As part of the Gundel Mission, we are donating 5 per cent of the proceeds from the \u201eCelebrities\u201d Menus\u2019 series to the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Sinosz!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gundel managers
Jen\u0151 Magyary \u2013 Group owner, managing director
Csaba Szab\u00f3 \u2013 owner of the group of companies
Andr\u00e1s Wolf \u2013 group owner and corporate chef
Viktor Moldov\u00e1n \u2013 executive chef<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On behalf of the Eventrend Group, the founding owners
G\u00e1bor Nagy
Zolt\u00e1n K\u0151r\u00f6ssy
GUNDEL BELONGS TO EVERYONE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gundel building has been dedicated to hospitality and gastronomic excellence since 1894 and is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its founding this year. In keeping with the philosophy conceived and realised by K\u00e1roly Gundel, the restaurant has always been a place characterised by hospitality, attentive service, innovation and a commitment to preserving tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gundel\u2019s mission today is to nurture this legendary heritage, preserve its values and traditions, and share the experience with everyone. To mark this special anniversary, the Gundel team is further strengthening this commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201eCelebrities\u201d Menu\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel is renowned for so many things: its recipes, which have shaped Hungarian gastronomy; its centuries-old tradition of hospitality; its social awareness \u2013 and it is also famous for its illustrious guests. Visits by royal and ecclesiastical dignitaries, princes, politicians and international stars have enriched the 130-year history of the Gundel Palace. These well-known guests have enjoyed special menus that were not available to others \u2013 until now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To mark the 130th anniversary of the Gundel Palace, and in keeping with Gundel\u2019s mission, we are now making our famous guests\u201e Gundel experiences available to everyone. Now, even decades later, we are bringing these memorable flavours back to life. Gundel is launching its \u201dCelebrities\u2019 Menus\u2019 series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first event, a reception organised in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, will feature the \u201eFour Crowns Menu\u201d, which \u2013 in the form of a dinner, with simple table booking \u2013 will be available to anyone within a few weeks: This sumptuous selection will be available for 10 days. Those interested will soon be able to find information about the \u201eFour Crowns\u201d days on the website and on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1993. Queen Elizabeth\u2019s visit to Hungary \u2013 4\u20137 May 1993.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On 4 May 1993, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip of Edinburgh, arrived in Hungary at the invitation of President \u00c1rp\u00e1d G\u00f6ncz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During their four-day stay in our country, the royal couple \u2013 in addition to their obligatory political engagements \u2013 attended a performance of the ballet *Sleeping Beauty* at the Opera House, went on excursions to Kecskem\u00e9t and Bugac, and had lunch at the Gundel restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 5 May, at this distinguished ceremonial event, Prime Minister J\u00f3zsef Antall and his wife hosted a luncheon in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. The lunch for 32 guests began with a reception for the royal couple in the Queen Elizabeth Ballroom, situated on the upper floor of the Gundel Palace. Gundel is ready<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the gala lunch, the kitchen prepared 10 trial menus to ensure they could definitely fit everything into the exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes available. Alongside speed, they naturally paid attention to quality as well. The menu was handwritten, and the waiters were taught a special choreography. The Kur\u00edr reported on the preparations as follows: \u201eTwelve impeccable English waiters \u2013 eight in black tuxedos and white gloves serving food, and four in waistcoats, also wearing white gloves, serving drinks \u2013 will be on hand to anticipate the guests\u201d every wish and whim.