Sustainable cuisine, self-made furniture and seasonal ingredients feature at newly opened Sejribizli

Four friends, one dream, homely dishes and self-made furniture – a small, loveable, sustainability-centred bistro café is the latest addition to the colourful gastro scene in downtown Budapest.

The dream of a group of old friends came true this week when Sejribizli opened its doors. The founders all have valuable experience when it comes to hospitality. Anna Pavlova and her son Bálint Kincses were responsible for the Café Zsivágó, a romantic Russian hideaway near the theatre quarter. Bori Tarr has been cooking for friends and acquaintances with sustainability in mind for years, delivering the goods with the help of her partner, István Fábri, on e-cargo bikes. Sustainability, in fact, is close to everyone’s hearts, so much so that Bálint’s wife, Nusi Mohácsi. has created an entire brand around it. Shamo bags sell imaginative, colourful and comfortable accessories.

The idea of opening an environmentally friendly locale, without compromising on the most important aspects of hospitality, has been on their minds for many years. The aim was to set up a bistro café serving homely, comforting lunch menus and locally made desserts, with the smallest ecological footprint possible.

The venue’s renovation was also carried out by the group themselves – most indoor furniture and décor items were collected from their families or found second-hand, which they then repaired together to fit the new location. There are a bunch of hidden details intended to make the place feel like home, such as the large wooden table that was hewn by one of their great-grandfathers for farming use, the gallery’s railing made out a 90-year-old beam and the separated wood counter.

It is important to note although that they’ve found a reasonable, comfortable framework for their sustainable methods, using seasonal ingredients and sourced from local and organic producers, meat has not been banished. And – this being a café – coffee is also to be had.

The menu is concise, with two to three available dishes daily, which are ready by lunchtime and can be ordered until stocks last. In charge of the kitchen is Bori, who tells us that they try to offer a satisfying selection to both vegetarians and omnivores every day. They do delivery as well, which, of course, they’ve also found an environmentally-friendly solution for – István will be roaming the city on a cargo bike with lunch menus, ordered early in the week.

They pay special attention to combinability to compensate for the short menu, and there will always be homemade sweets and quiches to be munched on after lunch is finished. The final touches were still being made when we made our visit, so we couldn’t confirm the final prices. But their hearty lunch options will cost around 1,600 forints or 2,000-2,200 forints when ordered alongside a cake.

Drinks come from sources where they can return the bottles to, and the team are planning on introducing their own plant-based milks as well. The teas are self-collected blends ordered from Manóba, the coffee is self-roasted and the wines are from domestic wineries.

Sejribizli is a great addition to the capital’s culinary wonders, where tasty bites are combined with environmentally friendly solutions. They prove that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the expense of quality hospitality, and this will hopefully inspire more and more locales to follow their lead, and take better care of our environment and the planet.