For a few years now, Gundel – one of Hungary’s most famous restaurants – has been shining once more in its former glory. It welcomes us with beautifully refurbished interiors, a bohemian garden area with a „Lizsé” atmosphere, modern yet classic dishes, and an inimitable ambience. Just as in Károly Gundel’s day, the restaurant is now buzzing with life, and season after season they come up with unexpected new creations. It’s no secret that Gundel has welcomed a host of celebrities, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Angelina Jolie, and even Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was a guest here. This summer, the „Celebrities” Menus’ series is set to launch, beginning with the ‘Four-Crown Menu’ – a reception organised in honour of Queen Elizabeth II – which will be available for 10 days from 8 July.

But what sort of techniques Was it served to the Queen? What sort of drink Did His Royal Highness ask for it? And what did the royal couple think of the meal that was served? For dessert? The In Gundel We can find the answers to these questions by tasting the Four-Crown Menu, which Viktor Moldován, The restaurant’s head chef has reimagined the original menu in a modern style.

What’s more, just like the royal delegation, we too on a Herend plate with silver cutlery We can enjoy the feast and, to start things off in style, clink glasses with an English sparkling wine. What’s more, we can even have our photo taken with a life-size figure of Queen Elizabeth II in a setting designed specifically for this purpose at the selfie spot. The set menu is available as a two-, three- or four-course meal at dinner time between 8 and 17 July, For 10 days. What’s more, by eating this dinner, you’ll also we can do charity work Furthermore, as part of the Gundel mission, 5 per cent of the proceeds from the ‘Celebrities’ Menus’ series will be donated to Sinosz, the National Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Gundel belongs to everyone!

The restaurant In 1894 opened its doors, so this year it is celebrating the anniversary of its foundation its 130th anniversary. Károly Gundel, for his part, left us not only his legendary dishes, but also his boundless hospitality, his first-class service, his entertainment and the cheerful atmosphere, not to mention the ongoing renewal of gastronomy It remains one of our core values to this day.

„Gundel’s mission today is to nurture this legendary heritage, preserve its values and traditions, and share the experience with everyone,” we learnt from Gábor Nagy, one of the founding owners of the Eventrend Group, which operates Gundel.

That is precisely why Gundel's for everyone wants to be a regular haunt, We can pop in here for a coffee and a cake, but there are also plenty of dishes on the menu that won’t break the bank. Gundel, meanwhile, has always been famous for a number of high-profile guests Everyone has passed through here at some point, be they royal and ecclesiastical dignitaries, princes, politicians or international celebrities. The well-known guests, meanwhile, were treated to special menus that were not available to others – so far.
„To mark the 130th anniversary of the Gundel Palace, and in keeping with Gundel’s mission, we are now making our famous guests” Gundel experiences available to everyone and sharing them with all. Now, even decades later, we are bringing these memorable flavours back to life. Gundel is launching its ‘Celebrities’ Menus’ series,” said Zoltán Kőrössy, co-founder and co-owner of the Eventrend Group, which operates Gundel.

Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Hungary

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh He arrived in Hungary on 4 May 1993 at the invitation of President Árpád Göncz, and spent four days in the country. As well as attending the obligatory political engagements, they watched the ballet *Sleeping Beauty* at the Opera House, went on excursions to Kecskemét and Bugac, and They had lunch at the Gundel restaurant.

The Queen’s visit was preceded by extensive preparations at the restaurant, They prepared 10 sample menus, The menu was handwritten, and the waiters were a separate choreography they had to learn.

„Twelve impeccable English waiters – eight food servers in black tuxedos and white gloves, and four barmen in waistcoats, also wearing white gloves – will be on hand to attend to the guests” every wish and whim,” – wrote the Kurír newspaper of the time.

A festive reception and the gin and tonic incident

When we visited Gundel to try the Four-Crown Menu, we had the honour of being part of one of the A descendant of the Gundel family, Károly Gundel He showed us round the palace. Following in the footsteps of the royal delegation, we were able to climb the red marble staircase and see the private room where the reception had been held, and even to the upstairs terrace We went out there too, where the royal couple enjoyed their welcome drink.

„The staff had prepared a selection of the finest drinks, but His Royal Highness suddenly said: »A gin and tonic, please.« According to one account from the Gundel Palace, nobody had expected this, so Kálmán Kozma, the general manager, took the stairs three at a time down to the ground-floor bar to fulfil the request,” the hosts recounted.

A celebrity menu, Queen Elizabeth-style
The menu served was created by Gundel’s executive chef at the time, Kálmán Kalla was compiled by someone whose aim was to the royal crown appears in the presentation of every dish. The in pigeon stock the vegetables were arranged to form a crown, and the main course was grilled on a custom-made mould, arranged in braids beef tenderloin, and for dessert, a magnificent pile of strawberry goulash heaped high in a giant pasta crown brought in on a trolley strawberry parfait was.

The royal menu Viktor Moldován, the current head chef at Gundel reimagined it, retaining the essence of the dishes and the crown motif featured in the presentation. As a starter, homemade pink… smoked salmon It was served with white asparagus, which the sage sauce made truly unforgettable. The in pigeon stock A carrot shaped like a royal crown made an appearance, and the chef’s parsley oil provided the perfect finishing touch to the intense flavours.

The in braided veal caul A hair-thin potato crisp formed the royal headdress, whilst the interesting feature of the hearty meat dish was that the side dish of wild rice and chanterelle mushrooms was concealed within the plait itself. The stunning dessert the famous strawberry parfait It was served to us in a miniature version, presented on a crown-shaped biscuit with gilded decoration, whilst the parfait, hidden amongst the real strawberries, with its refreshing lemon flavour was the icing on the cake.

Some lovely moments from the royal couple’s visit

Fortunately, the royal couple’s visit was extremely well documented both by Gundel itself and by the press of the time, so a few legendary moments have been preserved for posterity. One such moment, for example, was when the Queen kindly remarked to the restaurant’s owner that „We’ve heard a lot about you!”, who, flustered, replied that „We’ve heard a lot about you too!”.

However, the legend also tells that the queen supposedly enjoyed the meal so much that he dipped bread into the sour cream and paprika sauce of the main course, And Prince Philip, meanwhile, He ordered a beer as well. The way the dessert was served was also iconic: the strawberry parfait, resplendent with a mound of strawberry goulash piled high within a giant pasta crown, had such an effect on His Excellency that – etiquette aside – she nudged her husband with her elbow, so you don't miss out on the spectacle.

From the ‘Celebrities’ menus, including the ‘Four Crowns’ menu section here You can find further information here, and you can also book a table here