Pura Vida: New apartment restaurant in Zalahaláp

Our regular guests received the Zalahály location very, very positively and everyone liked the concept, and we also gained a lot of new guests who indicated on their first visit that they would definitely visit us again. I think we can count this: the feedback from the guests as the biggest success of the first year.

Are you as satisfied as the guests?

Absolutely! Things went according to our expectations and we delivered what was expected. We knew that February and March after the opening would not be the busiest period, as we are partly adjusting to the seasons. However, the spring and summer months turned out exactly as we had hoped. And in October we started a new project that makes the future even more exciting.

Pura Vida has moved into the Várvendéglő in Szigliget as a pop-up.

Yes, we took over the operation of the Szigligeti Várvendéglő on October 25th and it looks like we will be saying goodbye to the pop-up nature in the future. The owner has been our regular guest for almost ten years – he used to visit us regularly during our time in Tapolca, and has followed us everywhere since then. He told us about this opportunity a long time ago, even when the restaurant was still undergoing renovation. Since then, the kitchen and the guest area have been completely renovated, and now everything is finally ready for us to get started. This is no longer a temporary project – we are planning for the long term.

Regardless, will the apartment restaurant also operate, or will it be moved to a parking lot for now?

In the first year, this year, we would like to focus entirely on getting everything in place in Szigliget so that we can guarantee the quality and atmosphere that our regular guests have become accustomed to over the years. Of course, due to the location, new items will also be added to the menu, as there are some crowd favorites that are mandatory elements in every place - especially those visited by tourists - but in addition to these, we would also like to show the Mediterranean line that we have represented since the beginning. We hope that next year the two places will be able to operate in parallel: Pura Vida located in the Várvendéglő in Szigliget, and Pura Vida in Zalahaláp, still in the form of an apartment restaurant. This will give us the opportunity to better develop each concept, organize thematic evenings, and come up with even more special menus and dishes, while in Szigliget, guests will be able to get to know a slightly more popular Pura Vida that appeals to a larger audience in the quality that we are used to.

When we talked about the opening last year, you said that the Zalahályap location was a real homecoming for you, this is the place where you would like to retire. If I understand correctly, this idea has not changed.

Yes, we could call this a true love project, because here we really let our guests into our home. That's why I think the two places will work well next to each other, even though they are only 15 minutes away from each other. For those who like hustle and bustle, larger restaurants, and also a unique location with a wonderful view, our restaurant in Szigliget could be the perfect choice. And for those who want to try the Mediterranean flavors of Pura Vida in a more intimate, homely and familiar environment, in our garden in Zalaháp or in our home, they will also find what they are looking for.

In the case of both places, we can speak of a quite exceptional location, which is both a great advantage and a responsibility, as it happens that the focus shifts from the food.

I have often come across experiences where a restaurant was unfortunately based solely on its exceptional location, and there was no intention to improve the quality of the cuisine or service. I believe that this is an opportunity that should be taken, not abused – this will definitely be our goal.

From a business perspective, it also seems like a serious opportunity due to its frequented location.

Although the high season in Zalahaláp has been wonderful, it must be seen that this is not yet enough to make up for the autumn and winter periods, which is a typical problem for the Balaton hospitality industry overall. Moreover, the entire sector has its problems, as we also see that news is constantly coming in about who is closing down. I also see in our own regular guests that those who used to come back to us every week can now only afford to come back every two weeks or a month. We are confident that this trend will change in the future, one thing is for sure, we believe in continuous development, and we will do everything we can to operate stably in both places in the long term.