Gastronomy in Bratislava: Restaurants and what to taste

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This article was published in the latest edition of our Bratislava City Guide, which can be obtained from our online shop with Spectacular Slovakia travel guides.

Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with this City Guide! (source: Spectacular Slovakia)

Although there are some varieties of wine that can be called typical to Bratislava, the same cannot necessarily be said about the city’s cuisine. But this is not cause for regret. Instead, because of Bratislava’s location close to borders and along significant ancient trade routes, food in the region displays influences from across Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria as well as more remote corners of the world. This remains true in modern times, when Bratislava has not escaped globalisation. Nowadays all the major fast food chains can be found here, as well as countless Italian, Greek, Chinese and Indian restaurants, and some high-end, swanky eateries too.​

The fierce competition from global brands has also prompted a reaction among local foodies keen to ensure Slovak recipes continue to be cooked in the city. There are now a number of history books about local cuisine by a writer named Vladimír Tomčík, plus cook books containing historical recipes, including a popular series by Silvia Pilková.

Similarly a few restaurants in Bratislava have elevated traditional, local cooking to top-end restaurant standard. Try Leberfinger on the Petržalka bank of the Danube, for instance, which dates from the second half of the 18th century. Savoy Restaurant, in Carlton hotel in the city centre, is another favourite. It focuses on modern gastronomy, but draws an influence from Slovak and central-European cuisine. There are also a reliable smattering of cheaper restaurants, popular with locals, that offer a vibrant atmosphere and good food. Try Verne, opposite the US Embassy, or the Slovak Pub, or Bratislava Flag Ship.

Fancy restaurants

A well-known name among foodies, Slovak chef Lukáš Hesko opened his fine-dining restaurant Irin in an old house by St. Martin’s Cathedral. The restaurant is the first of its kind in Bratislava. “Fine dining educates people,” the chef said. Great wine and nine servings that look like artwork is all it takes to forget about time. Diners typically spend two hours at Irin savouring all sorts of meals, including two desserts, made of the best products available during a season and chosen by Hesko himself. “Each dish on the tasting menu is scrumptious and makes sense within,” the chef said. The restaurant at the top of the SNP Bridge over the Danube – UFO watch.taste.groove, to give it its full (but very infrequently used) name – is certainly the restaurant with the most attractive location in the city, and it also offers acclaimed cuisine to complement its spectacular 360° views over Bratislava.

Houdini restaurant, Bistro Soho or Gatto Matto Ristorante have some of the best rankings on TripAdvisor.

Bratislava pastry

In the inter-war period, Bratislava used to have a strong café tradition, which it has been gradually re-gaining in the post-communist era. The local speciality is Bratislavský rožok, a fine, crescent-shaped pastry with filling made from poppyseed or walnuts, which is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee. After a five-year process and negotiations with Hungary and Austria (who were also part of the Habsburg empire when Bratislavský rožok became world known) it earned its “traditional speciality guaranteed” (TSG) seal from the EU in 2012. Pastries are available for example in Pressburg Bajgel or F. X. Messerschmidt cafés. Company FantastiCo is one of the best known producers. Austria and Hungary have their own variations of the pastry: the Pressburger Kipfel and Pozsonyi kifli.

Goose feasts

Back in the days when Bratislava was known as Pressburg, residents of the city would often find fish from the Danube on their tables. But the tradition has sadly not survived. Rejoice, then, for Slovenský Grob, a small village just outside Bratislava, in which a long tradition for roast goose has endured. It was not even interrupted by the communist regime and locals serve it throughout the year. During autumn, goose is an integral part of the seasonal menu in many Bratislava restaurants. Roast goose or husacina is served with lokše (potato pancakes covered with goose fat), and often with goose liver as an entrée.

Gourmet festivals

During the summer, Bratislava and the surrounding areas host various food festivals, which are often worth exploring for the combination of both cuisine and culture. For instance, the Zabíjačka festival (which translates to the “pig killing”) offers some good traditional specialties. The best restaurants in the region will often attend gourmet festivals.

In the autumn, the wine-making districts of Bratislava hold “vinobranie”, the name given to festivities marking the end of the grape harvest. These offer an excellent opportunity to taste burčiak, fermented grape juice, a specialty served only in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria.