November 13, 2025
On 22 September 2025, the crème de la crème of the Hungarian hospitality scene came together to celebrate: the award gala of the returning Gault&Millau Restaurant Guide took place in Hungary.
Following the opening week of Time Out Market Budapest, the very first official event hosted there was the festive book launch and award ceremony of Gault&Millau on Monday afternoon.
The event received the fanfare worthy of the legendary French restaurant guide: snaking lines on Blaha Lujza Square signaled that something exciting was about to happen within the walls of the reborn, iconic building.
We would like to thank our guests for two things in particular. First, everyone arrived on time, which made our job much easier. Second, the smart casual dress code was taken seriously: it was a pleasure to look around the audience! Thank you for honoring the Gault&Millau event with your elegant appearance.
The closed-door event, organized as a Czech–Hungarian co-production, brought together more than 420 industry professionals and guests, the full staff of Time Out Market, and the Gault&Millau team. The ceremony was a complete sell-out, and we thank the audience for their dedicated attention throughout the event.
Preparations for the afternoon gala began as early as 5 a.m. on the day and went on late into the night so that the market could resume its normal operation the following day.
The festive ceremony of the restaurant guide, returning to Hungary after nearly 10 years, was hosted by Csaba Harmath, the guide’s Chief Inspector, and food blogger and presenter Dóra Havas. They presented the mission of Gault&Millau, spoke about the rating system marked by toques, and explained the methodology of restaurant testing.
The most touching moments, of course, arrived when the chefs featured in the guide, and finally the award winners, were called on stage. In total, five Special Awards were given to five gastronomy professionals.
The 2025 Gault&Millau Gala award winners:
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Young Talent of the Year: Richárd Csillag (Lokal at the Lake and Lokalista)
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Future Talent of the Year: Kornél Kaszás (Babel Budapest)
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Sommelier of the Year: Dávid Kincses (Arany Kaviár Étterem)
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Pop of the Year: Panificio il Basilico (Szabolcs Szabadfi)
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Chef of the Year: Szabina Szulló (Stand Étterem and Stand25 Bisztró)
Hospitality at the gala was provided by the restaurants of Time Out Market:
Anyukám Mondta • BigFish • Casa Christa • CANTEEN by Pesti István • Hai Nam Pho • LIRA by Essência • M’EAT by Jenő Rácz • Pingrumba • Szaletly • Tuning Burger • 101 Bistro
We look forward to meeting again soon with even more restaurants and industry guests!
