Gundel, the most famous Hungarian restaurant
Our History
Here at Gundel, where history meets gastronomy, everyone can find a home. Guests can enjoy the finest Hungarian dishes prepared in the tradition of Gundel's gastronomic heritage and experience the fusion of tradition and innovation.
Gundel is more than just a restaurant; it's a true legend, revered and loved for generations! Gundel is part of our heritage, and we find joy in sharing it with everyone. Discover the Gundel experience and enjoy the finest values of Hungarian gastronomy, either in the restaurant or at our events. Gundel is a real historical icon, a bastion of tradition and culinary treasures, and we proudly preserve the traditions and legends of Hungarian cuisine.
Gundel is for everyone!
The iconic, over 130-year-old Gundel and its sister restaurant Bagolyvár are now under the management of the Eventrend Group.
As the group management declared after the transfer in May: ”This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for us! We are really proud to maintain the values and continue the tradition of this essential part of the Budapest experience. Ushering this new member into our family is an uplifting experience, but at the same time, it’s a huge responsibility. After all, Gundel is a national treasure and a world-famous family brand. Over 25 years experience in catering and event management, our expertise and the enthusiasm of our team will enable us to maintain this reputation and enhance it to the best of our ability. Our goal is to make the Gundel experience accessible not just to a privileged few, but to everyone.”- (Eventrend Group)
The 125th anniversary year at Gundel has been launched with the Legendary Chefs’ Menu.
1 EVENING – 2 CHEFS – 5 COURSES
Kálmán Kalla movingly describes what a special feeling it was to return to Gundel for an evening. - ”It was an uplifting experience to talk about my time at Gundel.” I was so pleased to be able to come back…”
On 21 May 2019, Chef Kálmán Kalla returned to Gundel to compose an unforgettable dinner, together with Executive Chef Zsolt Litauszki. That evening we were able to taste some of Kálmán Kalla’s own creations, which are still very successful today, along with complementary soup and main courses created by Gundel chef Zsolt Litauski (anyone who has been following the evolution of Hungarian gastronomy needs no introduction to this inventive, talented and ambitious professional). Between 2018 and 2020, it was he who combined Gundel tradition with innovation.
In 2004, after long negotiations, the Americans finally sold Gundel to CP Holdings, owned by the English Schreier family, so the restaurant became connected to the Danubius hotel chain. In 2014, on the 120th anniversary of the restaurant’s founding, Károly Gundel’s culinary heritage was included in the Collection of Hungarikums. Additionally, the restaurant appeared in the Michelin Guide every year between 2008 and 2016 with a 4-spoon-and-fork rating (comfort and quality – luxury standard). The restaurant managed several hundred events every year, was the venue for international conferences and provided catering services for historical venues in Budapest and across Hungary. It was known for comprehensive hospitality services – with Gundel quality.
Gundel was bought in September 1991 and closed its doors in the November. A total of $23 million was spent on the building – a global level investment at the time. From when it reopened in 1992, visitors from North American flew across the Atlantic specifically to visit Gundel.
The key personality during this successful period was the outstanding chef Kálmán Kalla. He was tempted by Mr Láng into returning to Hungary – having previously been in Washington DC, as chef to the Hungarian ambassador of the time, Péter Zwack. Kálmán Kalla very carefully began adapting the old recipes. He updated the menu and added his own creations to it. And what was the result? This: ”Gundel is among the world’s top ten restaurants,” wrote Condé Nast Traveller in 2006. Chef Kálmán Kalla
became an emblematic figure in Gundel’s renaissance following the change of political system in Hungary. He spent 15 illustrious years at the restaurant and cooked for several hundred famous and respected personalities, such as Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II. The Gundel restaurant welcomed its one millionth guest in the year 2000.
In 1939, the young Károly Gundel’s restaurant became the official restaurant of the Hungarian pavilion of the World Exhibition in New York. ”The Gundel restaurant is bigger and better publicity for Budapest than a boatload of tourist brochures,”– wrote the New York Times in 1939.
Gundel did a tremendous amount to popularise Hungary’s culinary treasures. Thanks to his beneficial influence, Hungarian cuisine was placed firmly on the map.
The restaurant’s popularity was thanks to two things:
its inimitable hospitality and its incomparable cuisine. In the first decades of the 20th century, with unerring instinct, Károly Gundel revolutionised Hungarian cuisine and its previously unrealised potential, using modern kitchen equipment and combining its original flavours with the delicacies of French cuisine. He left an indelible mark on Hungarian gastronomy with his popular dishes, which are still part of the Gundel repertoire today. These include the Újház chicken soup, Palóc-style soup, the Wampetics dumpling and the deservedly famous Gundel pancake.
Károly Gundel leased the Wampetics restaurant from the City of Budapest in 1910, renaming it Gundel Restaurant. ”Splendid pavilion-type covered structures are situated in the large courtyard and garden, which as well as providing pleasant coolness in the summer heat, create open space in the open air.”- wrote the Vendéglősök Lapja hospitality trade magazine on 20 June 1911.
He set about his work with gusto: modernising the menu and reforming the service as well as the whole system in the kitchen. And he enjoyed resounding success! Károly Gundel tamed Hungarian cooking, combining it with culinary trends from around the world and making gastronomic history with his dishes. For Hungarians, the name Gundel soon became synonymous with true hospitality and the restaurant became a favoured meeting place for Hungarian politicians, business leaders and the middle classes. ”It was chic to go to Gundel...” was the opinion of the artists, sports people, writers and other well-known figures, as well as the restaurant’s regulars.
The restaurant opened in 1866 next to the Budapest Zoo, where the restaurant is today. The City Park was becoming more beautiful all the time and the zoo was slowly being developed. Originally, there were plans for an indoor restaurant for visitors to the park and the zoo and finally the predecessor of the building we know today was erected. In the 1800s, the Budapest City Park was one of the most popular places for recreation and walking for a broad range of social classes. And naturally the hustle and bustle involved eating and drinking too. The first hospitality business here was started in 1810 by Leopold Grossinger, who was licensed to sell wine and there were tenant business people too, the first being Klemensz, followed by others whose names have now been forgotten. Next came Wampetics and Gundel, marking the upswing of Hungarian hospitality in the Budapest City Park.
