A selection of desserts served on the back of an elephant statue, a turn-of-the-century carousel, a fountain complex and more than half a thousand seats. We have covered the history of Gundel Restaurant on several occasions over the past year, as this reborn legend of Hungarian restaurant culture is undergoing a promising revival. Without the garden, however, the picture of warm colours and vibrancy that Gundel represents was only half complete. This month, the Gundel Garden has also reopened in its old-yet-new splendour.

The Gundel Restaurant For decades, it operated as a restaurant renowned for its imposing, highly refined style, which the public tended to associate more with Zsolnay porcelain, the cloche lifted by a waiter wearing lace gloves, and groups of tourists – rather than the carefree chatter of children and conversations stretching into the night. It seems that it took the pandemic for it to shed its former formality and return to its roots: to the philosophy that Gundel belongs to everyone.

The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden And right on its doorstep, this historic restaurant could not be in a more ideal location. Following their reopening in December 2021, as summer approaches, guests can now truly appreciate just what a delightful meeting place the Gundel garden has become – a space that pays homage to the restaurant’s golden age, whilst also providing a relaxed, family-, child- and dog-friendly experience for the widest possible range of guests at any time of day and for any occasion.

Gundel’s new direction does indeed mark a return to the restaurant’s original ethos, as the most decisive factor behind its construction was the growing popularity of the City Park in the 1860s, and, moreover, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden opened in 1866. It was then that the decision was made to enhance the increasingly popular Liget with a restaurant.

Initially, to run this, Ferenc Wampetics he replied, and then, in 1910, the Gundel family took the restaurant on lease, which is when it acquired the name by which it is known today. In the restaurant’s heyday, between the two world wars, it operated much more as a vast open-air dining area, where people of all ages and means could find something to suit them. And this is precisely the philosophy that Gundel’s current management also champions.

To this end, following the reopening, we can see that the garden has been divided into three main sections: the lower section offers a café-style experience, the area above the fountain caters to more sophisticated dining requirements, and the third section, known as the ‘monkey cage’ and situated close to the zoo, is an animal and amusement park designed for children. The garden’s true charm lies in the fact that, whilst there, we can lose ourselves in its myriad tiny details, feel at home in the shade of the hundred-year-old trees, and experience the nostalgia of the turn of the century.

Gundel is not just any old restaurant with a hundred-year history, but a genuine piece of history: in 1939, Gundel was perhaps the Official host of the Hungarian pavilion at the World’s Fair in New York. Furthermore, a great many celebrities frequented Gundel in those days, and the owner, Károly Gundel, often named dishes after his regular guests. This is how, for example, the Homestyle chicken soup Based on the life of the actor Ede Újházi, the Jókai bean soup, the Munkácsy-style eggs or the Feszty steak, but let us not forget either that it was the Gundel dynasty that introduced the Wiener Schnitzel too.

Viktor Moldován, the Gundel’s head chef For 14 years, he ran a Hungarian restaurant in Japan, where he acquired a very meticulous work ethic. As for his work, András Wolf, such as the Eventrend Group corporate chef helps. And the revamped menu evokes these legendary culinary stories. The centrepiece of the menu is the National 11, the eleven iconic Gundel dishes that are regarded as the most important part of the Gundel legacy.

This includes dishes such as goulash soup, the Homestyle chicken soup, the chicken paprikash, the Somló dumplings and, of course, the ever-present original Gundel pancakes. The restaurant’s menu moves out onto the terrace for the summer, so the menu at Gundel Kert is the same as that of the café-restaurant. The hot food menu is available all day, but ‘Afternoon Tea’ is also served during the day. In the evening, the garden restaurant area opens, where classic Gundel dishes are served on beautiful Zsolnay porcelain.

In addition, they have put together a special menu for the for children and for pets too. The colourful menu for the little ones features a QR code, providing children with another interactive experience. Whilst the with a dog menu In a move that is unique in the city, they offer pet owners the chance to choose not just a bowl of water for their pet, but perhaps a little something to eat as well.

The Gundel Garden welcomes guests from 9.00 am; in the summer heat, it’s a lovely way to relax here after a stroll in City Park or a visit to the zoo.