WLB: How long have you been living in Budapest?

Alessandro: Matteo and Jacopo moved here two years ago, when we opened 2 Spaghi. Fortunately, it turned out to be a successful place, and the guys needed some help, so I moved here from Milan a month ago. This is a fresh experience for me.

WLB: Why did you open 2 Spaghi in Budapest? Why did you choose this city?

Alessandro: Some of our Italian friends were already working here. Then we met Hungarian people, too, and they said, they would love to visit a good Italian pasta bar in Budapest. It was the last push for us. We all share the passion for making pasta and we cooked a lot at home. So we thought we should give it a try.

WLB: From whom did you learn making pasta?

Alessandro: In Italy, it’s a general rule: the real masters are the grannies. We learned a lot from them, and now we try to mix their teachings with our new ideas.

WLB: I understand you only use Italian flour, tomato and parmesan. Is Italian tomato better-suited for the sauce?

Alessandro: The type of the soil distinguishes every product. In Italy, different areas offer different flavours. Within only 30-50 kilometres, you will find different olive oils, tomatoes and wines due to the soil. The distance between Hungary and Italy is more than 1000 kilometres, so the soil’s make-up must be very different. The Hungarian tomato is not bad at all, but maybe the Italian is a bit juicier. That's all. Using the right ingredients is very important in our mission: to bring a glimpse of Italy to Budapest.

WLB: What is your most popular product?

Alessandro: Tiramisu. Hungarian people love it, we sell 70 boxes each day.

WLB: What is the difference between the habits of the Italian and Hungarian customers?

Jacopo (shouting from behind the counter): The Italians are the worst! They don’t wait for their turn, they just shout what they want, no matter where they are standing in the queue.

Alessandro: Sometimes it’s true, but that isn’t the case all the time. We have a different relation to Italians and Hungarians, because Hungarians like to ask us about the ingredients, the cooking time, and everything else. Italians know their choice right away, but they want to be sure that we prepared the pasta the way they are used to. The Italians are always very thankful, because after eating Hungarian food for three days, they are dying for a plate of pasta or a fresh lasagne.

Jacopo: It may be surprising, but Hungarians love parmesan so much! In Italy, we only put it on pasta, but our customers want us to put it on all kinds of meals, it’s crazy.

WLB: Is the loud greeting an essential ingredient of 2 Spaghi?

Alessandro: We want to greet everyone in the same way, no matter where we are right now. Our mission is to bring Italian mentality to Budapest, but we don't have to try too hard. In the summer, the doors and windows are open, loud music is bursting out from the speakers, and the whole Gozsdu-udvar is listening to Jacopo singing. Our Hungarian crew is starting to get the Italian vibe: once I posted a video about our colleague, Gergő, when he was mixing the tomato sauce and singing “O sole mio!” We can see that our customers like it when we are making jokes, or shouting to each other while we are cooking. It is a job for us, but we want to have fun.

WLB: Is Budapest an ideal place for you as an Italian person?

Alessandro: Many young people like to go out, and you can easily find people from all around the world, which is very important. It took one week for me to get used to the city, but after a month, I feel like Budapest is starting to become my second home. And you can feel a certain kind of energy here.

WLB: What kind of energy?

Alessandro: It feels like everything is growing and developing right in front of your eyes, and you have the chance to achieve your goals, which cannot be said about Italy. Let's take Gozsdu-udvar as an example. It was almost empty a year ago, and now it’s one of the hotspots of Budapestian nightlife. This is a very good direction.

WLB: What could Italians learn from Hungarians?

Alessandro: Hungarians are more respectful with each other. It’s a cultural phenomenon. For example, Hungarians rarely interrupt each other during a conversation, which is not characteristic of Italians at all. Listening and understanding would be more important than shouting.

WLB: Where can you get good pizza in Budapest?

Alessandro: There are plenty of good Italian restaurants in Budapest. Trattoria Venezia or Il Terzo Cerchio offer great pizzas, but I miss the Neapolitan pizza. Its dough is really thin and the side is a bit thick.

WLB: Have you tried the pizza for 200 HUF in Király Street?

Jacopo: Yes, I have, but I regret it. In my defense, I was very hungry.

WLB: What would you say to a guy who likes to put ketchup on his pasta?

Alessandro: No, no, no please. I don’t want to use bad words.

WLB: Let’s ask Jacopo about this one.

Alessandro: No, I think he would use even worse words. Honestly, you can put whatever you want on your pasta, just keep it warm. The problem with ketchup is that it is not pure tomato. It is concentrated tomato with sugar and vinegar. If you add sugar to the pasta, it becomes a ball.

WLB: Who are harder to impress? Hungarian or Italian girls?

Alessandro: I want to point out that, opposed to the public opinion, if you own a pasta shop in Budapest and you’re Italian, that doesn’t mean that girls will just swarm you. I also want to point out that Jacopo and I are both single. Matteo is in a relationship, so his hands are tied.

Jacopo: Italian girls are very difficult. If I had to make a choice, I would definitely go with Hungarian girls.

Published on XpatLoop.com with the permission of: We Love Budapest