Slovak food is hearty, typical of a country with strong rural roots. It is heavy on meat (especially pork), potatoes, dumplings, thick sauces and cheeses. If you’re looking for vegetables – there’s always cabbage, often in the form of sauerkraut. Salads are not traditional – but you will find them in restaurants in bigger cities. Try soup or a meat/cheese appetizer. Lunch is traditionally the largest meal of the day, with dinner on the lighter side.

Traditional Slovak dishes include:

• Bryndzove halusky
  Potato and flour dumplings, covered with melted fresh sheep cheese, lard and bacon.
• Ostiepok and parenica
  Smoked sheep cheeses.
• Hus s loksami
  Goose meat and liver with potato pancakes.
• Zemiakove placky
  Pancakes made from grated potatoes with spices (marjoram, caraway seed and garlic).
• Kapustnica
  Sauerkraut soup with smoked sausage, mushrooms, garlic and plums.
• Makovnik
  Poppy-seed and nut roll (cake)

Schnitzel (flattened piece of veal or pork, dipped egg and breadcrumbs and fried) is an Austrian entrée that appears frequently on Slovak menus. Hungarian goulash (thick soup/stew with meat, potatoes, tomato, paprika, garlic) is also a mainstay in Slovakia.

A good place to sample traditional Slovak dishes is the Market Hall (Trznica) on SNP Square. There they not only sell fresh produce but also Gypsy’s roast meat with loksa (potato-dough patties), sour cucumbers, other specialties and – of course - good Slovak wine.

In Bratislava and some of the other large cities you can also find restaurants featuring various international cuisines, such as Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian, French, Austrian, Hungarian and others.

Slovakia is a dessert-lovers’ paradise. Cafes, ice cream parlors, and sweet shops (cukraren) offer a wide range of temptations, such as pastries, cakes/tortes, ice cream, and palacinky (crepes) filled with chocolate, farmers’ cheese or jam. If you come here in December, try the 4-layer Christmas cake with poppy seeds, plum jam, nuts and cheese. Yum! And look for Bratislava-based Figaro brand chocolate.

For a list of restaurants in Slovakia click here.

Slovakia shares in the Central European tradition of coffeehouses/cafes. In these establishments, long before Starbucks, people would gather to socialize and talk about ideas, politics, literature, art, as much as to enjoy good strong coffee (or tea) and delicious pastries. Don’t miss the opportunity to indulge in this grand old tradition!

Among the classic coffeehouses of Bratislava:

• Café Mayer recalls the golden days of 19th c. Bratislava (then called Pressburg, and very much like its close neighbor, Vienna, down to the sacher torte served with coffee)
• Roland Café in the Art Nouveau/Secessionist-style bank building with one of the famous Chess Automat machines, invented by a Slovak in the late 18th century.

Slovakia has many fine beverages to sample, all very affordable

• Fine white and red wines - Including sparkling wines and sweet Tokaj wine. (See section below)
• Excellent Pilsner - Beers on par with more famous Czech brands
• Kofola - The Slovak equivalent of root beer, often served on tap
• Vinea - A sparkling, non-alcoholic drink, made from white or red grapes
• Burciak - Is a grape cider with a short life – 7-10 days – that packs a potent punch. In September two towns, PEZINOK and MODRA, host the annual Burciak Festival.
• Medovina/Honey wine - Served in winter, this is the mead of medieval times
• Borovicka - Made from juniper berries, like gin
• Slivovica - Plum brandy (the smaller the bubbles at the edge, the higher the quality)
• Demanovka - A bitter liqueur made from herbs

Beer brands to ask for:

• Zlaty bazant
• Corgon
• Smadny mnich
• Steiger
• Stein
• Saris
• Topvar
• Kelt
• Hell

Slovak beers are generally Bohemian-style lagers, made 100% from barley, compared with mass-market beers elsewhere, which often dilute the brew with corn. Slovakia’s large barley crop is prized for its high starch content, making Slovak beer rich and hearty.

There are several good microbreweries starting up in Slovakia.
Two good ones are:

• Pivovar Codecon – In Svaty Jur (60 minutes from Bratislava)
• Pivovar Golem – in Kosice

Wine labels (producers and location) to ask for, according to a survey of Slovak sommeliers:

• Vino Mrva a Stanko – Trnava
• Karpatska perla – Senkvice
• J a J Ostrozovic – Velka Trna (Tokaj)
• Galafruit – Mala Trna (Tokaj)
• Vinne pivnice Svaty Jur
• Vino Masaryk – Skalica
• Vino Borik – Pezinok
• Strekov 1075 – Pezinok
• Vinarstvo Vinanza – Vrable
• WOOD-SS – Radosina
• Ravena – Chateau Topolcianky
• Movino – Velky Krtis
• Vinohradnicka spolocnost – Modra

Best vintages, according to the sommeliers: 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003

Slovak Wine – Background

Slovakia’s long heritage of winemaking goes back to the 7th c. BC, when Celts planted the first vineyards here. Despite the 20th century upheavals of two world wars and 40 years under Soviet domination, many of the country’s producers come from families who have been winemakers for generations.

The best Slovak wine today is made by small-batch vintners –primarily in the Small Carpathian (southwest) and Tokaj (southeast) regions. You can visit some of them when you follow any of the Wine Routes (see below).

Slovak white wines are predictably good, while reds vary with each year’s temperature and weather conditions.

Slovak Grape Varieties:

Whites:

• Rulandske Biele (Pinot Blanc)
• Devin – new variety, full-bodied, acidic
• Palava – new variety, with characteristics of Tramin and Muller Thurgau
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Tramin (Gewurtraminer)
• Chardonnay
• Muller Thurgau
• Rizling Rynsky (Riesling)
• Rizling Vlassky ("Italian Riesling")

Reds:

• Frakovka Modra
• Svatovavrinecke (St. Lawrence)
• Alibernet and Neronet – related to Cabernet Sauvignon
• Rulandske Modre (Pinot Noir)

Tokaj – Sweet or surprisingly dry!

Tokaj, prized by royalty since it was developed in the 17th century, is known worldwide as a Hungarian specialty. But Slovak Tokaj is every bit as good as Hungary’s – and less expensive. It’s also something you can only enjoy in Slovakia. According to a deal cut between Czechoslovakia and Hungary, Slovak Tokaj may not be exported. Tokaj is most often a sweet, after-dinner wine, made with grapes that produce a fungus called "noble rot", which gives Tokaj its distinctive rich flavor. However, there are wonderful dry Tokajs, too.

Enjoy wine tasting? Then, sip your way along one of these wine routes, which also feature sampling regional culinary specialties. Contact a tour operator or Slovak travel agency to arrange a tour of any of these:

Small Carpathian Wine Trail
Begins just outside Bratislava and includes Svaty Jur (10th century fortress and a nature preserve),

Pezinok
Has a museum of viticulture and Modra (known for ceramics), as well as smaller communities.

Kamenin Wine Trail
Connected to the international Danube Cycle Way along the Hron River, this route offers wines similar to Tokaj and picturesque scenery.

Hont Wine Trail
This 34-community project was created to help develop agrotourism and encourage wine-making in the Hont region, which includes Banska Stiavnica.

Tokaj Wine Trail
"The wine of kings, king of wines" is made in the southeastern part of Slovakia.