It would be fascinating to find out what a Hungarian person would say off the top of their head if asked to name the most famous restaurant in the country – and which of our restaurants is best known internationally? Among the older generations here at home and among foreigners, the answer is almost a foregone conclusion: Gundel, whilst for younger people, that legendary name might not spring to mind immediately. For decades now, we have been waiting for Gundel’s rebirth, so that it may once again take its rightful place in the world of dining – and in the 21st century.

Today we would put it this way: brand, It may be a brand name, but Gundel is not just a marketing concept: it is a true legend. A family name now associated with both an iconic Hungarian dessert and a vocational school. Alongside „The” Gundel, which is the Hungarian restaurant that has achieved the greatest fame of all time worldwide.

Gundel pancakes feature on menus throughout the country. The theatricality of their presentation is perfectly in keeping with the grandeur of the Gundel Restaurant. One of the most highly regarded vocational catering colleges in the country also bears the Gundel name, reflecting the Gundel family’s historic role in Hungarian hospitality: the forefathers of the Gundel family were key figures in shaping the profession. We know of no other restaurant in Hungary that has become a concept in its own right; proof of this is that a suburban eatery bears the ironic name ‘Bádog Gundel’ – a place that represents virtually everything that the real Gundel never (also known as PléhCsárda: self-service, with plastic chairs, open-air seating and enormous portions). Today, of course, we use the terms ‘csárda’, ‘kifőzde’ and ‘restaurant’, but what is the fundamental difference between them?

Gundel Restaurant, a symbol of bourgeois life

Nowadays, it goes without saying that we live surrounded by restaurants, and most people visit them with varying degrees of regularity. This has not always been the case, as the restaurant is a modern invention.

Their history is inextricably linked to France, as are modern cuisine and the culinary arts as systematised in cookery books. The first restaurant in the modern sense also opened in the French capital more than 250 years ago: Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau welcomed his first guests in 1765. At the same time, a new concept was born, marking a new stage in the evolution of earlier forms of hospitality: whereas previously strict guild regulations had dictated how a host could serve guests, these pioneering French restaurateurs broke with the monotonous menu, allowing their guests to choose from a variety of dishes.

According to the earliest records from the Carpathian Basin, the Romans stationed here in antiquity set up rooms at their post stations where they provided hot meals in exchange for payment; after which, for many centuries, no similar establishments were known to exist. Later, inns and then roadside taverns took on a similar role, catering to travellers’ needs for food and accommodation. Traditional restaurants and beer halls were already considered an urban phenomenon;

And there was one indispensable prerequisite for the emergence of the world of restaurants and cafés: the emergence of the middle class.

It is now a well-known story that the leading figure in Hungarian hospitality in the period following the Compromise was, somewhat unusually, János Gundel, who had Hungarian ancestors and was born in Bavaria as Johann Adam Michael Gundel. He enjoyed a fantastic career in Hungary, and the Hungarian hospitality industry owes a great deal to his organisational efforts as an active member of the Restaurant Owners’ Association, the Budapest Coffee Trade Association and the Permanent Committee of Wine Tasting Experts.

The opening of the Wampetics Restaurant in 1894 also bears witness to the bourgeois boom of the era: preparations for the 1896 millennium celebrations marking the founding of the nation, together with the large-scale investments of the era, made the creation of this grand restaurant in City Park possible. In 1910, the Wampetics became Gundel, now under the management of János Gundel’s son, Károly. From this point on, the history of Gundel is well known. However, the development of our restaurant culture suffered a wound that was slow to heal following the Second World War.

Nationalisation did not spare the Gundel either; socialist propaganda had already branded it by its very name: it was renamed the 1 May Restaurant and attached to the Central Catering Trust headed by József Venesz.

Over the decades that followed, Gundel continued to serve as a venue for official functions, naturally in the service of the state, as the setting for state dinners and high-profile events. As far as puritanical socialist morality would allow: receptions for visiting politicians and heads of government, as well as those following major sporting events, stood out as highlights amidst the greyness of the era.

The György Láng and Kálmán Kalla era

Following the change of regime, the opportunity arose once again for elegance and sophistication to find their place in the hospitality sector, moving away from the working-class ethos. At the turn of the 1990s, foreign involvement seemed unavoidable in the case of an investment on this scale.

Ronald S. Lauder, the world-famous businesswoman, Estée Lauder his son, who is of Hungarian origin, and György Láng, The founder of one of the leading restaurant consultancy firms in the United States arrived in Budapest, and in 1991 the restaurant was privatised; they also obtained the rights to use the restaurant’s name from the Gundel family.

