Exquisite coffee, home-made syrups and cookies, South Balaton wine and pálinka, and an award-winning panorama awaits guests at the Völgyhíd Kávézó. Although the marvellous view of the largest bridge of Hungary is a great attraction, some people visit the café pointedly for itself - and it only opened during this summer.
Pádár Árpi made a decision five years ago: he would make his long-nurtured dream of opening a café come true. Seeking out a pleasant spot somewhere along the shore of Balaton would have been quite straightforward for him, being a Balaton-born kid, however this was clearly not his cup of tea. Árpi was thinking big, something special away from the crowd and commercial puddle of lakeside cafés, bars and buffets. As a result, the Vögyhíd Kávézó (translates to: Viaduct Café) popped up at the Budapest-end of the Kőröshegy Viaduct.
The Völgyhíd Kávézó is located 50 metres away from the at the end of M7's Exit 121 towards Bálványos and Balatonföldvár. Stepping out to the terrace, the view of the entire bridge unfolds in front of your eyes, which is a marvellous and unique sight already. Then there is the colourful mass of horses and sheep grazing in the green valley, which, combined with the industrial look of the monumental Viaduct, makes for an exciting, still quite peaceful scene.
You can admire the view - for long hours even - from the terrace that offers a 360° panorama or from inside the café, where almost the entire wall seems to be made of glass panels. It's quite easy to lose yourself in the robust, still graceful sight of the Viaduct - just as easy as losing yourself in the heaven that is the chocolate-walnut-apricot jam combination of the Völgyhíd torta (Viaduct cake). The latter is the product by the pastry-maker of the Cuki Ice Cream Parlour in Balatonföldvár, prepared on the basis of a recipe by Árpi's wife.
With the exception of the Völgyhíd cake, the cookies are all baked by Lilla, Árpi's wife, who uses quality, home-made ingredients for the purpose.The Mrs Fields tea biscuit is a classic butter cookie with walnut, raisins and cholcolate, to go with a coffee or tea. With a bit of luck, you'll also be able to taste of the daily dessert specials, which might just be a raspberry brownie or strawberry cup. The season's specials bring you the most characteristic flavours of the given season. Those who are looking for something salty can quench their hunger with the Völgyhíd toast, a ham and cheese toastie with salad.
The café that stands in an acre of green pays great attention to coffee brewing as well. A visiting coffee critic was of great help in the question, offering praise and constructive criticism. Árpi says that he has been brewing even better coffee since, but they are always open to additional constructive feedback from any guest.
The couple bought the land from the money they got for their house in the nearby Kereki, but this was only the first step. Then they had to hand in an entry to a tender, and fight themselves through 5 years of hard work and preparations. They had to overcome numerous difficulties to make the dream come true, which included bringing in electricity under the roundabout and drilling a drinking water well. There is a Hungarian language blog written by Árpi about the extraordinary challenges of the construction of the café and related stories.
In the summer heat, LIlla's home-made elderberry syrup is a true miracle - she started to produce this drink in larger quantities (not only for the family) upon encouragement from a friend. It is one of the things you can buy at the café for taking home, in addition to artisan chocolate and the wine of the house , produced by a local winemaker, József Mikonya. The drink card lists South Balaton wines and Zimek pálinka from Zamárdi.
There is a planned winter break between 31 December and 15 March, but the actual turnout of guests might just prompt the family café to stay open all-year-round - which would not be surprising judging by the exclusive location. There is a good chance for the introduction of live music nights, but this also depends on the demand and the available capacity of the couple, which has been mostly consumed by the everyday business of running the place this year. YOu can check out the opening hours and the news at the homepage of the Völgyhíd Kávézó and their Facebook page.