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The section of road in front of the building was completely closed off, and onlookers lined both sides of the road, waiting for the car carrying the Queen and her husband. The guests were escorted up to the upper floor via the Palace\u2019s red marble staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The welcome drink and the gala lunch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The venue for the lunch was the Queen Elizabeth Ballroom on the upper floor of the Gundel Palace, but upon arrival the guests enjoyed their welcome drinks on the upstairs terrace. The staff had prepared a selection of exquisite drinks, but Her Royal Highness suddenly said: \u201eGin and tonic, please\u201d. According to one account from the Gundel Palace, nobody had expected this, so K\u00e1lm\u00e1n Kozma, the managing director, rushed down the stairs three at a time towards the bar on the ground floor to fulfil the request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dishes for the dinner were conceived by K\u00e1lm\u00e1n Kalla, Gundel\u2019s executive chef at the time, so that the royal headdress \u2013 the royal crown \u2013 would feature in the presentation of every dish. The pigeon essence provided the greatest inspiration; here, the vegetables were ultimately shaped into tiny crowns. For the main course, the sirloin, arranged in braids, was grilled on a custom-made mould, whilst the dessert was a sumptuous strawberry parfait piled high on a giant pasta crown brought in on a trolley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The British daily newspaper *The Daily Mail* was delighted to note that the Gundel restaurant \u2013 once among Europe\u2019s finest but which had faded into obscurity during the socialist era \u2013 is once again shining in its former glory following a change of ownership after the fall of communism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reports from contemporary Hungarian newspapers:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201eThe royal couple arrived from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at the Gundel restaurant on the edge of the City Park, where Prime Minister J\u00f3zsef Antall and his wife hosted a luncheon in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Three government ministers also attended the intimate banquet \u2013 every course of which was reminiscent of the royal crown: G\u00e9za Jeszenszky, Ferenc M\u00e1dl and B\u00e9la K\u00e1d\u00e1r, all accompanied by their wives, as well as Gyula Kodol\u00e1nyi, Honorary State Secretary, State Secretary Tam\u00e1s Katona and P\u00e9ter \u00c1kos Bod, Governor of the Hungarian National Bank,\u201d wrote the newspaper \u00daj Magyarorsz\u00e1g the following day in its report entitled \u2018Royal Lunch with J\u00f3zsef Antall\u2019. The phrase \u2018small circle\u2019 should be taken with a pinch of salt. In fact, for reasons of protocol, this meant a total of 32 guests \u2013 as K\u00e1lm\u00e1n Kalla, head chef at Gundel, had revealed to the Kur\u00edr the previous day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201eFour Crowns\u201d<\/em><\/strong> a festive lunch given a fanciful name,<\/em><\/strong> As Gy\u00f6rgy L\u00e1ng, the restaurant\u2019s co-owner, told *Magyar Nemzet*, \u201eIt wasn\u2019t just a play on words; every single dish was served in the shape of a crown or with crown-shaped decorations\u201d. The starter was salmon served with Hungarian asparagus, followed by a pigeon stock. The main course consisted of veal fillet, accompanied by paper-thin potato crowns stuffed with Hungarian wild rice, and chanterelle mushrooms stuffed with goose liver. For dessert, there was a crown baked from thin, crisp pastry, decorated with real strawberries and strawberries moulded from parfe. In addition to this, alongside the Gundel wines from their own cellar in M\u00e1d, \u201ea 1952 Tokaji Asz\u00fa was also served, the grapes for which were harvested in the year the Queen ascended the throne\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Legendary stories about the royal couple\u2019s moments in Hungary: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n GUNDEL\u2019S CUISINE: THEN AND NOW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The chefs at Gundel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel\u2019s chefs have always been outstanding professionals; they have never sought to outshine Gundel as an institution. The most important mission of a Gundel chef is to serve the Gundel cause with all their diligence and dedication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the opening of Gundel in 2021, Viktor Moldov\u00e1n has been proving his mettle day in, day out. As a great enthusiast of classic Hungarian cuisine, he is a highly knowledgeable young chef who spent many years running a Hungarian-style restaurant in Japan, whilst mastering the highly consistent and precise Japanese work culture and organisation. He passes this on to our guests to their great satisfaction \u2013 from opening to closing. Viktor Moldov\u00e1n is assisted in his work by Andr\u00e1s Wolf, one of the Eventrend Group\u2019s corporate chefs; in fact, the two of them lead the kitchen team. They are supported in their work by Chef J\u00e1nos Kov\u00e1cs and Pastry Chef Gy\u00f6rgyi Dudok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel\u2019s gastronomy today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no need to write the Gundel menu \u2013 its backbone has been in place for over 80 years. The best Gundel dishes are built on tradition, the centrepiece of which is the \u2018Nemzeti11\u2019 \u2013 the eleven iconic Gundel dishes that we all regard as the most important part of Gundel\u2019s heritage. It is with these flavours that the restaurant \u2013 and, by extension, Hungarian cuisine \u2013 competes on the international gastronomic stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National 11 playing at Gundel: Tokaji Asz\u00fa goose liver p\u00e2t\u00e9 with poppy seed bread, Goulash soup