Deak St. Kitchen and Kupola Lounge

Dining area with ivory suede chairs and copper pipe lighting. Wine store to the right

(Image credit: Deak St. Kitchen)

The Ritz-Carlton group has finally landed in Budapest. Its new home is a suitably grand pile – built just on the cusp of the First World War as the HQ for an Italian insurance company – that eventually became the Le Meridien. Now renovated into a suitably grand hotel with views of St Stephens Basilica and a stone’s throw from the Danube, the 200-room property features two centrepieces, both of them designed by the incredibly prolific London-based B3 Designers.

Deak St. Kitchen, named for the retail fashion strip on which it fronts, is a warm expansive space lined with antique mirrored walls, rose gold trim, walnut tables, leather sofas, patterned wallpaper and Hungarian timber floors. Here, the seasonal menu is unapologetically Hungarian with an emphasis on grilled meats and fish, paired with local wines and beers – an experience best enjoyed, especially at this time of the year, on the al fresco terrace. Interestingly, B3 also took charge of the restaurant’s branding to design even the logo and menu presentation.

Next door, just off the lobby, B3 has taken its aesthetic cues for Kupola Lounge from the classic stained glass domed ceiling from which dangles a huge crystal chandelier. Here, the mood is appropriately grand, the immensity of the space accentuated by the low-slung furniture and a long plush banquette that runs along the entire length of the room.

View looking towards the bar. Caramel-coloured leather dining chairs and dark leather bar stools stand in front of the bar, accentuated with copper

A long, oak dining table with green leather chairs on a wooden floor

Looking over the dining room, it is furnished with caramel and purple leather seating, wood flooring, mirrored surfaces, and copper highlights

ADDRESS

Erzsebet Ter 9-10
Budapest

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Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.