Gundel Restaurant is celebrating its 130th anniversary with a new attraction: the ‘Celebrities’ menus’, which not only showcases the list of distinguished guests it has hosted over the years, but also allows anyone to sample the menu from the gala lunches or dinners held in their honour. First up is , commemorating her 1993 visit to Budapest. In early July, this must-visit Hungarian restaurant will feature on its menu, for just ten days, the four-course menu originally created for the royal guest’s visit. This new gastronomic attraction was announced at a press conference held on Wednesday, attended by Károly Gundel, the restaurant owner’s great-grandson.

It commemorates with an ingenious dish – or rather, dishes Queen Elizabeth II To mark his visit to Budapest in 1993, the restaurant – which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year – is making the menu from that 32-person lunch held at Gundel which, as part of its ‘Celebrities’ Menus’ series launched to mark the anniversary, is making the menu enjoyed by the distinguished guest available to everyone – it was announced at Wednesday’s press conference.

The Eventrend Group took over the running of Gundel and its associated Bagolyvár restaurant in 2021; the Group’s management  Károly Gundel, founder of the Városliget restaurant Returning to their business philosophy, they strive to ensure that the Gundel experience is not only accessible to a privileged few, but so that anyone can experience it.

The ‘Celebrities’ Menus’ series kicks off with royal dishes

Now they are going even further: from 8 July, for ten days, anyone can order and enjoy the menu originally created by chef Kálmán Kalla in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.

For the Queen, the choice of Gundel and the lunch held there were particularly significant, as this was reportedly the only formal occasion during the four days spent there on which the royal couple did not eat a meal prepared by the court chef they had brought with them from home.

The behind-the-scenes secrets are now public knowledge: before the gala lunch, the kitchen prepared ten trial menus to ensure they could definitely fit everything into the exactly 1 hour 40 minutes available. The menu was handwritten, and the waiters were taught a special choreography. 

„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,” – reported the Kurír at the time on the preparations.

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who inspired this selection, arrived in Hungary on 4 May 1993 at the invitation of Árpád Göncz, President of the Republic. Prime Minister József Antall and his wife hosted a luncheon the following day, 5 May, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The venue for the lunch was the Queen Elizabeth Ballroom, situated on the upper floor of the Gundel Palace; however, upon arrival, the guests enjoyed their welcome drinks on the upstairs terrace.

The Four-Crown Festive Lunch

György Láng, co-owner of the restaurant, once told *Magyar Nemzet* that the four crowns were „not just a play on words; every single dish was served in the shape of a crown or decorated as such”. 

• For starters, the guests were served salmon with Hungarian asparagus, 
• this was followed by pigeon essence,
• The main course was veal fillet, served with paper-thin potato crowns stuffed with Hungarian wild rice, and chanterelle mushrooms stuffed with goose liver,
• The sweet was a crown baked from thin, crisp pastry, decorated with strawberries made from real fruit or from parfe. 

On top of that, alongside the Gundel wines from their own cellar in Mád, „a 1952 Tokaji Aszú was also served, the grapes for which were harvested in the year the Queen ascended the throne”

– Gundel summarised the details of the historic lunch.

Viktor Moldován, executive chef at Gundel, revealed that he had reconstructed the dishes served at the royal banquet based on contemporary television news reports and photographs.