with homemade csipetke, \u00dajh\u00e1zi chicken soup with homemade noodles, Pal\u00f3c soup made with lamb, K\u00e1rp\u00e1ti pike-perch fillet with mushrooms and crayfish in a butter sauce, Chicken paprik\u00e1s with nokedli and cucumber salad with sour cream, Bakony sirloin with bacon and cottage cheese noodles, Viennese cutlet of Mangalica pork, served with roasted parsley potatoes and home-pickled vegetables, The original Gundel pancakes, Soml\u00f3i dumplings, R\u00e1k\u00f3czi cottage cheese with sour cream ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The original Gundel cuisine <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past 125 years, Gundel\u2019s reputation has spread across the globe; world-famous public figures, queens and Hollywood celebrities continue to enjoy Gundel\u2019s hospitality to this day. However, Gundel was not just a venue for lavish feasts; in the old days, the terrace also served savoury pretzels, draught beer and boiled eggs in goulash sauce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the leadership of K\u00e1roly Gundel, the restaurant began to flourish; he was not only a master of exceptional hospitality, but he also served the finest dishes of Hungarian and French cuisine, creating combinations of ingredients and flavours that are now regarded as the foundations of modern Hungarian cuisine. New recipes were constantly being experimented with: Pal\u00f3c soup, chicken paprikash, Bakony mushroom ragout, K\u00e1rp\u00e1ti pikeperch and Tokaj goose liver were all created at Gundel, but it was also at Gundel that the culture of Hungarian-style sauces and ragouts, as we know them today, was established. It was on the terrace of the Gundel restaurant that such now-famous dishes as J\u00f3kai bean soup, Bakony mushroom ragout and Gundel pancakes were first served. K\u00e1roly Gundel often named dishes after his regular guests. This is how, for example, \u00dajh\u00e1zi chicken soup came into being, named after the actor Ede \u00dajh\u00e1zi, J\u00f3kai bean soup, Munk\u00e1csy-style eggs or Feszty steak \u2013 but let us not forget that the Gundel dynasty also introduced Wiener schnitzel to Hungary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The history of Gundel and Gundel Kert<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most decisive factor behind the construction of Gundel was that, in the 1860s, the City Park was becoming increasingly popular; moreover, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden opened in 1866. It was then that the decision was taken to enhance the increasingly popular Liget with a restaurant. A restaurant opened at the location we know today, and Ferenc Wampetics was initially responsible for running it. The restaurant\u2019s garden area \u2013 extending deep into the Zoo \u2013 was established at that time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gundel family took over the restaurant on a lease in 1910, and it was from then on that it came to be known as Gundel. In its heyday, between the two world wars, it operated much more as a vast open-air dining area, with space for as many as 1,000 seats. This was complemented by a smaller restaurant, the same size as the present-day building. At that time, the building housed a number of facilities that no longer exist, including its own pigsty, laundry and staff accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the 1920s onwards, Gundel became a venue for elegant, large-scale events and a leading meeting place. However, visitors to the Zoo and the English Park were also keen to pop into the restaurant, as \u201eit was the height of fashion to go to Gundel\u201d. What\u2019s more, its own 11-piece band ensured that the lavish feasts were accompanied by continuous live music, so the atmosphere was always at its best. At Gundel, there was something to suit every age group and every budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1937, Gundel catered for the state banquet in Sz\u00e9kesfeh\u00e9rv\u00e1r to mark the visit of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Two years later, Gundel served as the official caterer for the Hungarian pavilion at the New York World\u2019s Fair, and Hungarian cuisine took its rightful place on the world\u2019s gastronomic map. In those days, Gundel was frequented by a host of celebrities; writers, artists, actors and actresses would visit, not only to feast but also drawn by the lively atmosphere. (source: Wikipedia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel\u2019s vast terrace and garden have always been a prime venue for social life in Budapest. Following the reopening of Gundel in December 2021, the Eventrend Group has also refurbished the garden to provide guests with an outdoor space that is worthy of its history whilst meeting all modern requirements. Visitors can relax here too, cooling off under the shady trees whilst enjoying a drink or a bite to eat, making important decisions or simply unwinding, chat or simply enjoy the silence, watch their children and grandchildren absorbed in play, whilst discovering the many charms of the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The garden \u2013 which can seat between 500 and 600 guests when fully occupied \u2013 is perhaps Budapest\u2019s largest restaurant