7 restaurants in Bratislava you don't want to miss

Writer: Helena Bergström

There are many pleasant and cosy restaurants in Bratislava, whether you want to try traditional Slovak cuisine or something a little more modern. We have tried a number of restaurants and will take you on a tasty tour of Slovakia's capital.

Restaurants in Bratislava

We have recently returned home from a really enjoyable press trip to Bratislava. There was a relatively strong focus on food and wine, and our experience was that you can really have wonderful food and drink experiences in this country.

There are, of course, many restaurants in Bratislava, in various price ranges and with different specialities. We managed to visit a few, and here are our recommendations for seven restaurants in Bratislava, all of which are excellent in their own way.

1. Werk

On our first evening in Bratislava, we had dinner at a restaurant. Werk, located in the newer part of town. This is a stylish and very nicely decorated restaurant serving modern dishes.

There are both starters/main courses and a tapas concept, and Peter and I chose to share four tapas dishes. Not a bad choice, we can say! This was really sooo good. We chose halloumi, fried prawns with sweet and sour sauce and banana sauce (!), croquettes with potato and cheese, and chicken skewers with peanut sauce. Yum!

2. Cylinder

The next day, we had lunch at a restaurant called Cylinder, located in the central old town. Here, the focus is on traditional dishes that can be traced back to the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire, of which Slovakia was once a part.

I chose to try the traditional dish. bryndzové halušky, which consists of small potato dumplings mixed with creamy bryndza sheep's cheese and topped with crispy pork. Hearty, but delicious!

Peter chose a spicy soup with lentils, chickpeas and Hungarian sausage, which he thought was very tasty. Since we know that traditional dishes in this part of Europe can be quite substantial, he chose to combine the soup with a starter instead of a main course. Goat's cheese with beetroot is not a bad choice!

3. Liver finger

One evening we had dinner at a restaurant. Leberfinger, which is a cosy and pleasant restaurant located right next to the Danube River.

Here, the whole group ordered bread together with nightgown, i.e. various spreads, as a starter. The most traditional spread is bryndza, which is fresh Slovakian sheep's cheese, which is very tasty. At this restaurant, we were also served a spread that I think contained lard and pork.

For the main course, I chose bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce, and Peter chose venison medallions with blueberry sauce. Very tasty!

4. Pulitzer

We had one of the best lunches of the entire trip at the restaurant. Pulitzer, which is centrally located in the old town.

I chose chicken with sweet potatoes and saffron sauce. Peter chose sous vide pork tenderloin with potatoes, Brussels sprouts and mushroom sauce. Everything was very, very good and well prepared.

For dessert, we went for an apple strudel served with strawberries, and when we asked for it, we got some ice cream too... A perfect ending!

5. Brasserie La Marine

One evening in Bratislava, we went to the opera, and that evening we had an early dinner. Peter chose to have two starters here: toast with goose liver, followed by grilled prawns. I chose a vegetarian pancake filled with goat's cheese, rocket and saffron garlic mayonnaise. Not bad at all!

Peter also ordered a cheesecake for dessert, which was unexpectedly dark in colour, but very tasty.

6. Koliba Kamzik Michalská

One evening in Bratislava, we ate at a restaurant. Koliba Kamzik Michalská, which offers traditional Slovakian dishes that almost feel like home cooking. On this particular day, we had eaten a late and hearty lunch, so the whole group decided to share a large platter filled with various local dishes. Since we had also been sampling wines all day, I chose to order a local non-alcoholic drink in the form of kofola. A bit like Coca-Cola, but slightly less sweet.

The large plate contained, among other things, small minced meat pierogi, small steamed pierogi with vegetarian fillings, and the dish bryndzové halušky and local sausages. This restaurant is an excellent choice if you want to try the local country cuisine and enjoy dishes with a homemade feel.

7. Pivnica u Zlatej Husi (Slovenský Grob)

The seventh and final restaurant we recommend is located just outside Bratislava, in the small village of Slovenský Grob. The restaurant is called The Cellar at the Golden Goose and is one of several restaurants in this village that are entirely focused on large, delicious goose dinners.

You can eat goose here all year round, but the main season for goose dinners is in autumn, from September until Christmas. Our table was beautifully laid, and we were just one of many groups here to enjoy a goose feast.

During warmer seasons, you can sit outside in the cosy garden instead.

The goose dinner was quite an experience, we can promise you, and it was substantial. The feast began with two starters: first a broth soup with noodles and vegetables, followed by goose liver.

The main course – goose – was served beautifully on large platters alongside thin potato pancakes and red cabbage. The goose meat was wonderfully tender and delicious, and the pancakes were a surprisingly tasty accompaniment.

For dessert, we were served a pastry filled with either walnuts or poppy seeds. It was delicious, even though Peter and I were so full by this point that we could only manage to share one piece... In any case, this meal was an experience that we can highly recommend!

More restaurants in Bratislava?

There are, of course, many more excellent restaurants in Bratislava, although we did not have time to try any others. Be sure to sample the local pastries as well. poppy seed rolls (poppy seed croissants) or walnut rolls (walnut croissants). You can find these delicacies at Pressburg Bagel in the Old Town.

More to see and do in Bratislava

What else can you do? Things to see and do in BratislavaThere are several exciting art museums and interesting historical sites. If you enjoy food and drink, we also recommend trying wine at Salon wine or to hang out with wine safari in Svätý Jur.

Any recommendations for restaurants in Bratislava?

Do you have any more tips on restaurants in Bratislava? Please share them with us!

Video from Bratislava

This trip was a press trip organised by Slovakia Travel and Bratislava Tourist Board. All thoughts and opinions are always our own!