The Klauzál tér brewery is opening again, bringing back the retro atmosphere.
The legendary Kádár Étkezde closed during the Covid and did not reopen after that. Károly Gerendai recently bought both the property and the brand, and - after some necessary renovations - he will reopen the restaurant founded in 1957 by Béla Kádár and then run by Sándor Orbán until its closure. The one-on-one concept will be what guests have become accustomed to over the decades, with one small exception.
"Tenner Beni, my colleague who heads our Costes Catering department, drew my attention to the fact that the legendary Kádár Étkezde was for sale, and I decided within 24 hours that we would embark on this adventure as well, because the Kádár Étkezde was a spot of color in the city that should not be allowed to lose"
said Károly Gerendai.
Those with keen ears could already spot at the Gourmet Festival that the Kádár Étkezde had its own stand (on offer were salt, beef stew with tarhony, boiled beef with cherry or tomato sauce), and this was already a sign that the popular brewery could rise again.
Old recipes
We also participated in the Gourmet at the end of May because we thought that we would be able to open soon after that, but there were unexpected difficulties that we have only just finished solving. That's why we can finally start the kitchen renovation now, and I hope that by the beginning of autumn we will really have everything ready
Károly Gerendai, who bought both the property and the brand, told our paper. The mentioned difficulties included the fact that kitchen preparation, storage and odor extraction now have to meet completely different expectations than when it was originally opened in 1957, and the kitchen was not big enough for the current permit. In order to be able to create the right dimensions, they finally bought the apartment next door. But the appearance of the guest room does not change, the wainscoting remains, maybe even the antlers.
The Kádár Eatery
Photo: Wikipedia
Thus, after a mandatory renovation, the place will reopen with the old furniture and the old menu, the same pictures will be on the wall, and chef Lajos Takács will also use the old recipes. (At the time, Lajos Takács ran the kitchen of the equally legendary Olimpia, and recently he strengthened the team at Costes Izakaya.)
We took over the recipes from the previous owner, Sándor Orbán, because they also said: the preparation of the dishes always depended on what kind of ingredients they had access to. But the goal is to bring the original flavors and atmosphere to life, not to modernize it, not to rethink it. We want to revive the old Kádár and not open another place called Kádár
says Gerendai.
The method of payment varies
The new owner cannot guarantee whether, for example, the payment style used by regular guests will remain, since at that time the servers recorded the order on a paper note, and the guests paid by announcement at the exit (they got exactly a penny back from the cash register, and the tip was given to the had to be put in the server's pocket or apron), but today all orders must be entered into the cash register immediately so that the process can also be checked by NAV. But they promise that in addition to that
in everything they try to preserve the spirit of the place and the operating model.
That is why they are planning to try to involve some workers from the old team in the work. Or if, say, they can't do this because of their age, then they might tell the new staff the moments that were so typical of the place, so that the canteen with checkered tablecloths, sewage water, and home-cooked dishes can "attack" as authentically as possible. In the spirit of this, they also plan to invite some of the previous regulars, connoisseurs of old flavors, to "test" so that they can reconstruct the dishes as best as possible.
The only major change planned is that the place will not close after lunch,
but they also try to provide dinner. According to the new owner, the evening traffic in the area has improved significantly in the meantime, so they hope that there will be a demand for this type of meal in the evening as well.
Famous guests
What kind of place "Kádár" was is well illustrated by the following lines:
God rest László Kabos, little Kabos, his heart drew him here for a light lunch even when he could barely walk; he ran away, his favorite was salt with my nails. Five years ago, on a Wednesday, actor Péter Bősze returned home from his favorite table to rest forever. And Katika, the server's hand stops at the news of the death of Emil Keres while wiping her hands: this is also where lunch was brought to her every day
Magyar Konyha in 2016 .
Some of the regular guests can see themselves in the photos on the wall, as the most famous guests thanked the family hospitality with photos with dedications. Among them were quite a few foreign and domestic stars, the canteen used to be visited by celebrities such as Honthy Hanna, Gobbi Hilda, Marcello Mastroianni, Sylvester Stallone, Nobel Prize-winning scientists and members of the national water polo team. Writers, actors, and people from the neighborhood went there until the last moment - what kind of audience will form after the reopening is already the music of the future.
Featured image: Gábor Szabó - We Love Budapest
