Zuma Restaurant Opens First Montenegro Location Near Sveti Stefan
Zuma restaurant Montenegro opens June 15 on the Adriatic coast near Sveti Stefan, marking the luxury Japanese brand's first entry into the Balkans. Read more.
Prajakta Sanjay Warwadkar 
PODGORICA, June 4, 2026 — Luxury Japanese dining brand Zuma will open its first restaurant in Montenegro on June 15, positioning the Adriatic nation as the brand's latest entry point into the European coastal dining market, with the venue overlooking the landmark island village of Sveti Stefan.
The opening marks Zuma's debut in the Balkans and places Montenegro alongside established global dining capitals including London, Dubai, New York and Rome where the brand under the Azumi Group has built a loyal base of high-end diners since its founding in 2002.
Zuma Restaurant Montenegro Brings Contemporary Izakaya to the Adriatic
Zuma's Montenegro restaurant sits on the Adriatic coast with direct views across to Sveti Stefan, the 15th-century island village that serves as one of the country's most iconic visual landmarks. The location aligns Zuma with the premium hospitality cluster forming around Sveti Stefan as the area attracts renewed international investment.
Aman's Sveti Stefan resort, which had been closed since 2021 following a beach access dispute with local residents, is also set to reopen for the 2026 summer season following a settlement agreement between luxury operator Adriatic Properties and the Montenegrin government. Villa Miločer, part of the Aman property on the mainland, opened on May 22, with the island cottages returning from July 1.
The dual reopening signals growing momentum in Montenegro's ultra-luxury tourism corridor at a moment when international brands are reassessing the Adriatic coast as a serious hospitality destination rather than a secondary European alternative.
Zuma Builds on a Two-Decade Record of Expansion Into High-End Destinations
Co-founded by chef Rainer Becker and entrepreneur Arjun Waney in London in 2002, Zuma introduced a modern take on the Japanese izakaya format centered on an open kitchen, robata grill and sushi counter to an international audience not yet familiar with the concept at a luxury price point.
The brand expanded steadily into cities and resort destinations that treat dining as a cultural and social centerpiece. BBC Good Food has tracked the global rise of contemporary Japanese cuisine as one of the defining dining movements of the past two decades, a trend Zuma helped establish at the luxury end of the market.
Its permanent locations now span Hong Kong (2007), Dubai (2008), Istanbul (2008), Miami (2010), Bangkok (2011), Abu Dhabi (2014), New York (2015), Rome (2016), Las Vegas (2017), Boston (2019), Madrid (2021), the Maldives (2022), Cannes (2024) and Riyadh (2024). Seasonal pop-up venues operate across Ibiza, Mykonos, Bodrum and other Mediterranean destinations, alongside recent alpine residencies in Gstaad and Courchevel.
Sven Koch, Chief Executive Officer of the Azumi Group, has previously described the brand's site selection as deliberate and experience-led.
"We carefully consider each new location, aiming to expand our footprint in destinations our guests frequently visit — whether by the beach in Baja California or St Tropez, or mountainside in Colorado and the Alps during the ski season."
— Sven Koch, Chief Executive Officer, Azumi Group
Montenegro Dining Scene Gains Momentum Ahead of Peak Summer Season
Zuma's arrival comes as Montenegro's hospitality sector enters what analysts and operators describe as a period of renewed international credibility. The Sveti Stefan area, roughly 10 kilometers from Budva along the southern Adriatic coast, has long attracted high-net-worth visitors but lacked the concentration of globally recognized dining brands present in comparable Mediterranean resort markets.
The June 15 opening date positions the restaurant to capture the early summer wave of affluent travelers heading to the Montenegrin coast before peak July and August arrivals. Zuma's model combining a serious food offer with a late-night social atmosphere has proven effective in seasonal markets, where the brand's venues in destinations such as Mykonos and Cannes operate as much as nightlife anchors as they do restaurants.
The Montenegro launch also follows a broader run of 2026 expansion activity for the Azumi Group. The brand opened a location in San Diego earlier this year, marking its first California presence, and has confirmed upcoming permanent openings in Cabo San Lucas and Milan. Zuma Phuket also converted from a seasonal pop-up to a permanent location in 2026.
No further details on the specific operator or hotel partnership behind the Montenegro venue have been disclosed at this stage. The brand's full restaurant details are available at zumarestaurant.com.
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