Gerbeaud Cafe - A Grand Coffee House in Budapest

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Gerbeaud Cafe - Symbol of Budapest

The famous Gerbeaud Cafe on Vörösmarty Square in downtown Budapest celebrates the 150th anniversary of its foundation. Henrik Kugler established the coffee house in 1858.

Since Kugler didn't have a heir he sold the cafe to Emil Gerbeaud descendant of a talented Swiss confectioner family.

History of Gerbeaud Cafe

Gerbeaud expanded the cafe and developed into one of Europe's finest coffee house and pastry shop.

He added new cakes to the menu and introduced modern confectionery techniques.

Gerbeaud even founded a small chocolate factory where the legendary pralines and other sweets were made.

Coffee house culture thrived in 19th-century Budapest, with almost every street having its own cafe. Gerbeaud stood out from them by elegant decor and by offering a wide choice of delicious cakes. The silk-carpeted walls, the crystal chandeliers, gilded tables exuded style that drew people from the highest social stratas.

Gerbeaud Cafe in Budapest, in the 19th century

Everyone who counted at that time visited the place including the Habsburg royal family and many foreigners. Sissi, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph and Queen of Hungary always dropped in the Gerbeaud cafe when she was in Budapest. Unfortunatley the two world wars ruined the coffee house culture including the Gerbeaud. After Emil Gerbeaud died in 1919, his wife managed the establishment until her death 1940.

The two son-in-laws inherited the business who left the country in 1945. The state take over the ownership of the cafe during the communist era and renamed it Vörösmarty Cafe after the square where it stands.

Interior of the Gerbeaud Cafe in Budapest

After the II. World War the Gerbeaud cafe continued to be the most exclusive coffee house and confectionery in Budapest though lots some of its old grandeur.

In 1984 the Gerbeaud family managed to buy back the cafe and its original name.

Elegant interior of the Gerbeaud coffee House in Budapest

By 1990 the Gerbeaud cafe regained its lustre and it was again the place not to miss by foreign visitors coming to Budapest.

During its renovation in 1997 the cafe received fine wood panelings, lavish brocade wall covers, marble tables that enhance the nostalgia and refined elegance of the place but still managed to maintain a relaxing atmosphere.

Today the cafe has a pub with a rustic-aritorcrtic ambience offering freshly draught Pilsener beer and traditional Hungarian dishes.

The newest addition to Gerbeaud is the sleek Onyx Restaurant that opened its door in April 2007. Its hallmarks are the gourmet meals made exclusively from fresh ingredients by award-winning chefs.

150-year Anniversary of Gerbeaud Cafe's Foundation - Programs

To celebrate the 150 Jubilee Gerbeaud cafe is organzing a range of programs throughout the year:

offering period cakes and beverages in the Nostalgia salon,
musical evenings featuring chamber concerts on the terrace to mark Puccini's birth 150 years ago,

a birthday party during which all the rooms from basement to attic will be opened to visitors. You can take a walk through the glass covered historic inner courtyard or see a room that was once part of the Gerbeaud family's residence.
the Small (Kis) Salon houses a exhibition displaying family relics
in July-August, 2008
Pop in the Jubilee Museum to see how cakes and pastries were prepared and to take a look at the silver cutlery Sissi used during the early years of Gerbeaud Coffee House.
a street party on Vörösmarty Square will be a colurful event to celebrate the end of summer
in autumn the master chefs of Gerbeaud Cafe will delight customers with lush delicacies made from chocolate and fruits of the season.
if you're interested in learning how to make the famous Gerbeaud cakes come and participate in the open confectionery-making courses held 4 times during the year on the spot.

Gerbeaud cafe-Cakes

TIP: After a cafe & cake in Gerbeaud take stroll in the well-known pedestrian shopping street of Budapest, Váci street that starts at Vörömarty Square.