The newest street is Tompa Street in District IX, which can be called the pedestrian street of Central Ferencváros, even if it is not officially a pedestrian street.In 2019, the Járókelők.hu team found Tompa Street to be the healthiest street in Budapest based on the criteria of the Healthy Streets concept by British transport and health expert Lucy Saunders.
And indeed, this four-block-long street, which ends in a lush green park on Ferenc Square, scores well in almost all of the 10 assessment criteria. Although there is through traffic in the wide area between the rows of houses, it is only in one direction, and the pavement widens almost into a square in places. These shady bays, surrounded by trees and bushes, benches and fountains, are a lively social scene in summer, pleasant to sit on the terraces, almost like a garden, and although the boulevard is close by, the noise is imperceptible. It seems like everyone in the area is on a bike, with lively and happy cyclist traffic flowing through. Tompa Street is both relaxingly calm and vibrantly colourful.
Back in the 90s, the regeneration of the area bordered by Ferenc körút-Üllői út-Haller utca-Mester utca in the IX district began. Now known only as the Rehabilitation Area, Central Ferencváros was once a district of artisans, craftsmen and factory workers, with small side streets alternating between ground-floor apartment blocks and high-rise tenement buildings, and street names - Bokréta, Liliom, Viola - still preserving the memory of a bourgeois, gardening past. In recent decades, the area has undergone a complete transformation in architectural, urban and cultural terms and has begun to seek a new identity.
In recent years, a number of exciting shops, restaurants, cafés and bars have opened here, not only putting Tompa Street on the gastronomic map, but also giving it a cultural and touristic image. In 2021, they created the street's brand, "On Tompa", which they celebrated with a street music festival, and throughout the year they organised other gastronomic and cultural events, believing that in a modern urban lifestyle, they can create the space and the opportunity for quality encounters.
The whole street has a homely feel to it, with Tompa17 Café, for example, looking like a living room on the street, with comfortable seating and a wall of books to borrow; and the Budapest sister of Paletta Bistro in Balatonboglár, with its tree-shaded jungle terrace, BBQ Saturdays and peaceful Sunday lunches, offers a home-from-home feel. At the Manfréd Artisan Bakery, you can grab a homemade buttered bun or a cocoa snail, or happily carry home a sourdough rye bread roll for the family, but the smart, clean interior is also a great place to sit over a smoothie or coffee. San Ramon Caffee&Bar uses its own roasted coffees to make the coffee treats, which are served with their popular breakfasts, but you can also have lunch and turn into a bar in the evening.
There are plenty of places to satisfy your hunger on the street, such as Olee's Pizza, where you can get a 90-second Neapolitan pizza, or if you fancy something sweet, MAMO Gelato, also known from Ráday Street, serves delicious Italian cooked ice cream, while Amrita Rétesező is also a treat for those who need to eat gluten, lactose or sugar-free. The street is dotted with better and better bars, such as Crafty Bar, a direct foxhole for selected craft beers and other drinks; Wine the Gap Wine Bar, with Budapest's largest selection of Israeli wine and beer; or Tompa Angyal, with its friendly service and superhero quizzes. On Ferenc Square, the Künst bar and bistro not only entices you back again and again with its very serious wine list, punchy interior and monthly art exhibitions, but the guys who own it are also perfect for setting the mood. At Quentin's Burger, you can enjoy classic burgers and a Tarantino movie-inspired interior at the same time; in another, more secluded corner of the space, the Old Clock Café is where time stands still and hurries on, and the atmosphere and service are peaceful. And if the street full of lush trees isn't lush enough, you can get your own mini jungle in a jar at Urban Plants. Bernadett Hetesi's florariums require minimal care, but provide lots of green pleasure.
