Zunum aims for kid-, adult-friendly fare

THE WOODLANDS, Texas –– What is Zunum?

After months of waiting, we finally know: it’s a restaurant, for adults and children, without pigeon-holing itself into either category.

Zunum, a variation of “Dzunuume” the Mayan word for hummingbird, a Mayan symbol of harmony and the first marriage on Earth, is the brainchild of Arturo Henriquez and his business partner, Guillermo Medellin, that spawned after taking their children to restaurants in the area.

“What we found is that there aren’t places for families where the kids are happy and the adults are too,” Henriquez said. “If we’re at a fast food place, the parents aren’t happy with the food but the kids gravitate towards the play areas and vice versa, at normal restaurants the kids start fidgeting and get bored.”

Enter Zunum, a restaurant with separate menus for parents and grownups, and a 2,000 square foot play area for children that is separated and quieter but has employees monitoring if necessary. The play area doesn’t just have games and areas to run, but a theme, with characters called Zunumites that live in a miniature world and combine multiple animals into each character. The restaurant even includes a birthday room with video games and the option to have a custom cake baked.

“Our daughters told us that often they chose restaurants, not because of the food, but because of the play area,” Henriquez said. “Other play areas don’t have a lot of thought put into them, they’re kind of like bubbles, so we thought, ‘What if we build a thematic area that is like it’s own world?’”

Parents however can sit and not have to worry, he said, while children play and they can choose from their own more grown-up food, beer and wine, including pan-cultural salads, crepes and entrees.

“The adults here aren’t compromising like they are at other restaurants,” Henriquez said. “It’s not gourmet, but it’s more up-scale than other places that will let kids be kids.”

Zunum is located at 1620 Research Forest Drive.