Opus Jazz Club

Opus Jazz Club is the jazz venue of the Budapest Music Center (BMC), a centre for contemporary music and jazz in Ferencváros that also houses a concert hall, a record label and a music information centre. The club has become one of the main places to hear serious jazz in Budapest, with a programme that mixes leading Hungarian musicians with international guests.

Concerts take place every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 21:00. The programme ranges from contemporary and experimental jazz to tributes and themed evenings; recent and upcoming dates have included a New Jazz from Finland series and a John Coltrane centenary concert that sold out in advance. Because the club is linked to BMC Records, it often features artists from the label's catalogue.

The club also works as a restaurant, serving a daily menu with soup, two main courses, a vegetarian option and dessert, as well as dinner before concerts. Having dinner and staying for the show is a comfortable way to spend an evening. Audiences come mainly to listen, so keep conversation for the breaks between sets.

Tickets can be bought through the ticket office, which is open from 09:00 on weekdays (until 18:00 on Mondays, 20:00 on Tuesdays and 22:00 from Wednesday to Friday), from 10:00 to 22:00 on Saturdays and two hours before performances on Sundays, or by phone. Popular concerts sell out, so book ahead if there is a particular artist you want to hear. Check the official website for the current programme.

It suits jazz fans, music lovers and couples looking for a cultured evening out, and it is a good alternative to the noisier bars of District VII. The wider Budapest Music Center building also hosts classical and contemporary concerts in its own hall, so it is worth checking the BMC programme as well if you are in town for several nights. Mátyás utca is a quiet street in Ferencváros, a few minutes' walk from Kálvin tér, served by metro lines M3 and M4, and from Fővám tér on M4. The Great Market Hall and the Hungarian National Museum are both within about ten minutes on foot, and Ráday utca, with its restaurants and bars, is just around the corner.