Café Lola was here prepares traditional Hungarian beef goulash
At the Berlin café Lola was here run by sisters Evelyn and Julia Csabai, the goulash is served in the colors of the Hungarian flag with homemade spaetzle noodles and cucumber salad.
Why Lola is in Berlin
"We grew up under communism so we have a strong sense of rebellion. It was that rebellion that inspired us to move to Berlin. It was a rebellion toward our parents, and toward the system. That was the fire that compelled us to move here." - Julia Csabai
Drinking coffee is Hungarian national heritage
The close contact to Turkish people and the Austrian influence during the Austro-Hungarian Empire helped to shape the sophisticated coffee house culture found in Hungary. Hungarian coffee houses are large and very opulent, and always include restaurants. Evelyn and Julia Csabai only became familiar with cafés serving breakfast when they started studying in the German capital.
Coffee house revolt
"As the offspring of an intellectual family in socialist Hungary, it was an outrage, almost a revolution, to be working in a café. During all those years I studied and did other things, I realized that the work I liked doing most was working in a café." - Evelyn Csabai
Openness paired with international cuisine
"This Hungarian focus at Lola's is a mild one. It's there, of course - we're Hungarian, so we offer goulash and palacsinta (crepes), but that's not all. We have a bit of a Hungarian slant for those who like to eat those dishes, but our cuisine is also generally European and international." - Julia Csabai
Paprika is a must
"The best recipes, and the best goulash ones, come from our grandmothers. But everyone makes goulash differently. Our goulash recipe, I think, is a combination of those from at least six different grandmothers." - Julia Csabai