Meet the Zizaks: Ottoburger
If Robin and Jon McConaughy have had a longstanding commitment to a food system that better serves the Hopewell community, Otto and Maria Zizak—friends, neighbors, customers, and partners with the McConaughys—are now leaving their own imprint.
The Zizaks ran half-a-dozen successful restaurants in Brooklyn, but with three children and a hectic New York City lifestyle, sought something more bucolic. Hopewell in many ways reminded them of their native Slovakia and in 2019, they moved to the area. The next year, they purchased a 250-year-old farmhouse and the adjacent preserved land abutting the McConaughys’ Double Brook Farm. The couples met soon thereafter, and the neighbor-farmers started growing alfalfa on their land for the Double Brook animals.
Opening Ottoburger, a craft burger establishment, in 2020, came next. All ingredients are made in-house or sourced locally, including produce from their own farm and meat from Double Brook Farm since first opening. “Our ‘beatnik’ veggie burger is fully comprised of what we grow on our farm, as well as ingredients for many of our condiments, like horseradish and other seasonal produce,” says Zizak. Though Maria was executive chef in the Brooklyn restaurants while Otto handled the front of the house responsibilities, they now are both involved in all facets of the operation. Other dishes of note on the menu that offer choices to build your own burger are the korzo, dough-wrapped and fried burgers from their New York days; their signature lángos; and their take on beef goulash with spätzle, a nod to their heritage.
ZIZAK SEES THEIR MISSION AS HELPING TO CREATE A CLOSED-LOOP FOOD CYCLE IN HOPEWELL—“A MODEL OF HOW A TOWN CAN BE,” HE SAYS.
Ottoburger had a presence on the Brick Farm Market menu in April 2022 until September 2023, before the space was finally adjusted (and renamed) to serve as the permanent new home for that business. The reinvented space has a fun vibe with its line-up of counter stools, booths and tables centered by a bright blue vintage Chevy pickup truck. A small stage area is set for live music and the front patio provides additional seating.
The Zizaks also own and operate Brick Farm Tavern, and in December of last year, launched a retail shop adjacent to the restaurant. There, one can purchase an array of Double Brook Farm meats and many of the products and baked goods made by the Zizaks for the two dining spaces. “We saw an opportunity to take the McConaughys’ brilliant farming practices and put it together with our retail acumen,” says Zizak.
Zizak sees their mission as helping to create a closed-loop food cycle in Hopewell—“a model of how a town can be,” he says. No longer operating any restaurants in Brooklyn, he adds that “we are fully committed to the community on all levels.” With two passionate families now fiercely providing and advocating, Hopewell and the surrounding towns are all the better for it.
Ottoburger
65 East Broad St., Hopewell
609.388.7333
ottoburger.com
Brick Farm Tavern
130 Hopewell-Rocky Hill Rd., Hopewell
609.333.9200
brickfarmtavern.com