garden. It pays homage to the golden age of Gundel whilst also ensuring that it remains open at all times of day, for every occasion, and to the widest possible range of guests. An open, child-friendly atmosphere was also introduced by K\u00e1roly Gundel back in the day: all 13 of his children experienced the joys of early childhood in the garden, growing up amongst the guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel and Eventrend<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In May 2021, the Eventrend Group took over the management of the world-famous Gundel and Bagolyv\u00e1r. The contract to this effect was signed at the end of January 2021 with representatives of the owner, Danubius Hotels. At the time, the lessors stated that they had confidence in the professional expertise of Eventrend Group, which possesses significant experience in operating venues with a rich history and heritage. It is important to DH that the Gundel restaurant, as part of Hungary\u2019s legendary culinary heritage, continues to be a key player in the country\u2019s gastronomic scene, and to this end it sought out the most suitable strategic partner. In recent years, Gundel\u2019s outstanding team of professionals have demonstrated their expertise day in, day out, much to the delight of their guests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n GUNDEL\u2019S MILESTONES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel, Hungary\u2019s most famous restaurant, has been welcoming guests in Budapest since 1894, in the heart of the beautiful City Park. The work of its founder, K\u00e1roly Gundel, is of outstanding significance in the fields of Hungarian gastronomy and hospitality: he combined traditional dishes with the sophistication and elegance of modern gastronomy, thereby opening the doors to Hungarian cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n J\u00e1nos Gundel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gundel legend began with Johann Gundel, who set out at the age of 13 to try his luck in the world of hospitality. During his long and eventful career, he gained a wealth of experience. He reached the pinnacle of his career at the elegant restaurant of the Istv\u00e1n F\u0151herczeg Hotel. His internationally inspired yet distinctly Hungarian dishes, combined with his bold use of ingredients, soon brought him the long-awaited success: his restaurant was mentioned in the same breath as the most renowned establishments in Vienna, Munich and Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n K\u00e1roly Gundel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The founder of the Gundel restaurant also got his first taste of the hospitality industry at a very early age, having started working alongside his father, J\u00e1nos, at the Archduke Istv\u00e1n Hotel. He travelled the world from a young age, then moved to Budapest with his family in 1910 to take over the restaurant formerly known as \u201eWampetics\u201d, after the elderly Mr Wampetics decided he no longer wished to run the establishment. This is still the famous Gundel restaurant today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n K\u00e1roly Gundel refined Hungarian cuisine and blended it with influences from the wider world. He applied modern gastronomic techniques with brilliant flair. Through his pioneering work, he put Hungary on the world\u2019s gastronomic map; K\u00e1roly Gundel also made gastronomic history with his dishes. Just as our great composers, Kod\u00e1ly and Bart\u00f3k, collected Hungarian folk music from across the vast expanse of historic Hungary, so too did Gundel gather together culinary specialities. His restaurant served all manner of dishes, from Cluj-style cabbage to Bratislava croissants, from Upper Hungary\u2019s cabbage-stuffed sztrapacska to Soml\u00f3 dumplings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Renowned Hungarian politicians, artists, writers and sportspeople frequented K\u00e1roly Gundel\u2019s restaurants: the Gell\u00e9rt, the Royal Hotel and the Gundel House itself. The restaurant\u2019s chefs, and K\u00e1roly Gundel himself, took great pleasure in creating special dishes for their famous guests, which they named after them. This is how, amongst others, Munk\u00e1csy-style eggs, \u00dajh\u00e1zi meat soup, J\u00f3kai bean soup and Feszty beefsteak came into being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gundel House has weathered the storms of history, including two world wars, economic crises and the years of nationalisation. Even now, more than 100 years after its foundation, it proudly continues K\u00e1roly Gundel\u2019s finest traditions of hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will be offering the set menu in 2-, 3- and 4-course versions, available only during dinner service from 18:00, for 10 days from 8 to 17 July 2024. Price for a three-course meal: 22,750 Ft + service charge 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n Price for 4 courses: 26,600 Ft + service charge 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prices by wine range<\/p>\n\n\n\n Price for 2 courses: 24,000 Ft + service charge 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n Price for a three-course meal: 33,250 Ft + service charge 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n