stay away from.
To squeeze myself through a tiny doorway and enter a high room has a funny déjà-vu feeling about it. A nice long bar greets me, and I can almost remember sitting there the night before. There is something remarkably ‘80s about the interior, the tiles, the wooden bar or benches along the walls – all touched with a love for the retro, but refurbished so you won’t feel quite out of place with a laptop either. The lights are dim, it’s neither dark nor too light – ideal for a meeting point for uni students to study, converse or spend time between classes.