To mark the 130th anniversary of the Gundel Palace, and in keeping with Gundel’s mission, the owners and management are making the experiences of this historic restaurant’s famous guests available to and sharing them with everyone, evoking those memorable flavours even decades later.

Gundel is renowned for so many things: its recipes, which have shaped Hungarian gastronomy; its centuries-old tradition of hospitality; its social awareness – and it is also famous for its illustrious guests. Visits by royal and ecclesiastical dignitaries, princes, politicians and international stars have enriched the 130-year history of the Gundel Palace. These well-known guests have enjoyed special menus that were not available to others – until now.

Now, however, Gundel is launching its ‘Celebrities’ Menu’ series.
The first of these will be the ‘Four Crowns’ menu, served at a reception held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, which – in the form of a dinner, with a simple table booking – will be available to everyone within a few weeks:
This magnificent selection will be available for 10 days. Those interested will soon be able to find information about the Four Crowns Days on the website and on Facebook.

Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Hungary – 4–7 May 1993.
On 4 May 1993, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Hungary at the invitation of President Árpád Göncz.
During their four-day stay in our country, the royal couple – in addition to their obligatory political engagements – attended a performance of the ballet *Sleeping Beauty* at the Opera House, went on excursions to Kecskemét and Bugac, and had lunch at the Gundel restaurant.
On 5 May, at this distinguished ceremonial event, Prime Minister József Antall and his wife hosted a luncheon in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. The lunch for 32 guests began with a reception for the royal couple in the Queen Elizabeth Ballroom, situated on the upper floor of the Gundel Palace.
The dishes for the dinner were conceived by Kálmán Kalla, Gundel’s executive chef at the time, so that the royal headdress – the royal crown – would feature in the presentation of every dish. The pigeon essence provided the greatest inspiration; here, the vegetables were ultimately shaped into tiny crowns. For the main course, the sirloin, arranged in braids, was grilled on a custom-made mould, whilst the dessert was a sumptuous strawberry parfait piled high on a giant pasta crown brought in on a trolley.

As part of this initiative, Gundel is donating 5 per cent of the proceeds from its ‘Celebrities’ menu series to the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Sinosz.