The oldest vegetarian restaurant of Hungary is the Govinda in Eger

We write 1996: the first Krishna church in Eger opens its doors on Széchenyi road, only a 5-minute walk from the city centre. However, the believers regularly organize public programmes for the audience, the cooks’ exotic courses temporarily can only be enjoyed by the handful of monks and the small congregation. However due to "love feasts” on Sundays, the story soon went around about the delicious food "Krishnas" cooks prepare, and as a result of growing interest, the Govinda Restaurant opens in 1997, only in the half wing of the large church room, — and soon it becomes one of the most popular diners in the city, both among “vegans” and non-vegetarians, despite – or perhaps precisely because of – the fact that in many ways it is completely different from other restaurants in the city. Guests respectfully take off their shoes when they enter and take a seat at the tables, no meat, fish or egg-based dishes are on the menu, they cannot order a glass of famous Eger wine with their food, but their face radiates how much they are satisfied with the tastes and the atmosphere. If we take a look at the circle of the guests, it soon becomes clear that the Govinda Restaurant is not just a church project visited by dedicated believers, but a spiritual, cultural and gastronomic melting pot that has become an integral, popular part of the citizen’s life in Eger. If we stopped anyone on the street, we would hardly find a man in Eger who doesn’t know what Govinda is. Nothing proves this more than that 95% of the guests are not Krishna believers but civilians, and in fact many Christians, for example, eat here during their 40-day fast!

Perhaps in their previous lives, the chefs and guests together defended the castle against the Turkish armies, and this is where the friendly, family atmosphere of Eger comes from, or the charm of the city captivates both residents and visitors, but it is certain that the kind service, carefully selected ingredients, thousands of years old recipes, exotic spices, experienced chefs and the staff’s committed belief that eating is yoga - the yoga of nourishing and sanctifying the body and soul - make Govinda extremely attractive. The management of the restaurant also attaches cardinal importance to their founding master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s statement, according to that “There is no hungry person in the 10 km radius of a Krishna temple!”

In this spirit, they cater for local large families and those in need every day of the year, who are very grateful not only for the free half a thousand servings of hot food, but also for their spiritual support. By 2015, the inhabitants’ demand and the volume of the programme catering the poor had grown so much, that the centre and the restaurant moved to a new place. Although physically it is located just three hundred meters down the street, the new venue has become the Fire station square opening from Széchenyi road, the move did not only mean a more beautiful building and a more modern kitchen, but a deeper transformation also took place: the restaurant got a new look, the menu was renewed, and even — keeping pace with the times — an video was made that brought tens of thousands of views to social media in a matter of days.