Gundel, Budapest

4 more images

My last full day in Budapest held a special dining experience for me: Lunch at the famous Gundel restaurant. Karoly Gundel had taken over the restaurant next to the zoo in 1910 and turned it into a world-famous gourmet restaurant within short time. He created dishes that are named after him and are still served. In 1949 he lost his restaurants to the socialist government. They ruined the places thoroughly. But in 1992 a Hungarian emigrant and now New Yorker, George Lang, and multi-millionaire Ronald S. Lauder renovated the Gundel and brought back the glory of old times.

So I headed to the Gundel for lunch, had to live up to my reputation, eh? LOL I was quite surprised to see the place almost deserted: Only two other tables were busy. Anyway, the ambience and atmosphere are classic, elegant. Service was outstanding. They have a special lunch menu for HUF 3,000 or so, but upon recommendation I ordered gourmet menu "Traditional and new Gundel creations" including corresponding wines. You probably don't want to know the price of the meal ... it was similar what you would pay in a gourmet restaurant in France or Germany. The quality of the food was not really top except for the dessert, but the wines made up for it. Please note that they add a service charge of 12% to the listed prices, so no extra tip necessary (but I gave one).

Favorite Dish: I started with smoked Goose Liver Terrine and Thyme-flavoured Bell Pepper, accompanied by Kir which was pretty good, but as usual in Hungary I did not like the tasteless white bread. Next course was Porcini Soup with Green Apple - very good. Fish course was pan-fried Balaton Fogash Filet with, Spinach Purée, Sage Oil and Vegetable Batons. The fogash filet was very good, the spinach puree a bit of a let-down. Wine was a Tokaji Furmint 2007, which was quite good. Main course was rack of venison with Poppy Seed Soufflé and Cognac-Chestnut Sauce - definitely a disappointment. The taste of the venison was somehow weird. Also, the poppy seed and the sauce didn't co-operate well. Wine was an excellent VILLÁNYI CaberNoir 2006 from Malatinszky Mansion. Highlight of the food was the dessert - the famous classic Crepe a la Gundel (crepe filled with walnuts and raisins and served with a rum-chocolate sauce). It was accompanied by a very good sweet dessert wine - MÉNESI KADARKA ASZÚ 2005 from winery Balla Geza. I also ordered an espresso.

I said above that the service was outstanding. To illustrate this I need to mention that I got into a very interesting discussion with the waiters and the maitre above wine. I pointed out that the 'dry' Hungarian wines (wines with both fish and main course) would probably be considered 'semi-dry' in Germany. I just felt they had too much remaining sugar for my taste (I prefer the dry Riesling e.g.). They brought me a glass of semi-dry Hungarian red wine just to taste it at no charge. And after the meal I was even treated to a glass (0.02 l) of the extremely expensive and delicious dessert wine Tokaji Natureszenczia - it has the consistence of oil and is absolutely fantastic.

4 more images

I had a chance to visit Gundel restaurant twice in three years. At Sunday you can enjoy in brunch that starts at 11:30 and it lasts until 15:00. It costs only 25 euros per person but you must have reservation. It is good to make reservation at lest one month in advance. They don't have online reservation system so you have to contact them over phone or use travel agency sevice.
Welcome drink is served when you arive and than you can start with wide selection of cold and warm starters, soups, several main dishes, salads and of course many many deserts for the end of a great meal. You pay only for the drinks you consume. Interior is beautiful and service is great.

Favorite Dish: Goose liver pate and all sorts of cakes

Gundel is a serious European restaurant. Slightly old-fashioned, but with a hundred years of history behind it, that's forgivable. Their specialty is goose liver so fans of foie gras, especially those fleeing recent American bans on foie gras, can find plenty here to love.

Even if you are not a liver fan, Gundel has delightful soups, main dishes, desserts and wine. Musicians play gypsy style music and tuxedoed waiters cater to your needs. They will do their best to make your evening delightful.

But you will pay dearly for it. The bill for two people, including a glass of wine, appetizer, main course and dessert came to $165. I thought it was worth it for a once in a lifetime splurge at such a fabulous place, but I know it's not for everyone.

Favorite Dish: My favorite dish was a locely piece of beef tenderloin cooked rare with a piece of foie gras on top. Meat on meat is not unusual in a the former Austro-Hungarian empire. But Gundlel did it spectacularly.

