Gundel Restaurant
City: Budapest
Area: District 14.
Phone: +36-1-468-40-40
Fax: +36-1-363-19-17
Opening Hours: Every day 12:00 - 16:00; 18:30 - 24:00
Internet: Free WIFI hotspot
The restaurant, built in 1894 (until 1910, it was called Wampetics Restaurant). Gundel Károly has taken over in 1910, and turned it into the best place for fine dining in Budapest. The restaurant was the official caterer to the Hungarian Pavilion of the New York World Expo in 1937, helping spread the word about the wonderful Hungarian cuisine. In 1949 it was nationalised and therefore its quality has deteriorated.
In 1991, George Lang and Ronald S. Lauder have bought the restaurant, and reopened it following a complete renovation in 1992. It greeted its one-millionth guest in the year 2000. Today, it is Budapest's best restaurant without question. Its "little sister", the Bagolyvár Restaurant is adjacent to the Gundel building, and is the only restaurant where only ladies work - it's a matter of tradition.
Food
Gundel's menu offers everything from Hungarian goose liver to breast of pheasant. Main courses are paired with complementary side dishes, but can easily run you over $40 USD per plate. Gundel advertizes itself as the best restaurant in Hungary, and their chef has won recognition for his cuisine, so you decide if it's worth it.
After years of experimentation and extensive testing, they have also developed light versions of Hungarian cuisine, reducing cholesterol and calorie content. Generally speaking, dishes served in the new Gundel are lighter and healthier than they had ever been in the restaurant’s one-hundred-year history.
Luckily, however, those who want to experience Gundel without emptying their wallets on food can enjoy a glass of wine from the cellar. The cellar has historic significance, as it has been renovated from the original cellar that inhabited the restaurant that was a precursor to Gundel.
Atmosphere
Dining can be done in the lavishly decorated interior rooms or on the expansive patio. The bar area is smooth and warm, with dark woods and shiny marble.
Gundel pancake
The question, whether the French crepe, the Austrian Palatschinken or the Hungarian palacsinta was created earlier, has not been decided for ages (though possibly the Roman placenta is their common ancestor - the latter was introduced by the Roman Legions into the countries of the European continent). However the origin of the King of Pancakes, the Gundel palacsinta is quite certain. This delicacy was created by the famous restaurateur Károly Gundel in his exquisite restaurant in the Budapest City Park, at the beginning of the XXth century. The century-old Gundel pancake has a filling enriched with rum, raisin, lemon rind and walnuts, served with a chocolate sauce - somewhat fried in the oven and flambéed upon request. Chef - Kálmán Kalla
George Lang, the new CO-owner of Gundel, persuaded Kalla to become the executive chef of the renovated restaurant in October 1991. During the period of reconstruction, the chef was able to design every aspect of 
the kitchen and staff in just the way he wanted, according to his demanding standards. In the course of his career, Kalla has travelled continually, from Jerusalem to Kuala Lumpur, from New York to Karachi; he has prepared food at various gastronomic exhibitions in many countries, winning prizes at every competition.
Wherever he travelled, Kalla adapted regional techniques to his classical training - for example, in Japan he learned the Asian art of cooking vegetables, and in Finland and the Netherlands, he acquired the Scandinavian knowledge of cooking fish properly.
At the same time, Kalla has developed a way to make traditional Hungarian cuisine lighter, while still retaining the delicious flavours for which his native cuisine is renowned.
Kalla has been awarded the prestigious Hungarian Golden Toque award, and is the author of The Forum Gastronomique, published in 1991.
Sunday brunch
Sunday brunches, which change their theme every week, are quite affordable for 5800 HUF (there’s a 50% discount for children under 15, while it’s free under 5)
Pictures and virtual tour
Click here to see the virtual tour of Gundel restaurant!
Menu
Cold Apatizers
Gently smoked Duck Breast with Duck Liver and Prune Tower 3.660 HUF
Serrano Ham with Wine-poached Pear 4.570 HUF
Pot-baked Venison Paté with Cranberry Confit and Orange Ragout 3.890 HUF
Farm Goat Cheese toasted on Endive 4.340 HUF
Mimosa Salad with Almond-Oil Vinaigrette and Buckwheat Bread 2.800 HUF
A tasting of our cold Entrées offered by Chef Fodor 5.730 HUF
Famous Hungarian Soups
Squash Cream Soup with Truffles and Goose Liver Stripes 1.490 HUF
Tarragon-scented Venison Ragout Soup with our Apple-Potato Dumplings 1.760 HUF
A Cup of Traditional Hungarian Gulyás Soup made of Prime Cut Beef 2.490 HUF
Potage of Spinach with Cottage Cheese Balls 1.490 HUF
Chef’s Three Soup Sampler 2.550 HUF
Hot Apetizers
Scallop with Peach and Morels 5.100 HUF
Mushroom stuffed Mushrooms 2.890 HUF
Goose liver
Goose Liver Pâté seasoned with Tokaji Aszú paired with Brioche and Tokaji Jelly served with a glass of traditional Gundel Tokaji Aszú 4.960 HUF
Pâté of Foie Gras prepared with Hungarian Truffles 4.190 HUF
Trio of Goose Livers: Pâté of Foie Gras seasoned with Tokaji Aszú, Goose Liver Ice Cream with Mango and Torte of Foie Gras with Cranberry 5.570 HUF
Quartette of Goose Livers: Pâté of Foie Gras seasoned with Tokaji Aszú, prepared with Hungarian Truffles; Goose Liver in its Fat and a Slice of cold, smoked Goose Liver 6.300 HUF
Grilled Slices of Goose Liver on Rösti Pedestal with baked Apple and Wild Cherry-Tea Sauce
As an appetizer 5.360 HUF
As a main course 7.890 HUF
Sea and fresh-water fish courses
Pan-roasted Filet of Balaton Fogash Gundel Style, served with Spinach and Vegetable Batons 5.980 HUF
Gently baked, Dill and Honey Cured Salmon Steak on Carrot Torte with Citrus-Champagne Sauce 6.690 HUF
Pink-roasted Tuna with Sesame Seed seared piquant Vegetables and Wine Sabayon 7.890 HUF
Dover Sole baked as a whole with buttered Vegetables and Parslied Potato (served at the table) 390 HUF/ 10 gramm
Poultry
Pink-roasted Duck Breast with Golden Tokaji Raisin, Apple and mashed Potato 6.890 HUF
Oven-baked Drumstick of Goose served with Potato Knödel and White Cabbage with sundried Apricot 5.980 HUF
Four-legged farm
Smoked Filet of Beef „Twins” with grilled Goose Liver and Forest Mushrooms 9.750 HUF
Chateaubriand with stuffed Vegetables and Merlot Sauce (carved at your table) 10.620 HUF
Rack of Lamb with Vegetable Pie 9.360 HUF
Piglet Chop with Dilled Pancake Soufflé, grilled Vegetables and Paprika Sauce 7.770 HUF
Game dishes
Pink-roasted Saddle of Roe-Deer with Squash and Cranberry Sauce 9.780 HUF
Vegetarian dishes
Goat Cheese Soufflé in Strudel Basket with tossed Green Salad 3.820 HUF
Pappardelle with creamed Morel 3.980 HUF
Traditional and new Gundel creations
CSÖRNYEFÖLFI SZÜRKEBARÁT 2006 - BUSSAY VINERY
Tarragon scented Venison Ragout Soup with our Apple-Potato Dumplings
Pan-roasted Filet of Balaton Fogash Gundel Style, served with Spinach and Vegetable Batons
BUDAI SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007 – NYAKAS VINERY
Pink-roasted Saddle of Roe-Deer with Squash-Poppy Seed Soufflé, caramelized Chestnut and Cranberry Sauce
SZEKSZÁRDI CABERNET SAUVIGNON BARRIQUE 2006– CHATEAU KAJMÁD VINERY
The Classic Crepe a la Gundel
GUNDEL TOKAJI ASZÚ 5 BUTTS 2002
The price of the menu includes the four glasses of wine too.
26.200 HUF, without wines: 17.200 HUF
Sweets
Crepe Gundel flambéed with our Green Walnut Liqueur 1.850 HUF
Hand pulled Strudel of seasonal Fruit 1.850 HUF
Citrus Cone with Fig Marmelade 1.780 HUF
Coconut Dessert with Passion Fruit Heart 1.780 HUF
Goat Cheese Pyramid with Palinka-flavoured Pear 1.780 HUF
White Chocolate Mousse in a crisp Roll on Chocolate Bed 1.870 HUF
Home-style Mille Feuille with caramelized Banana and Eggnog Ice-Cream 1.780 HUF
Cottage Cheese on Orange Disc with Sage-Raspberry Sorbet 1.980 HUF
Variations on a Chestnut Theme (Soufflé, Espuma and Ice-Cream) 1.980 HUF
Favourites of the past 15 years – our Dessert Assortment (for 2 persons) 3.750 HUF
