Marzipan roses, Palóc soup, Dobos cake… they are all part of our everyday lives, but their centuries-old history and traditions are steeped in unique stories.

János Gundel founded the famous dynasty when he was 13 years old

The The Gundel family’s culinary history It dates back centuries. To be precise, it is 170 years since Johannes Gundel, in 1857, at the age of just 13, left his home in Bavaria and took a job at a restaurant in Pest. It turned out that he had such a talent for hospitality that, within a few years, he had become head waiter at the historic Arany Sas restaurant. In 1869, he married the owner’s daughter and, in the same year, bought the Bécsi Sörház. By then, he had started a family business as János Gundel and set in motion a story that has since become world-renowned. He soon became the head chef at such prestigious restaurants as the one at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, and his kitchens became famous far and wide. Everyone who mattered in Hungarian public life at the time frequented his establishments, including Kálmán Tisza, Mór Jókai, Ferenc Liszt and Kálmán Mikszáth. It was thanks to the latter that he created Palóc soup, which has since become an indispensable part of Hungarian cuisine. According to Gundel’s original recipe, the soup is made with lamb, potatoes, green beans, a sour cream-based sauce and dill.

János Gundel had five children, but of them it was Károly who truly had an affinity for the catering trade, and in the end it was he who carried on the Gundel family’s reputation. Even as a small child, he helped out with the work in the restaurant; gastronomy was literally in his blood. Károly married in 1907, had 13 children, and in 1910 purchased the Wampetics restaurant in Városliget, which still houses the Gundel Restaurant today. It was here that the recipes were devised which have continued to enhance the Gundel family’s reputation ever since, including Gundel pancakes, Gundel stew and Gundel salad. Although the First World War brought the Gundel family’s success to a halt, in 1918 Károly threw himself back into his work with renewed vigour. He leased the restaurants at the Royal Hotel and the Gellért Hotel, ushering in the heyday of the Gundel family. His businesses were nationalised after the Second World War, but the restaurants continued to operate. In 1991, the Gundel Restaurant was privatised and remains one of Budapest’s most prestigious restaurants to this day.