The oldest restaurants in Hungary that are still open

These are the oldest restaurants still open today to visitors to enjoy a meal like Hungarians did more than a 100 years ago.

The coronavirus pandemic and the recent surge in energy prices have not favoured the hospitality sector. Even the Restaurante Botín in Madrid, which was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest restaurant, was forced to shut down indefinitely during the early days of the pandemic. Now Hellovidék.hu compiles the oldest Hungarian restaurants still open today.

Centenary meals

The oldest restaurant today in Hungary is the Százéves Étterem (“100-year-old Restaurant”) in Budapest. Despite what the name suggests, the eatery is actually not 100 years old.

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The restaurant was opened back in 1831 and was already referred to as the 100 years old restaurant back in the early 1900s. It is located in the heart of Budapest on Piarista street, on the ground floor of a small baroque palace. With candlelight and live gypsy music, the restaurant is still decorated in a traditional look, and customers can taste dishes from both traditional Hungarian and international cuisine.

Although it is the oldest restaurant in Hungary, it is not the oldest diner in the world that serves Hungarian dishes. Arany Hordó (Golden Barrell) in Sibiu, Transylvania, was established in 1542.

Fancy some sweets?

The oldest Hungarian confectionary is also in Budapest. The Ruszwum confectionary opened back in 1827 and is still open to date. Coincidentally the 2^nd oldest confectionary is also called Százéves (100-year-old), just like the restaurant, but it was opened in 1840 in the small historic town of Gyula.

The Gundel Restaurant in Budapest also deserves a mention. It was opened in 1894 and became the Gundel after legendary Hungarian chef Károly Gundel bought the business in 1910. The restaurant serves the original Gundel pancake, a famous delicacy that also dates back to the early 20th century.

The oldest, still open tavern next to Lake Balaton is the Piroska Csárda in Balatonszéplak, which was opened in 1963. The oldest fine dining restaurant was opened in 1990 as Red Caviar. Under the name Golden Caviar, it is still open to this day.

People in Budapest can enjoy a historic burger as well. As the first restaurant from a Western fast food chain, the first McDonald’s was opened in 1988 on Régiposta street.

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Source: hellovidek.hu