Gundel is a serious European restaurant. Slightly old-fashioned, but with a hundred years of history behind it, that's forgivable. Their specialty is goose liver so fans of foie gras, especially those fleeing recent American bans on foie gras, can find plenty here to love.

Even if you are not a liver fan, Gundel has delightful soups, main dishes, desserts and wine. Musicians play gypsy style music and tuxedoed waiters cater to your needs. They will do their best to make your evening delightful.

But you will pay dearly for it. The bill for two people, including a glass of wine, appetizer, main course and dessert came to $165. I thought it was worth it for a once in a lifetime splurge at such a fabulous place, but I know it's not for everyone.

Favorite Dish: My favorite dish was a locely piece of beef tenderloin cooked rare with a piece of foie gras on top. Meat on meat is not unusual in a the former Austro-Hungarian empire. But Gundlel did it spectacularly.

This restaurant is frequently rated as the best in Hungary, and one of the best in Central Europe, and we have no cause to disagree. Opened in 1894, the first Gundel to manage the restaurant was Karoly in 1910 and in the following years it established a remarkable reputation. Wartime and nationalization under the Communist regime led to a serious downturn, but the restaurant has been owned by George Lang ( owner of New York's Cafe de Artistes ) and Ronald Lauder of cosmetics fame and fortune since 1991 and it is indeed superb.

The dining room is of course quite beautiful. The worthy sit in an elevated section and the American tourists are lined up against a far wall in one row ( my only complaint - like ghetto warriors being lined up against a wall to be executed ) but the entire room and the seamless service make for a great dining experience. The walls are covered with paintings by noted Hungarian artists, the table settings are perfect with Zsolnay china. The experienced service staff with their perfect pacing and the strolling violinists set the stage for world class dining. The spousal unit says this may be the best meal she ever ate. Some reviews here on VT and elsewhere are lukewarm, and at these prices, perfection should be the standard. Our dining experience was very close to that perfection indeed. Reservations are necessary, jackets are required for the gentlemen, and costs will be at least $65-85 US per person ( not included bottled wines which are presumably quite costly). Jackets are provided for those without.

Favorite Dish: A shared appetizer of stuffed mushrooms was excellent. Entrees included the Gundel duck which was simple and perfect - deep rich taste, crisp skin, no fat. The Hungarian classic chicken papricka was assertive and yet light enough to allow for a dessert - a world class entree. For dessert we had the classic Gundel crepe with walnuts and a chocolate sauce -sounds good, doesn't it - and a flavorful light chocolate cake. All in all, a memorable outing.

Food. Disappointing and neglected.

Ambience. Although the serenading violinists were lively, the dining space was predictably posh.

Service. Not inspiring.

Dress. Dressy, but not chic. A bit overstuffed.

Price. Inflated.

Favorite Dish: Although forewarned that Gundel had lost much of its former glory, like so many others, we couldn't resist the opportunity to dine at the birthplace of the Gundel palacsinta. The wild game dishes we selected were manageable. And the desserts, though tasty, were hardly standouts. In the end, the Gundel experience was nothing more then a check mark.

We stopped by here for lunch after a morning spent at the zoo, but we weren't there for long. The servers pretty much completely ignored us (and the British couple at the table next to us who arrived just after we did) and after about 20-30 mins, we'd gotten as far as ordering drinks but had yet to see them. We managed to get a menu after the waiter set some menus on an empty table he was setting instead of giving them to two people who'd just sat down. The food was horribly expensive, but we never had any of it anyway. We walked out, since we'd gotten nothing so far, and had a wonderful lunch around the corner at Bagolyvár (The Owl's Castle).

Based upon all of the reviews we read, Gundel was billed as the premier place for fine dining in Budapest. It certainly lived up to expectations. Maybe it's because I'm from Houston and all our finest restaurants are Mexican food and steak restaurants, but this was by far the best restaurant I've ever eaten at. Everything about this restaurant was absolutely top notch. The ambiance, the food, the music, was all better than we could have ever hoped for. It was an extremely romantic evening.

Favorite Dish: Everyone raves about the Gundel pancake, but we were unfortunately too full to give it a try. We ordered the full prix fixe menu and really enjoyed the caviar.