PHOTOS: Iconic Hungarian restaurant to close in London

After nearly seven decades, the Budapest restaurant in London, Ontario, is about to shut its doors for good. The past few years have been hard for businesses, and this restaurant is no exception. The eatery located at 338 Dundas St. announced its closing on its Facebook earlier this week.

The Budapest Restaurant

The London Free Press reported that the Budapest Restaurant was very liked by locals. A cosy, strictly family-run business with a unique vibe. Many customers celebrated anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and other family events at the restaurant. Thus, the memory of this great gathering place will live long in the hearts of customers. The eatery had a great variety of traditional Hungarian dishes, such as goulash, chicken paprikash and schnitzel.

The history of Budapest Restaurant

The Budapest Restaurant opened in the late 1950s. The original owner, Marika Hayek was inspired to open a traditional Hungarian restaurant, as she grew up in the country. She emigrated to Canada with her husband after the ’56 Hungarian Revolution. The restaurant quickly became Hayek’s passion, working seven days a week, striving for providing the best service possible. Years ago, she even confessed in an interview that her business is more important than her personal life. She even prioritised the eatery over her romantic life. Customers loved the cosy Budapest Restaurant. The eatery served many famous people over the years. Among others, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, American singer Barbra Streisand and Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky.

After Hayek’s death

After the founder’s death in 2018, Eduard Nagy and Anita Tasonyi took over the business. They had high hopes for keeping the eatery running no matter what, but the events of the last couple of years were unexpected and hard on businesses. The COVID pandemic took a huge toll on the restaurant. The uncertainty caused a big jump in unemployment rates. Downtown London became crowded by homeless people, and it was not considered a safe place anymore. Of course, there was a significant drop in the number of people eating out as well. Many were forced to work from home, leaving downtown offices and eateries empty. Therefore, the team has agreed on closing the business. The fate of the Budapest Restaurant is very similar to another Hungarian restaurant’s in Canada. In Toronto, a Hungarian eatery has closed its doors not too long ago, which we have reported HERE.

Here is their announcement: