Sitting, nestled between the two Mammuts on the Buda side of the city, this little treasure can easily be missed by those who are more image-conscious. Before its face-lift it was little more than a glorified kocsma with games machines flashing and whirring and buzzing, and to be frank little has changed. What it has got and has always had as long as the weather holds is outside seating and though you might find yourself sitting, inhaling the fumes of the passing cars (as an ex-smoker I still like to flirt with the lung damage) there is an undeniable atmosphere worthy of it all. The footpath that the tables encroach upon is a busy thoroughfare so as far as people watching goes Buda-side; this is oddly one of the best. Across Szena tér the other bars are either locked away underground or without the promise of such flow. Trombitás at Moszkva/Széll Kálmán tér is hidden behind stained glass and Fasor is too far out. Right here, right now…well, wait up…
That was an ad for Cheerio some time past. These days farther down Lövőház utca on the pedestrianised part, there are other bars like Gyöngye and Shakesbeer, which have got their acts together, but even so, and along with the newer entries on that side of the street, Cheerio is the stalwart in what was reliably a boring stretch between the looming monotony of two sides of a commercial centre. In the market itself there are the pokey joints, teeming with life, but for today, at this point, a little on the reminisce, Cheerio has the vibe, the buzz, the dirt required to be included. I still wouldn’t rate it inside; one could view it as a point of its consistency, I expect!
©TheHairyTeacher2013