Our national pride, which has been eroding for decades, may be revived today. Gundel Restaurant itself, and the range of Hungarian dishes created within its walls – which we can now enjoy in an increasing number of places without disappointment – yet for generations the restaurant-style preparation of these favourites has only deteriorated. It would be of symbolic significance for Hungarian gastronomy as a whole if dishes such as goulash, chicken paprikash, Rákóczi cottage cheese cake or Somlói galuska were to regain their rightful place at the very venue where they were first created.

After many years of searching for its direction, it is returning with renewed vigour, an (old-)new concept, a reimagined interior and a new team: the Gundel. Before the opening, we were granted access to the City Park to the restaurant at its entrance, where we were welcomed by the music of an all-female Roma band, and for a few hours we were swept away by the magic of the Gundel House. If there is one thing we could wish for this reborn restaurant, it is that every dish served – even during the busiest periods – should embody the same standard and attention to detail that we experienced as invited guests.

Gundel is a legend. We must appreciate that we do not encounter it in the pages of old books, but that it is here with us, seeking the place it deserves in 21st-century hospitality. It has been public knowledge since the start of the year that the management of the restaurant, owned by Danubius Hotels, has been taken over by the Eventrend Group is taking over, and this move gives cause for optimism after a decade of searching for the right path.

The company’s portfolio is extremely diverse. They are major players in the domestic catering industry; they have also breathed new life into a beer garden and a sports bistro on the banks of the Danube, and they run a cocktail bar in Pest, a mountain hut at the highest point of the Sudeten Mountains in the Czech Republic, and have raised the status of schnitzel and noodles with jam to at least the same heights in the At the Chef’s Table, but they also have a stake in Samantha, the cult venue in Buda.

However, one of their references that really stands out is the New York Café, which, as it happens, opened its doors in 1894, just like the Gundel Restaurant (at that time still known as the Wampetics Restaurant). Eventrend’s real success story has been bringing the New York Café into the international spotlight. They have skilfully harnessed everything the building has to offer, and today its history, stretching back more than 120 years, has been brought back to life. The fact that it is by no means a stuffy, museum-like space is clearly demonstrated by the fact that it is one of the top hashtags on Instagram amongst Hungary’s attractions.

If they can apply their formula at the iconic restaurant in the City Park, a new era of reform may finally dawn for Gundel, following the eras of György Láng and Kálmán Kalla.

Finding one’s way home

Seen through today’s eyes, Gundel is simply over the top. It is a riot of colours and materials – from velvet to porcelain, crystal and miniature mosaics, right through to the murals. The restaurant’s walls almost seem to crave the hustle and bustle, the music and the clinking of cutlery. Following the era of experimental fine dining, the new management has set itself the goal of restoring Gundel to the Hungarian public in the form originally envisaged by its founders.

The founder, Károly Gundel, refined Hungarian cuisine and blended it with influences from the wider world. Through his pioneering work, he put Hungary on the world’s gastronomic map.

The company corporate chef, the nationally renowned András Wolf and Viktor Moldován, Executive Chef They were tasked with reviving the traditions of Gundel whilst fulfilling the restaurant’s original mission. Viktor Moldován, a little-known figure here at home, lived and worked in Japan for around 14 years, where he, rather unusually, promoted Hungarian cuisine. First at the Tokachi Hills restaurant in Hokkaido – which is also recommended by the Michelin Guide – and then as a chef in Tokyo for two years. (We also worked with him nearly ten years ago interview (here, on the Dining Guide.)

Have a go at guessing how many legendary dishes were created at Gundel?

They will be offering separate menus for the café and restaurant, with breakfast available from 9 am; the café menu, however, features not only light bites but also the great Hungarian classics, a staggering number of which were created within the walls of Gundel.

The Tokaji Aszú goose liver and the Gundel pancakes It’s obvious, and those with a bit more knowledge may well recall that the dish made with green peas and mushrooms Homemade chicken soup is also associated with Gundel, as well as the dense "Palóc" soup It does not originate from the Palóc region; rather, János Gundel himself devised this hearty soup in honour of the great writer Kálmán Mikszáth (although the dish made its debut at the István Főherczeg Hotel in Budapest).

Renewable Gundel National 11 This selection pays tribute to these dishes, including such traditional Hungarian specialities as „A” goulash, chicken paprikash, Bakony cutlet, Feszty steak, the Carpathian-style fish soup, Somló dumplings and the Rákóczi cottage cheese.

It can only be a good sign when the „simple” plum sauce served with the foie gras, the paprika chicken sauce (the spoon almost stood upright in it), the flavour of the rye sourdough bread, and the walnut filling and thick chocolate sauce of the Gundel pancakes (not too sweet, not watery, not powdery) still leave a vivid impression even a week later.

Not a luxury restaurant

„We’re not a cheap restaurant, but that said, everyone will find something to suit them at Gundel,” as Károly Gundel himself put it. They are also reviving the old approach to pricing; at the turn of the century, Gundel was slightly more expensive than an ordinary restaurant, but dining there was by no means a luxury.

As a point of reference, here are the prices of a few dishes: the “Újházi” chicken soup with homemade noodles 2,100 forints, the Veal Viennese-style with pan-fried parsley potatoes and homemade pickled vegetables 5400, the „Original Gundel pancakes” (which isn’t on fire!) will cost 2,400 forints. On the dinner menu, the three-course menu will be priced at 12,300 forints and the four-course menu at 14,400 forints.