The royal banquet will be open to everyone for 10 days in July.

The legendary Gundel is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its foundation this year, which the operator, the Eventrend Group Among other things, it is celebrating with a special menu.

We were also invited to the launch, and we had the chance to get a taste of the Four-crown on the menu, which was introduced in 1993 Queen Elizabeth II in honour of his visit to Budapest.

A Hungarian restaurant with a unique history

The story actually began in 1866, when an inn was built next to the Zoo, on the site of today’s restaurant. This building was subsequently rebuilt, and in 1894 Ferenc Wampetics opened the establishment that is still known today as Gundel.

In 1910, Károly Gundel leased the Wampetics Restaurant from the capital and renamed it the Gundel Restaurant.

As for exactly what happened over the course of those 130 years, HERE You can read more about it.

Gundel perfectly embodies the legacy left by Károly Gundel, whilst at the same time paying attention to modern tastes and meeting the expectations of diners in 2024 in terms of both flavours and the décor and presentation of the food.

Countless celebrities have stayed there over the past 130 years, but Queen Elizabeth II was undoubtedly one of their most special guests.

As his visit took place more than 30 years ago, the menu really gave us a run for our money Viktor Moldován as a chef.

The chef wanted to stick to the original menu, but at the same time he had to adapt it so that it could be served effortlessly at dinner and would also appeal to today’s audience.

Four-Crown Menu

Gundel’s garden was considered an iconic spot right from the start. In fact, that was what Gundel was best known for. The restaurant’s interior was quite small and only took centre stage during the winter months, whereas the garden covered a vast area, and in fine weather, people from all walks of life – sometimes numbering in the thousands – would gather there.

We enjoyed our meal in this wonderful garden. As well as being one of the greenest and cosiest restaurant gardens in the city, it is also one of the largest, as it can seat as many as 500–600 guests.

Rows of elegantly laid tables stood beneath the giant trees and colourful parasols.

The only time this place could be more romantic is at dinner time.

It’s no coincidence that I’m highlighting the fantastic accompaniments and presentation, as this menu

It is served to guests on Herend plates with silver cutlery.

This immediately creates a more sophisticated atmosphere, as does the elephant-shaped pat of butter that arrives before the starter.

The ‘Four Crowns’ menu is characterised by the crown motif, so every dish will indeed feature one or more of these decorative elements. Furthermore, the use of special ingredients serves as another unifying theme.

The starter is a truly fantastic smoked salmon, which is cured in salt for two days, then smoked for a day, after which it is left to dry in the fridge for several days until the flesh is just right.

My favourite was definitely the soup; after all, you don’t often find pigeon on a menu. Yet when it’s cooked properly, it has a truly explosive flavour. And that’s exactly what this soup was like.

One of the chef’s secrets is that he sears the pigeon and some of the vegetables before cooking them. The other fantastic ingredient is the spiced oil, which features in several dishes.

Braided veal is clearly not the sort of dish you’d typically find on an everyday menu. It takes a great deal of work to prepare before it finally reaches our plates in this form.

Thin potato rings are placed on top of the braid, whilst the inside is filled with Hungarian wild rice and chanterelle mushrooms stuffed with goose liver.

This dessert is a dream, both in appearance and taste.

It’s hard to say whether the honey-sweet strawberries or the strawberry-shaped parfait are the better choice, but it’s most likely both.

And the crown is a crispy biscuit that appears on both the top and the bottom. Don’t miss out on this under any circumstances!

All in all, this is a truly unique set menu that offers a completely different experience to Gundel’s à la carte menu. And Queen Elizabeth II lends precisely that extra touch of glamour and elegance that a restaurant celebrating its 130th anniversary deserves.

Important information:

The menu is available between 8 and 17 July (during dinner service, from 6.00 pm).

Price for 2 courses: 17,000 Ft

Price for a three-course meal: 22,750 Ft

Price for 4 courses: 26,600 Ft

+ 15% service charge

The price of the set menu includes a glass of welcome champagne (Nyetimber Classic Cuvée).

Dinner can also be accompanied by a selection of wines.

Table bookings will be available shortly HERE will be available!

As part of the Gundel Mission, 5 per cent of the proceeds from the „Celebrities” Menus’ series will be donated to the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Sinosz!