That is how Zolt\u00e1n Latinovits, Elizabeth II, Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Larry Hagman and Arnold Schwarzenegger all managed to get a table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A hundred years ago, the restaurant\u2019s garden was also frequented by people who could only afford scrambled eggs, salted pretzels, beer and sausages. Gundel\u2019s proximity to the City Park was a defining factor; here in the park, families with children visiting the zoo, the \u201ecommon folk\u201d, soldiers and servants would take their Sunday strolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most prestigious Hungarian restaurant \u2013 which was originally known as \u201eWampetics\u201d \u2013 has a history that perfectly mirrors that of Hungary. There were low points, but they managed to create truly delicious dishes even from the cheapest ingredients. The restaurant held a high standing even under the socialist system; and during Gy\u00f6rgy L\u00e1ng\u2019s tenure, under the culinary guidance of the legendary chef K\u00e1lm\u00e1n Kalla, it truly soared to new heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gundel is now managed by the Eventrend Group and has recently undergone a revamp, both in terms of its appearance and its ethos. One important aspect of this was revealed to us a few days ago. The slogan: Gundel belongs to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea that \u2018it\u2019s for everyone\u2019 now means something different: from now on, people with hearing and visual impairments will receive special attention. The waiting staff have learnt basic sign language in both English and Hungarian, whilst those with visual impairments can discover the stories behind the dishes at Hungary\u2019s most famous restaurant via a Braille menu. A short film has also been produced, directed by P\u00e9ter Bergendy.
A Braille menu detailing the history of the dishes helps to ensure an even higher standard of service for visually impaired guests. In addition to all this, accessibility is also a priority within the restaurant premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gundel is particularly proud that its team is made up of such an inclusive community, which works day in, day out to ensure that everyone feels at home here,\u201d said Jen\u0151 Magyary, Gundel\u2019s managing director, before emphasising: alongside legendary hospitality, social responsibility and sensitivity are also important. These have always been part of Gundel\u2019s core values and have shaped the attitude of those who work here, which is now also evident in the way guests with visual and hearing impairments are welcomed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two owners of the Eventrend Group, which runs Gundel, Zolt\u00e1n K\u0151r\u00f6ssy and G\u00e1bor Nagy, recalled that K\u00e1roly Gundel ran the City Park restaurant \u2013 founded in 1894 and later named after him \u2013 with the intention that its doors should be open to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps not all members of Generation Z realise that this building was also the home of the Gundel family. Zolt\u00e1n Latinovits was born here, and K\u00e1roly Gundel lived here with his 13 children and their descendants. What\u2019s more, it was never merely a restaurant, but an integral part of Hungarian artistic and social life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K\u00e1roly Gundel was constantly experimenting with new recipes: it was here that Pal\u00f3c soup, chicken paprikash, Bakony mushroom ragout, K\u00e1rp\u00e1ti-style pikeperch and Tokaj goose liver were created. He also established the tradition of the Hungarian-style sauces and ragouts we know today. It was on his terrace that J\u00f3kai bean soup, Bakony mushroom ragout and Gundel pancakes were first served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K\u00e1roly Gundel named various dishes after his favourite regular customers. This is how, for example, the \u00dajh\u00e1zi chicken soup came to be, named after the actor Ede \u00dajh\u00e1zi, the J\u00f3kai bean soup, Munk\u00e1csy-style eggs and the Feszty steak. Few people realise it, but they were also the ones who introduced the Wiener Schnitzel to Budapest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for today\u2019s selection, it naturally varies from season to season, but the core of the menu didn\u2019t need to be written, as it\u2019s been in place for 80 years \u2013 or so I\u2019ve heard from the chefs. The centrepiece of the menu is the \u2018National 11\u2019, the eleven iconic Gundel dishes that are regarded as part of the restaurant\u2019s gastronomic heritage. High-quality ingredients, preserving traditions, and precise, uncompromising workmanship \u2013 that is the culinary motto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several generations have now grown up whose members have no idea what a \u2018musical caf\u00e9\u2019 is as a genre. Well, here the sound of the piano has been brought back to life every day, and the music of the restaurant\u2019s own Romani band can now be heard even during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps few people realise that, in the early 1900s, gentlemen would often be driven to the Liget with a Roma band travelling behind them in a separate carriage, providing music along the way. When they are not playing, live piano music is played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the day, you can pop in for a good cup of coffee, served with the most famous cakes. In the evenings, the restaurant area opens on the gallery, where dinner guests are served in aristocratic style, with Zsolnay porcelain and silver cutlery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Viktor Moldov\u00e1n, a highly skilled young chef, ran a Hungarian-style restaurant in Japan for 14 years, during which time he mastered the consistent and precise Japanese work ethic and kitchen organisation. Someone who kept authentic bejgli, B\u00e1cska-style rice and meat stew and chicken paprikash on the menu 8,500 kilometres from Budapest, and whose cooking is adored by Japanese guests \u2013 that is truly a lover of Hungarian cuisine. He is supported in his work by the highly respected Andr\u00e1s Wolf, one of the corporate chefs at the Eventrend Group; the two of them have been leading the kitchen team since the restaurant\u2019s reopening in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the highlights of this most famous Hungarian restaurant is its terrace, which takes centre stage every year from early summer onwards. Last year, new paving, perennial and annual plants, and harmonious, ergonomic surfaces further enhanced the beauty of this spot, where leading actors and writers once dined on the famous dishes.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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