Directory :: Food and Drink

If you want to know about the national cuisine of Slovakia, guide books will tell you about bryndzové halušky, kapustnica and goulash. However, a visitor to Bratislava could be forgiven for thinking that the national food of Slovakia is bad pizza. The old town is awash with it and, as with any modern European city you’ll find a lot of mediocre food for high prices near the historical sites. The introduction of the Euro has made it all the more obvious that this ain’t a cheap place no more, but Bratislava’s tourist mark up still doesn’t come close to other capital cities like Prague or Budapest.

There are still plenty of places around that aren’t too expensive, and plenty of places that cost a bit more but are worth paying for. Even in the peak of tourist season you’ll find lots of restaurants full of Slovaks and that can only be a good sign (again Bratislava fares well compared with Prague’s Czech-free tourist zones in this respect). Bratislava’s not quite a cosmopolitan metropolis but you’ll find curries, kebabs, Chinese, and excellent Greek, Croatian and Russian restaurants. Slovakian cuisine is based around potatoes, wheat flour, cow and sheep cheese, cabbage, corn, onions and garlic (and gherkins are seen as an apt accompaniment to pretty much anything). Think good old fashioned food for men working the fields and you’re on the right lines.

Slovaks tend to eat their main meal of the day at lunch, which will usually consist of a soup followed by meat (usually pork or chicken) and potatoes. As such, many restaurants offer two course set menus at lunch time. At around €3-4 these are great value and often significantly cheaper than anything on their normal menu.

Drink is important to Slovaks. While they don’t quite match their Czech neighbours for beer consumption they’re not far behind. In the soup kitchen style diners in Bratislava (where you can get a basic lunch for about €2) you’ll see plenty of working men washing their lunch down with a lager. Of the selection of Slovak beers Zlatý Bažant is very good, and found in most places. Corgon is a bit cheaper, not quite as good, but still vastly better than the standard UK lagers. You’ll also find popular Czech lagers like Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Staropramen and Budvar (the original Budweiser -and better) widely available.

Wine lovers are well catered for too. Slovakia’s not globally renowned as a wine growing nation, mainly because they don’t make enough of the stuff to export it. The country has had wine growing regions since the Romans settled, but the industry is still finding its feet after the collapse of Communism, when mass production techniques (required to up production levels to meet targets) hugely diminished the quality. We recommend wines such as Tokaj (white, often sweet and famous for dessert wine) and Svatovavrinecke (red). You can get decent wine for about €1.50 per glass in a bar or restaurant (though strangely buying by the bottle always seems to work out more), and in a supermarket you can find very good wine for €10 and perfectly quaffable wine for as little as €3.

Many countries have an anomalous liquor which they believe has health-bearing properties and Slovakia is no exception. Slivovica is a brandy made from plums whose numerous enthusiasts will pitch it as a digestif, a cure for the common cold or a remedy for an upset tummy. Regardless of whatever medicinal benefits it may or may possess, it certainly is a fine drink and a similar drink made from pears (hruškovica) and gin made from juniper berries (borovička) are also excellent.

Have we missed out your favourite bar or restaurant? If so email your suggestions to marketing@bratvegas.sk.