Street Image Programme

The Street Image programme is a metropolitan (self)consciousness-building project. It aims to stimulate and support businesses that are financially risky to launch due to the size and the perceived or actual provincialism of Veszprém. If implemented, however, they will create an inexplicably positive memory for visiting artists, tourists, professional guests and wanderers, helping the city’s campaign to go viral as the centre of the world. Moreover, creating a more liveable everyday environment will build local pride and help retain young people in Veszprém. After all, who would want to move from a place everyone yearns to be at?

Veszprém is aware of its size constraints and we know that when the last guest turns off the lights on his way home, this project could quickly become counterproductive. Nevertheless, we sincerely believe that when the limelight fades and only candles illuminate the still-new-looking counters, we will look around with a smile, wishing we lived where we do. Not all businesses or ideas we support will probably be as successful as we dream. Some may change hands or even close. There is no doubt, however, that the communities whose earlier absence had "forced" the creation of these projects - and which will have seen them in full operation in 2023 - will not want to give up the more intensive public life that will have become a natural feature of the city by then. This way, Veszprém can remain one of the cultural capitals, if not one of Europe, at least of Hungary.

KUNSZT! has quickly become a veritable feature of Veszprém, where the public can choose from the unique creations of designers and artisans of the area and Lake Balaton in a sophisticated environment. The speciality of KUNSZT! is its pop-up store concept, its workshops, its community programmes and the refined gastronomic offer that goes with them. Veszprém citizens can socialise at any time in a provincialist yet multicultural environment and tourists can immerse themselves in the city’s cultural life. 

Veszprém, Óváros tér 1. 

Veszprém's newest General Store (‘Szatócsbolt’) offers everything a household needs. Moreover, most useful and tasty goods are from the region, so transporting the products has no unnecessary environmental impact. It is a small marketplace you can visit every day. 

Veszprém, Rákóczi Ferenc utca 1.

Would you like to start the day with a cosy breakfast in a café, eat your cake on the terrace in the afternoon or spoon excellent ice cream at 8 p.m.? Before Füge Ice Cream Yard and Café opened, it would not have been easy to do. But that's not all Füge does. It is involved in the city's cultural life – it’s open on the Night of Cafés and it holds meet-and-greet parties for the Pannon Castle Theatre’s performers and their audience. 

Veszprém, Rákóczi Ferenc utca 3.

The idea of Wine & Vinyl was born four years ago in the mind of a DJ. It is a place where the synergy of carefully selected vinyl records and a selection of domestic and international wines guarantees that your first visit will not be the last. The wine bar offers a selection of natural wines, sparkling wines, prosecco, special batches from local wineries and a few foreign specialities. The wine list changes every month and a half, as do the records on the shelves. At the Wine & Vinyl, you can select a bottle of your favourite wine to take home for the evening, along with a selection of vinyl records. 

Veszprém, Szabadság tér 2. 

It is the establishment we should have started this list with. It was the first project of the Street Image Programme and we still think it was one of the best decisions we made – the idea, the location and the operator are all great.

Walking in feels like Budapest or Berlin; it's nice to stand tall and realize, ‘I’m in a street in Veszprém’. In the ‘Dog’, you can have fun all day – come in for breakfast, lunch and in the evening to let off steam. Evening concerts of almost every genre have commenced not only in free but also in ticketed versions in preparation for the years to come. As a sign of success, both the Jazz Association and the National Cultural Fund of Hungary sponsor the place. 

The programme structure is a success. It quickly caught on and international performers who are in town for two or three days a week also take to its stage. On the second and third days, theirs is usually a familiar face to the ever-growing audience and all artists leave with Veszprém in their hearts. During their stay, they write songs and spend time in the rehearsal rooms with local musicians and for a while, they become part of the city’s fabric. Fortunately, word of the Paper Dog has spread quickly among local musicians and they are increasingly happy to come and play in the centre of Veszprém.

(Finally, the goal set at the beginning to feature the Paper Dog in Lonely Planet looks more promising.) 

A slice of Asia near Old Town Square! Saiko no Sushi opened in the autumn of 2022 in the heart of Veszprém's city centre - at 24 Óváros tér - with the aim of bringing new colour to the gastropalette of the City of Queens. Japanese specialties, sushi, pho soup, Asian noodles and drinks await hungry guests, but of course culture and community-building are also on the menu in the form of periodic programmes.

In the spring of 2023, Kossuth Street Veszprém was enriched with a new venue. Mimosa Café & Bar at 13 Kossuth Lajos utca welcomes all those who would like to have a coffee or a coffee speciality in a modern, stylish environment. You can also taste cocktail specialities here any time of the day.

Lohonyay Restaurant, located at 26 Óváros tér, was in operation from the beginning of the 20th century until 1951. Not only did it provide food but also served as a community space and meeting place. It was one of the most popular places in burgeoning Veszprém. Since 1951, the restaurant's premises have either been empty or have been occupied by a succession of various catering units. Revived in the summer of 2023, the legendary restaurant reopened with a classic menu and the original community-building aim, with a renewed, inviting interior and a cosy terrace.

Óváros Restaurant has been a leading establishment in the centre of Veszprém for more than 20 years. The restaurant, housed in an imposing building built in the 1700s and under historical monument protection, offers traditional Hungarian cuisine. With the support of the Street Management Programme, from July 2023 it offers a renewed, cosy terrace for lunch or dinner or a glass of wine at the end of the day.

In July 2023, Ablak a bablak vegan restaurant opened at 4 Rákóczi utca - where, among others, barber Károly Francsics wrote his diary of events in 1848 and where the parents of violinist Lipót Auer lived in their old age - a vegan restaurant, a mecca for vegetarians and vegans in Veszprém! The counter is filled with delicious cakes, pastries and sandwiches, and if you happen to be around at lunchtime, you can choose from a new menu every day, which you can enjoy indoors or on the terrace. It's also worth keeping an eye on the events at the Ablak a bablak, as the restaurant is also a community space where you can enjoy gastronomic and cultural events.

At 1 Kossuth Street, one of the busiest spots in the city centre, Derce Bakery Bistro, which has been operating with great success for several years, opened its new unit in October 2023. Derce's new location offers not only the quality you've come to expect from its delicious breads, baguettes, pastries and delicious coffees, but also sells yoghurts, spreads, cheeses and cakes from the Tekeresvölgy Farm in Nemesvámos, among others, and from DESSZEReTlek confectionery in Balatonalmádi.