The building, which was intended to be the town hall of Buda, was built on the remains of small mediaeval dwellings in Szentháromság Square in 1702 under the direction of Italian master builder Venerio Ceresola. Shortly afterwards, the town hall was further extended and the Buda magistrate held its first meeting on 6 June 1710. The building was the administrative centre of the City of Buda for more than 160 years, and then, after the merger of Pest and Buda in 1873, of the 1st district of the capital for a further 70 years.
The Bistro1786 was located in this Baroque building.
The restaurant was so named because the iron gate leading to the wine cellar beneath the building bore the date 1786, which we fell in love with.
In April 2018, the foundation that owns the property envisioned a classic Hungarian home-style restaurant in the beautifully renovated building and asked the Zsidai Group to be the second to do so. The first operator realised before the renovation was over that running a restaurant and kitchen in a listed building was not easy. They gave us the space back, we were hired, and we fell in love with the location. It was right by the Hadik statue, opposite Jamie Oliver's Italian, 100 metres from Matthias Church.
The opening was also unrealistic this time, as we had to open in early September after the April invitation with nothing ready - while we were actively working on the Spanish project and already on the Spíler Buda opening.
The menu offered everyone a perfect taste of Hungarian cuisine, from classic Hungarian dishes such as beef stew, chicken paprikash or cottage cheese chouza to the popular veal Wiener and fresh and creative salads. In elegant surroundings, guests could enjoy their meals on a wonderful sunny terrace.
As the building was not a residential property, it was perfect for events. Until the first couple of Christmas parties, when it turned out that the building had not been soundproofed during renovation and everything could be heard in the adjacent apartment building...
Unfortunately, the place could not be run as a restaurant and closed 3 months after opening...