Zsidai Group has opened its latest restaurant at MOM Park, with flavours drawing on Middle Eastern and Central European cuisine. June, which replaces Spíler in Buda, is built on today’s fashionable culture of sharing and the experience of eating together.
With the opening of June, Zoltán Roy Zsidai has realised a dream he had cherished for exactly twenty years, inspired back then in New York – as was said at the press opening on 12 March. According to the owner, they chose the name because June is one of the most optimistic times of the year: when everything is in bloom, but the whole summer is still ahead of us.
“June does not try to describe what kind of cuisine we represent; it expresses a feeling, a way of life that is about sharing and shared experiences,” he said at the opening. The hospitality concept returns to large communal tables and the atmosphere of family meals, drawing inspiration from cultures where eating together still plays a defining role today.
They wanted to create a place built not around special occasions and weekend family lunches, but around everyday life. In the morning you can pop in for a coffee, during the day guests can sit down for lunch or a meeting, and in the evening friends can share a few dishes at the table.
Middle Eastern and Central European flavours on one table
June’s cuisine is built on the connection between Middle Eastern Jewish and Central European gastronomy. Roy Zsidai described it like this: “Uncle Efraim’s Tel Aviv kitchen meets Grandma Sára’s Budapest recipes.”
Alongside vegetable-focused, fresh and characterful Middle Eastern dishes, the menu also features traditional Hungarian favourites such as veal Wiener schnitzel and chicken pörkölt, and for the younger generations there is a burger on the menu too.
Nor is the menu built on the traditional starter–main–dessert structure. The dishes and portions have been designed so that guests can try several dishes, sharing them if they like. Many of the dishes are therefore placed in the middle of the table from the outset, where everyone can help themselves as they please, just like at home.
The drinks list places emphasis on natural wines and wines from smaller champagne houses, and the alcohol-free selection is particularly strong, since in their experience more and more people are looking for quality alcohol-free alternatives. As they stressed, they do not offer dealcoholised wines but complex drinks made on site from grape juice, teas and herbs, which can offer a drinking experience similar to wine.
Community space, guest chefs and pop-up dinners
June’s interior also supports the experience of dining together. The “theatrical” atmosphere of the Spíler Buda restaurant that previously operated here has been replaced by a lighter, more relaxed and more natural space. A Mediterranean and slightly tropical feel, lots of plants, lounge-style seating and market-like elements create an environment that guests can walk into without feeling self-conscious and which – they hope – also makes them want to stay.
June, however, will operate not only as a restaurant but also as an open gastronomy platform. Pop-up events, guest chefs and community collaborations are also part of the concept – all serving the aim of keeping the place in constant contact with its surroundings.
According to Roy Zsidai, the future of hospitality is increasingly about community experiences. Guests are more and more looking for places that can become a natural part of everyday life. That is precisely why June does not charge a service fee: so that the experience of eating together remains more accessible.
The new way of operating trialled here is not a stand-alone experiment but a next step for them, and the concept may later appear in the group’s other restaurants too, he indicated. Their intention is to move away from the classic restaurant structure towards more flexible food spaces that stay lively at different times of the day, responding to changing hospitality trends.
Source: Hajnalka Fucskó, Turizmus.com
