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TIPS FROM LOCALS
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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.
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. Unfortunately 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 took over the ownership of the cafe during the communist era and renamed it Vörösmarty Cafe after the square where it stands.
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.
Today the cafe has a pub with a rustic-aristocratic ambience offering freshly draught Pilsner beer and traditional Hungarian dishes. The newest addition to Gerbeaud is the sleek Onyx Restaurant that opened its door in April 2007 and earned a Michelin star in 2011. Its hallmarks are the gourmet meals made exclusively from fresh ingredients by award-winning chefs. During summer the terrace facing Vörösmarty square and Váci utca is a great place to while away with a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.
This year a spectacular light show will be played on the cafe's wall during the festive season starting on 27th November 2011 at 18.00. TIP: After a coffee & cake in Gerbeaud take a stroll in the well-known pedestrian shopping street of Budapest, Váci street that starts at Vörösmarty Square.
Related Pages - Gerbeaud Coffee HouseBudapest Cafes and Coffee House Culture Luxury Budapest - Hotels, Restaurants, Entertainment Return from Gerbeaud Cafe to Budapest Hotels & Tourist Guide Home.
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