Restaurateur Károly Gundel remains the only person in Hungary to ever earn a profile in the New Yorker Magazine. In 1948, legendary reporter Joseph Wechsberg came to Budapest to feature the owner of Central Europe’s leading restaurant, which Gundel founded in 1910 and named for himself. “Gundel contributed more to the fame of Hungarian cooking than any other man and is ranked by connoisseurs all over the world in a class with Escoffier and Fernand Point,” reads the intro.
It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story from the twilight years of Gundel, before the restaurant was nationalized and ruined by the Communist regime, forcing Károly Gundel to flee Hungary and die in poverty in 1956.
After the fall of Communism, the restaurant was revived in 1991 by the Hungarian-born American restaurateur, George Láng, and his billionaire business partner, Ronald Lauder. Hiring an army of interior designers, artists, and even an in-house historian, they spent a shocking $22 million on the restoration (Milton Glaser, who did the I love New York sign, designed the new Gundel logo). Soon, high profile guests were back, including Queen Elizabeth.
After Láng’s illness, Gundel changed hands and the restaurant struggled to live up to its reputation. It was seen as a pricey establishment for tourists, trafficking in nostalgia. In 2021, Eventrend, a large hospitality group also in charge of Budapest’s New York Cafe, took over the business to little fanfare.
It remains a commercial machine that capitalizes on the name – Gundel signs appear all over the fancy dishware. But the service is excellent and the dishes surprisingly delicious. Especially good are the Gundel-related classics, such as the palóc soup, the Kárpáti fogas, the Gundel pancake. With €16-22 mains, prices are similar to higher end restaurants in Budapest. It turns out Gundel is more than just a tourist bait!
FAQs
There are two kinds of goulash: Hungarian goulash, which calls for the slow-simmered beef to be served alongside egg noodles, and American goulash, which pulls in ground beef and cooks the noodles in the pot alongside the sauce.
How much does goulash cost in Budapest? ›
In restaurants, prices usually range €6-10 for a bowl.
What is goulash in Budapest? ›
Gulyás or Goulash dish is one the few authentic contributions of the Hungarian gastronomy, to international cuisine and even so, it usually resembles a stew, whereas it is supposed to be more like a soup.
What is the story of goulash? ›
goulash, traditional stew of Hungary. The origins of goulash have been traced to the 9th century, to stews eaten by Magyar shepherds. Before setting out with their flocks, they prepared a portable stock of food by slowly cooking cut-up meats with onions and other flavourings until the liquids had been absorbed.
What is goulash called in America? ›
American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, is an American comfort food dish, similar to American chop suey. American goulash is usually referred to in the midwestern and southern United States as simply "goulash".
What does goulash mean in Hungarian? ›
The Hungarian word for this delicious dish is gulyáshús, from gulyás, "herdsman," and hús, "meat." Historically, goulash was a stew cooked by shepherds using lamb or beef. The paprika came later, but today it's a vital part of an authentic goulash.
What is traditionally eaten with goulash? ›
Like pörkölt, these stews are generally served with boiled or mashed potato, polenta, dumplings (e.g. nokedli, or galuska), spätzle or, alternatively, as a stand-alone dish with bread. Romani people have their own version of goulash.
Why is goulash so popular in Hungary? ›
Like many of our favorite dishes, goulash started as a humble peasant food, a rustic rural dish that originated with the hard working cow herders of the fertile central Hungarian plains, who spent long days out in the field working up an appetite.
What food is Hungary known for? ›
LET'S EAT! HUNGARIAN DISHES WE RECOMMEND YOU TO TRY
- Gulyásleves (goulash soup)
- Halászlé (a famous hot and spicy fish soup with hot paprika)
- Chicken Paprikash called Csirkepaprikás (a stew with a lot of sweet paprika, cream or sour cream)
- Hideg meggyleves (cherry soup served cold and sweet)
Hungary's national dish
Gulyás, known to English speakers as goulash, is a spicy meat stew containing lots of paprika pepper. Originally, it was eaten by the country's cattle herders and stockmen.
goulash in American English
2. a heterogeneous mixture; hodgepodge; jumble.
What is original goulash made of? ›
It is made with simple ingredients like meat, peppers and root vegetables elevated to perfection by the use of Hungary's most famous spice: paprika. Goulash can be made with beef or pork but the traditional way of making it is with beef.
Why is American goulash so different? ›
American goulash is more of a pasta and ground beef dish
A comfort classic in the U.S., American goulash bears little relation to its Hungarian predecessor. Chunks of beef or pork are replaced by ground meat, drowned in a tomato sauce over macaroni.
What is the difference between Austrian and Hungarian goulash? ›
Goulash became popular in Austria during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Of course, the Austrians modified it to make it their own. They took out the carrots and potatoes from the stew. However, they did not change the two most important ingredients: sweet Hungarian paprika and lots of onions.
Is beef stroganoff the same as Hungarian goulash? ›
Is beef stroganoff the same as goulash? No, because stroganoff is a thick pasta dish where one of the main ingredients is some type of pasta noddle, whereas goulash is more of a stew without noodles but lots of potatoes and different spices.