Gundel’s last great heyday to date had arrived, which Kálmán Kalla It is associated with the chef’s name. The chef was recalled to Budapest to serve as head chef at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, and he was at the helm of the Gundel House kitchen for nearly a decade and a half.

Gundel has retained its status as a prestigious venue; a series of photographs of world-famous figures who have dined at the restaurant still hangs in the foyer. He dined here Queen Elizabeth I of England and those who have already passed away Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, George Bush senior or, more recently, Hillary Clinton former First Lady, and Vladimir Putin Russian President. From the art world Plácido Domingo, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Madonna or Roger Moore and Michael Schumacher too.

The restaurant has rediscovered its true identity as a restaurant, in a spirit worthy of Gundel’s history. In the 1990s, Gundel was once again a household name: set in a magnificent building, with highly trained reception staff and waiters, ceremonial table service, dishes served on Zsolnay porcelain, and silver cutlery.

Kálmán Kalla has now retired from city life and runs his own guesthouse in Sümegprága, a tiny village at the foot of the Bakony Hills. A spiritual legacy of his time at Gundel is the *Gundel – Nagy Goose Liver Cookbook* (Pallas Studio, 2001), which presents 39 goose liver recipes by Kálmán Kalla and includes a separate section discussing the tricks of the trade for preparing and handling goose liver. Unfortunately, the book is no longer available; one can only hunt for second-hand copies.

„There are those who claim that it was a mistake for certain nations to gain access to foie gras, because they use recipes that alter its texture and flavour. It may well be that they do not have such excellent, God-given ingredients, but it cannot be ruled out that they simply do not know the proper way to prepare dishes made from foie gras,” the book states.

Finding one’s way

Following the Kálmán Kalla era, Gundel entered a period of experimentation. During this time, the chefs in charge ventured into directions that did not reflect the Gundel philosophy of hospitality and did not stand the test of time. In the 2000s, the restaurant sought to reinvent itself with „reimagined” Hungarian dishes, breaking down courses into their constituent parts and adopting a style leaning towards so-called molecular gastronomy.

Since Kálmán Kalla’s time, no management team has yet managed to restore the Gundel Restaurant to its rightful place, and the process of losing touch with the Hungarian public has only intensified.

Gundel, which had been very popular until recently, was a refreshing exception to this rule Sunday Brunch. During the Sunday brunch buffets, which stretched into the afternoon and were accompanied by live music, the building was once again filled with a buzz of activity and the sound of Hungarian conversation.

Gundel’s chefs, from the fall of communism to the present day

Kálmán Kalla 1992–2006

Ottó Lackó 2006–2007

János Cseh 2007–2008

József Juhos 2008–2010

Gábor Merczi 2010–2017

Zsolt Litauszki 2018–2020

Gundel 2021

At the end of January this year, the news – which had already been the talk of the town – was made public that the Gundel House would officially come under new management. One of the country’s best-organised and most dynamically developing catering and restaurant management companies will, under the terms of a long-term contract, Eventrend took over the restaurant from the From Danubius Hotels.

Eventrend is no stranger to this part of town; they run the Városliget Café too. However, an even more significant professional reference for the rebirth of Gundel is the New York Café, which, under their management, became a destination coveted by tourists from Asia to America, with a consistently full house and live music, ushering in a new renaissance for the legendary café.

They articulated their mission statement at the handover in a manner befitting Gundel’s stature: „According to the Eventrend Group, Gundel is a matter of national importance and a world-renowned family brand. In the coming decades, the group aims to preserve, further develop and enrich this heritage, and to showcase it to as many Hungarian and international guests as possible. The aim is not only to make it accessible to a privileged few, but also to bring moments of joy to many. In the coming decades, it will be the responsibility of the Eventrend Group to preserve, refine and uphold the Gundel institution as a source of national pride, and to nurture the Gundel legacy whilst ensuring that the modern expectations of guests are also given due respect.”

It would be a symbolic achievement not „just” for Gundel, but for the entire Hungarian hospitality industry, if the restaurant were once again to be filled with life, guests, bustling staff, music, aromas, clinking glasses and the delicate clatter of cutlery. In addition to the main dining room, this would include the private dining room on the lower level – which has long stood unused – and Gundel’s inner garden, once famous throughout the city. With the rebirth of the City Park, perhaps both the Hungarian and international public will rediscover this legendary restaurant – in a 21st-century style.