Kontakt store & Coffee

Hey everyone, 

Here we are again and today we discovered a very unique coffee place, which we definitely would like to share with you!

Although it is in the center of the city between Astoria and Deák Ferenc square, the place is quite hidden from the eyes of tourists and pedestrians. It is in a small courtyard called Röser udvar, that opens from Károly körút 22, right the opposite side of the Zinagogue, next to Spar supermarket. We had the luck to discover this place as Petra walks by it every day on her way to the office. It was not a question whether to taste the coffee at Kontakt. 

When we say 'unique', we really mean it, as this place is an unmatched combination of Apple, design and coffee shop. For the first sight it seems weird isn't it? Well, we  totally agree. However, after having a chance to talk with the owners, this combo makes sense and its origin is well understandable. The two owners of the place (a nice couple married 7 months ago) studied design before and Péter is very much a tech fan, and not surprisingly they both love coffee. So after completing their first project of deciding to stay together for a lifetime, their dream was to create something together, something unique and outstanding, something about coffee, 'iGadgets' and being cozy... They worked very hard to make this dream come true and their passion was reborn as Kontakt Store. The name Kontakt well reflects their idea: it reveals connection between people, technology and proximity - the world we currently live in. 

The unique concept of Kontakt is also embodied in the interior design of the place. Stepping into a small room having a big table in the middle with a few chairs around it, and a sofa next to the wall remind us of a homey living room. Looking around the room we saw stuff not being typical for a coffee shop: Apple devices, young Hungarian designer made cell phone and laptop cases hanging on the wall, and very contemporary designed and constructed furniture.  What was even more surprising, there were iPhones on the table for the guests to use, and chargers for those who are running out of battery. Besides the sofa and the table with the chairs, anything can be purchased: the lamps made of paper and buttons, the deco gadgets, and even the newest MacBook Air. Indeed, all this weird stuff well reached its aim of creating a cozy living room with a friendly atmosphere that brings people together and totally redesign the definition of 'having a cup of coffee'.

As you might already noticed, the uniqueness of this place does not stem from the specialty of coffee, but more from the innovating concept of a coffee shop. Despite, a good quality coffee is served that is available rather for the mass. Illy has an international fame of being a high quality espresso coffee at an affordable price and is present in many coffee places around the city. Illy provides both the machine and the coffee itself, as well as trains the baristas how to prepare it. Basically, it is more like a standardized coffee, so the taste of it was not surprising (we all had Illy coffee before). The serving of the coffee was simple without any bits of cookie by the side, no small heart in the steamed milk, nor brawn sugar. We missed that... To accompany our latte and cappuccino we had the daily cake that is made by the wife every morning following a well proven recipe by her husband. The cherry pie was very delicious, it had a real home-made smell and had lots of juicy cherries inside. It was sugar free, and was made with honey. Very tasty, definitely has a place on the To-taste list :) Currently the menu is quite narrow, consisting of 4 types of coffees and the daily cake, but the owners are working on offering more varieties of cakes and coffees and also juices, sandwiches and other snacks. 

What really ensured the good impression was the warm welcoming of the owners, who happen to be the baristas as well. They were happy to sit down with us for a coffee and tell the story about the place, their experiences and just to get to know each other. We felt like sitting down in a comfy living room, having a nice talk with a friend while forgetting all the problems we are worried about. We think nowadays these places are difficult to find. Today, coffee often means grabbing a take away cup to be awake and carry on with the daily rush.  We had the chance to ask the owners about the uniqueness of the place and what Kontakt really is:

Although, Kontakt may seem a weird place full of Apple products and innovative design stuff, and may also make you feel a bit uncomfy by its emptiness and tininess, but as you discover more the place, the more you will like it. Kontakt is definitely a place to visit and experience this unique concept :)