40 years, 40 stories ♥️

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | THE BEGINNINGS

It took a lot of hard work and a lot of coincidence to get Ilona and Péter to smile like that on the steps of the Pierrot in 1982.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

In 1973, Ilona Zsidai met Roy Watson, Vice President of the American Hotel Association and, also the CEO of the Kahler Hotel chain, who was on his way to Belgrade for an international conference, at the InterContinental.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | THE BUDA CASTLE

Returning from America with great enthusiasm and knowledge, Ilona and Peter were soon struck by the Hungarian reality.

Peter was greeted at work with the words, "Comrade, forget everything you learnt in America. This is not America."

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | PIERROT

Bea Payer, Ilona's later successor, came up with the idea of naming it Café Pierrot, because she thought that this was exactly the French café-bar atmosphere that Ilona and her family wanted to create in Buda Castle.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | PIERROT AFTER OPENING

Saturday was on the 23rd October of that year, but that was not a lucky date so the opening was moved to Thursday 21st of October.

Pierrot opened without anyone knowing about it except Ilona and Peter's friends. They planned a quiet opening to see how it worked.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | THE SOUL OF PIERROT

"The soul of Pierrot was called Ilona Zsidai, her personality was Pierrot."
We cannot go  besides that so we have a story for that too.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | A HELPFUL FRIEND

Ilona met János Kiss during the Pierrot period, when he defected from Hungary in 1956. He made a career in the United States and is considered a serious professional worldwide: he was the Senior Vice President and the Executive Chef of Hyatt International.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | PIERROT INITIAL OFFER

On the 21st of October 1982, Pierrot opened with two employees and an extremely limited menu - by today's standards - due to the building's location. They had to adapt the selection to what they could produce themselves in the small space.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | STARS IN THE CAFÉ

Pierrot is a jewel box, a cultural melting pot, a discreet restaurant where stars could always dine without paparazzi, without allure or conformity, in complete discretion.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | HUNGARIAN BUSINESS LEADERS FORUM

The organisation had 13 members, including Péter Zwack, Dr. Péter Vadász, Gábor Rényi and Gábor Várszegi - and Ilona Zsidai.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | MÜVCSI, THE MUSICIAN OF PIERROT

When János Orosz reached the age where he could no longer play the piano every night at Pierrot, József Sárközi or Müvcsi as we call him joined the team.
Our dear Müvcsi is still with us today, for 27 years now…

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | THE GREAT RENEWAL

After a very serious renovation lasting several months, the Pierrot reopened on the same day as our accession to the European Union, 1 May 2004, with modern machinery, a modern kitchen and a complete makeover, i.e. a new logo and interior design.

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

40 years... What happened in the world and in Hungary 40 years ago, in 1982?

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | LETTER FROM ROY ZSIDAI

After returning home from a year of studying in the US, I left BCG and joined the family business sixteen years ago, in the autumn of 2006...

40 YEARS, 40 STORIES | THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE VIPER

Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks, by the end of December, it became clear that the building was unsuitable for any kind of catering, as the glass envelope of the building did not meet, so we couldn’t heat the space at all, and we could feel the cold from outside inside. So it was not possible to run an entertainment venue there, the builder made a huge mistake, but it was too late...