Price for 4 courses: 40,600 Ft + service charge 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE GASTRONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF GUNDEL<\/p>\n\n\n\n K\u00e1roly Gundel\u2019s work is outstanding in the field of Hungarian gastronomy and hospitality: he combined traditional dishes with the sophistication and elegance of modern gastronomy, thereby opening the doors to Hungarian cuisine. Following the 1939 New York World\u2019s Fair, the New York Times wrote of the Gundel Restaurant that it had done more for Hungary\u2019s reputation than a ship\u2019s cargo of tourist brochures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201eGundel dishes\u201d, which have become internationally renowned, are for the most part refined versions of traditional Hungarian cuisine, reimagined in the spirit of the Gundel flavour profile. A good example of this is the Balaton pike-perch \u00e0 la Gundel, which is a quintessential example of Gundel\u2019s artistry: he applied techniques from French cuisine but imbued them with a Hungarian character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new dishes he and his father (J\u00e1nos Gundel) created \u2013 Pal\u00f3c soup, veal Pittsburgh-style, Gundel stew, Gundel pancakes, Soml\u00f3i galuska \u2013 have now become indispensable dishes of Hungarian cuisine. As a restaurant that honours tradition, we continue to serve these dishes to this day, often in their original form and based on the original recipes, thereby ensuring that all our guests \u2013 whether from Hungary or abroad \u2013 can experience Hungarian gastronomic culture in an authentic way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n K\u00e1roly Gundel also wrote a number of books on hospitality and the culinary arts. His works and articles, including *The Art of Hospitality* and *The Little Hungarian Cookbook*, published in English and German respectively, played a major part in enhancing the reputation of both the author and Hungarian hospitality. To mark the 130th anniversary of his birth \u2013 in 2013 \u2013 a new *Gundel Cookbook* was published in both Hungarian and English, featuring 77 recipes drawn from his original recipes and dishes from a new era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GUNDEL IS OURS! GUNDEL BELONGS TO EVERYONE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gundel is ours. Yes, it is ours \u2013 the Hungarians\u2019. It embodies our history, our traditions and our passion for fine flavours. Gundel\u2019s legacy is our shared pride. Gundel\u2019s success story is our shared national treasure. It is ours. It is shining proof of our talent, our open-mindedness and our warm hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We, the staff of the Eventrend Group, are devoted fans of Gundel. It is a uplifting feeling to know that Gundel\u2019s legacy is also ours. It is an honour to be able to nurture and preserve this source of Hungarian pride, which dates back more than a century. We draw on all our experience to fulfil this noble mission to the full. We work to ensure that the Gundel experience is accessible to as many people as possible. We would like to share it with everyone. To our Hungarian and international guests, whether dining in our restaurant or attending an event, both in-house and off-site. Because the Gundel experience is one that everyone deserves to discover, experience and savour. We believe that this will make it an even more wonderful feeling to know that Gundel is ours. Because in this way, Gundel will belong to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of the Gundel Mission, we are donating 5 per cent of the proceeds from the \u201eCelebrities\u201d Menus\u2019 series to the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Sinosz!<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":18903,"template":"","publikacio":[189],"class_list":["post-19349","sajto","type-sajto","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","publikacio-bdpst-hu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sajto\/19349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sajto"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sajto"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sajto\/19349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publikacio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publikacio?post=19349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The choice of Gundel and the lunch held there were particularly significant because, reportedly, this was the only formal occasion during the four days spent there when the royal couple did not eat a meal prepared by the court chef they had brought with them from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The price of the set menu includes a welcome glass of sparkling wine (British sparkling wine \u2013 Nyetimber Classic Cuv\u00e9e), which is served to guests on Herend plates with silver cutlery.
Additional activity: a life-size, full-length statue of Queen Elizabeth II with a selfie spot, where visitors can have their photo taken wearing red and blue satin sashes, with a specially designed setting both indoors and in the garden.
Price for 2 courses: 17,000 Ft + service charge 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n