Zsolnay Café -

The Café is on the ground floor of the Radisson Blu Béke Hotel, Budapest first opened in 1985, after the hotel was reconstructed. It took its name from the world-famous Zsolnay porcelain factory. Originally it was housed in the ceremonial hall on the first floor, but was later moved close to the street, so now you just have to walk through the main entrance to find your table. In keeping with tradition, for decades the coffee, tea and desserts have been served in Zsolnay cups and on Zsolnay dessert plates specially designed for the hotel.

The selection is different for each part of the day. We offer a culinary experience that you’ll want to keep coming back for! The menu offers a selection of light meals freshly made with high quality ingredients, created by our chefs in the spirit of tradition coupled with innovation. Our customers’ health is also important for us, which is why we also serve lactose free desserts with no added sugar or traditional wheat flour.

In Budapest it’s a notable achievement for an old, venerable institution to have existed for a hundred years, especially having remained a hotel for all this time. The secret of survival for the Britannia, Béke and Radisson Blue was to carefully preserve traditions while constantly innovating and adapting.

The building located at Teréz körút 43, formerly known as the Britannia Hotel, first opened for business on 10 May 1913. Its first owner, the wealthy coffee merchant Henrik Fábri, based his new establishment on the English model. The hotel was fitted with the latest amenities: the rooms had running hot and cold water, steam and water-based central heating, and a central vacuum cleaning system were installed. Above the doors to the rooms special lights were fitted for calling room service.

In its heyday, the hotel was run by Aladár Németh and his wife, who honed the catering and entertainment to perfection. Back in the day, the famous novelist Ferenc Móra had a room here, and this was also when the Szondi pub was established, and it was in the hotel that the novelist Zsigmond Móricz founded his unique literary and political club that was centred on the literary journal ‘Nyugat’ (West).

The glass painting and illustrations in the halls were all works of Jenő Haranghy, professor of the College of Applied Arts. Because of these, the Britannia was also jokingly referred to as the Haranghy Museum. And of course, he was the natural choice to paint the fresco that adorns the cupola room, which was opened in 1937. In the ‘60s and ‘70s a whole host of famous Hungarian performers took to the stage here, including Kamill Feleki, Hanna Honthy, György Klapka, Ilona Medveczky, György Korda, János Koós, László Aradszky, Péter Máté, Kati Kovács and Géza Hofi.

Following nationalisation after the Second World War, it went on operating as the Béke (Peace) Hotel, and its Orfeum Night Club was a key fixture on the entertainment circuit: Andrea Szulák, today a household name in Hungary, was one of many who launched their careers here, and Tibor Bitskey and György Klapka were also regularly on the bill. It has traded under its new name since 2009. Located in the city centre, the Radisson Blu Béke Hotel, Budapest enjoys all the advantages of belonging to a top international hotel chain, while taking a pride in its traditions. The hotel’s staff do all they can to make everyone feel at home in this exciting building.