Lehel Csarnok, Market hall in Angyalföld district, Budapest, Hungary.
Lehel Csarnok is a multi-level market hall in the Angyalföld district of Budapest, selling fresh vegetables, meat, dairy, and everyday household goods. The building has several floors above ground and an underground level, each housing a mix of food and non-food vendors.
The open-air market on Ferdinánd tér, predecessor of Lehel tér, arose after the Váci úti cemetery was dissolved in 1890; it later moved north to the site of today's hall when the Szent Margit church was built. The present hall, designed by László Rajk Jr., replaced that market: the old market closed on 29 February 2000, and the new building opened on 8 February 2002. Construction was delayed by archival research proving no Jewish cemetery lay beneath the site, and by a late redesign of the underground level into the "Kispiac".
The market is a daily meeting point for people from the neighborhood, who come to buy fresh produce and traditional Hungarian food. Many regulars know their vendors by name and return to the same stalls week after week.
The hall sits next to Lehel tér metro station and is easy to reach by public transport or on foot from nearby streets. The main floors tend to fill up around midday, so an early morning or early afternoon visit usually makes for a more relaxed shopping experience.
The underground level, reached directly from the M3 metro underpass, holds a separate smaller market with a supermarket, bakery, confectioner, antiquarian bookshop and a pub. It stays open later than the main market above, so shoppers arriving after the upper floors close can still use it.
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