If you are looking for delicious, homemade comfort food, Slovakia is the country you must visit! Although I was only in Slovakia for a day visiting the capital city of Bratislava as a part of my recent trip to Austria, I was able to visit one of the restaurants in the city. I had heard great things about Slovak cuisine, so I was eager to try it at the restaurant, Bratislavský Meštiansky Pivovar, located just outside of the old town. The restaurant was recommended in Rick Steves’ guidebook on Vienna as Bratislava is only an hour away from Vienna by train. My mission was to try the national dish of Slovakia – bryndzové halušky.
I arrived around lunchtime, and the restaurant was already packed with customers. The restaurant had different levels with eating areas. I was able to find a small high-table which was perfect for me. The table already had a menu in Slovak, but the server was able to provide an English menu for me. For fun, I looked at both menus simultaneously to see not only the names of each dish in Slovak but also in English. Sure enough, I was able to find bryndzové halušky on the menu! However, I was only able to find it on the Slovak menu as it was translated to gnocchi on the English menu. For my meal, I had ordered the bryndzové halušky along with a side of potato dumplings.
After a short wait, the server brought my meal over to my table. Both the bryndzové halušky and the side of potato dumplings looked quite delicious. The bryndzové halušky looked very creamy with its cheese sauce and the bacon bits on top of the small dumplings. I tried the large potato dumplings first, and they were quite warm, fluffy, and delicious. They had such a wonderful taste to them!
However, the best was yet to come! I was ready to dig into the bryndzové halušky. After taking my first bite, I was greeted with the deliciousness of the dish with its creamy goodness. The bite-size dumplings were nice and soft, the cheese sauce was rich and creamy, and the bacon bits had a very rich flavor like frosting on a cake. Best of all, it was nice and warm. The dish was cooked perfectly, and it was easily the best meal I ate during my entire trip!
Along with the side of potato dumplings, the amount of food was very plentiful. After I finished my meal, I could not eat anything more as I was full! After finishing my meal, I asked the server for the bill. With all the food I ate plus the mineral water to go along with lunch, the cost was only about 10-12 euros. The food at the restaurant is not only generous with its portions but also very affordable if you are on a budget. The service was also very professional and courteous.
I highly recommend checking out Bratislavský Meštiansky Pivovar while visiting Bratislava. It is the perfect spot to go if you are looking to try bryndzové halušky, the national dish of Slovakia. Not only is the food delicious but the amount of food you get is plentiful. I would easily eat here again as the food is irresistible!
Check out my video review on Bratislavský Meštiansky Pivovar on my YouTube channel!
Scottman895 Travel 