Bohemian ambience and family-friendly idyll amid chestnut trees – welcome to the Gundel Garden - English

The fame of the legendary Gundel has travelled the world for the past 125 years and, after reopening in 2021, the restaurant is once again evoking its golden age. This month, they unveiled the Gundel Garden, where the children of Károly Gundel, the grandmaster of hospitality, ran beneath the trees and where up to 1,000 guests once sat. Now the Gundel pays homage to these old times and awaits its guests with contemporary attractions. Star chefs have a separate menu for children and even pets, the little ones can play garden games reminiscent of the turn of the century, while adults can relax and nibble on Gundel’s summer-style classics. We arrived with kids, dogs and a drum roll, and if we could have, we would have stayed all day.

The Gundel Garden then and now

We covered the history of Gundel in an earlier article, but to understand the importance of the garden, let’s bring it to life. It all started when Budapest Zoo opened in 1866. Its popularity grew year by year, and City Park, then known as Lizsé, began to buzz. Only one thing was missing: somewhere to sit down and eat. Ferenc Wampetics opened his restaurant in the late 1890s and in 1910, the Gundel family took over.

Strike up the band

The garden area was already in place during the time of Wampetics, but it really came to life in the Károly Gundel era. Draught beer flowed, salted pretzels snapped and an 11-person band provided the melodies.

The mood was always tip-top, and it didn’t matter if someone’s wallet was lean or fat, everyone here found their level. In addition, all ages were welcomed, as Károly Gundel’s 13 offspring grew up in the garden.

Let's go out to Gundel!

“Let’s be honest, if someone but really wanted to eat well, not just some flashy meal, people used to say to each other, let’s go out to Gundel!” wrote the pictorial weekly Film, Theatre, Literature in 1943.

And this is praise we could have written even now, because with the slogan ‘The Gundel Belongs to Everyone!’, a new chapter in the life of the legendary restaurant was launched in 2021.

The renovated interior, the menu that wraps traditional dishes in modern-day garb and now the garden just opened in May, all evoke the atmosphere of the golden age.

Special adventures in the Gundel Garden

To create the bohemian atmosphere of the turn of the century, the garden is divided into three main parts. Near the entrance, the focus is on the café, where you can nip in for an espresso, a lemonade, a quick lunch or a classic Gundel delicacy. The area past the fountain caters for more elegant restaurant needs, so white tableclothed tables can be used for business meetings, family celebrations or romantic rendezvous. The third, the so-called Monkey Corner near the Zoo, awaits children with a mini-amusement park.

The Gundel Garden with its abundant greenery, tree shade, cooling fountain and charming, homely nostalgia, should make any visit unforgettable. As you look around, you always notice something new: a lemur hanging from a tree, a life-size gorilla and a golden statue of a tiger lurking in the bush, with elephants greeting you at the entrance and at many points around the restaurant. Two-person swings sway in the back.

The garden is now a real family paradise, as the little ones are greeted by attractions such as a turn-of-the-century carousel, a hippopotamus or a huge, shaded garden sandpit.

In the Gundel Garden, the children are given a special menu from which they can choose their best-loved favourite dishes, and even the youngest ones can download the Gundel Kids app, which allows them to colour in the Gundel Palace or listen to a story about Uncle Gundel.

In addition, they even thought of four-legged guests that don’t need to be left at home if you visit. Dogs have their own menu, the dishes specially tested by the chefs.

National XI summer specials

As it's almost impossible to list how many adventures await at the Gundel Garden, everyone should check it out for themselves, but don’t be surprised if end up staying for a few hours, sampling the bounty of the menu.

The special Gundel dishes crown any stay, starting with a lush Gundel lemonade, continuing with specialities honouring the legacy of Károly Gundel, the National XI, including idyllic desserts such as flaming Gundel pancakes.

We already tested the restaurant’s dishes this winter, but now we also sampled the specialities of the National XI summer specials. Palóc soup, goulash, Carpathian pike-perch and chicken paprikash still evoke homely flavours, as do the Wiener Schnitzel, the mangalica pork sausage, egg ratatouille and the evergreen classics of any Hungarian summer.

Gundel specialities are conceived by Viktor Moldován, the senior chef who prepared Hungarian cuisine in Japan for 14 years. He is assisted by András Wolf, who showed his understanding of classic national dishes at the New York Café and the Salon restaurant.

The Gundel Garden awaits guests from 9am with breakfast, elevenses and coffee whether it’s a business meeting, a get-together with friends or romantic coffee break, before a walk in City Park or after a visit to the zoo, with a baby, a dog or a laptop.

Everyone can while away their time over their order and enjoy the atmosphere of the garden for as long as they like, because here – just as in Károly Gundel’s garden way back when – caring for the guest is the most important factor.

The renewed Gundel is also for those who want to experience the inimitable Gundel atmosphere at a wedding, a family event or a corporate party, as the Eventrend Group, responsible for its operation, has also renovated the nearby Bagolyvár restaurant. This now serves as a wonderful function room featuring a cheerful little terrace and a top-quality kitchen.