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. 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.

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 panelling, 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-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.

Gerbeaud's specialties include famous cakes, such as Esterházy and Dobos cakes, as well as all kinds of cream cakes, extravagant bakery goods and exquisite ice-creams.

The wide selection of handmade bonbons in decorative wooden boxes can be wonderful presents to anyone with a sweet tooth.

During the Christmas season Vörösmarty square hosts the Budapest Christmas Market that is one of the best of its kind in Europe.

In the Advent period the windows of the Gerbeaud House facing the square turn into a giant Advent calendar counting back the days till Christmas.

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.