Gundel, Budapest's Famous Restaurant Turns 125

Guests wait for the evening to commence. Photo courtesy Gundel In the hospitality business it’s a rare thing for a restaurant to even reach its first birthday. Every additional year is a gift. What about 125 years? Gundel restaurant in Budapest, Hungary recently celebrated 125 years. Technically their building turned 125—they’ve been around as a restaurant since 1910 when Károly Gundel took over the lease of Wampetics, the original restaurant, and eventually renamed it after himself. But even so, to have been in service for that long is a feat. And to have been through what Gundel has been through is an amazing history lesson. Just to give you a taste. A bust of János Gundel, Károly's father, adorns the restaurant's lobby. For Hungarians, the name Gundel has been synonymous with hospitality, and not just any kind, but the best service and the highest quality food. And it has left an indelible mark on Hungarian gastronomy with popular dishes, some that have become

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Hello! I’m Joseph J. Erdos, the "Hungry Hungarian," and I'm proud to call myself a foodie and food blogger. I've been dreaming of writing a blog all about Hungarian food and this is finally it! It's only taken me 10 years to commit to it.

As you can imagine, I grew up in a very Hungarian family. Born and raised in Connecticut, I spoke Hungarian, ate Hungarian and celebrated holidays in a Hungarian way. But in my adolescent years I distanced myself from the culture—I guess I didn't want people to think of me as less of an American. And when I started my career in food writing and editing, I instead chose to write about French technique, Asian flavors, international fusion, and pretty much just about anything other than Hungarian cooking.

Now that I'm older and wiser (I know I'm definitely older; I'd like to think I'm wiser), I've come to the realization that Hungarian food is closest to my heart. I'm one of those people who can't stop talking about his heritage to other people. Any of my closest friends would concur. Now I'd like to share my love and passion for Hungarian food with all of you.

Most of my creations are based on family favorites whereas others are twists on the classics. I hope to show you what makes Hungarian food so unique among the world's cuisines. First, its flavors are unique. Second, lots of foods do have paprika, that magical, rusty-colored spice. And third, it's the epitome of comfort food.

I hope you try some of my recipes and come back often to see just what Hungarian cuisine is really about. It's more than just goulash and paprikash!