The best bars in Bratislava, Slovakia...
Whilst you'll find plenty of party bars in Bratislava popular with stag parties and large groups, there are also some amazing cocktail bars, micro breweries and unique Slovakian offerings which should appeal to the more discerning drinker.
- Most Bratislava bars usually remain busy until 01:00 during the week and 02:00 at weekends. More touristy bars and nightclubs usually close around 05:00
- Whilst the city is split into a tiny Old Town and a separate larger new town, most bars in Bratislava can still be explored very easily by foot
- Nearly all the bars in Bratislava offer local Slovakian beer and wine. Both are excellent and well worth trying - especially the Orange Wine - as is the famous Slivovica plum pálenka (schnapps). Other Slovakian liquors worth tasting include Tatratea (made with tea), Bentianna honey liquor, the gin-like Borovička juniper liquor, Demänovka herbal liquor, and Karpatské brandy.
- Many Bratislava bars do not accept payment by credit or debit card, so have some cash with you
- Staff in most Bratislava bars speak good English and sometimes German
- Smoking is not allowed in most Bratislava bars although many do have separate smoking rooms
- Nearly all bars in Bratislava offer free WiFi, even at the older establishments
- Generally, the locals tip, by just rounding up the bill to the nearest Euro, specifying how much they want to pay in total. Be warned though, do not say "Dakujem" or "Thanks" when paying as that actually means "keep the change" in Bratislava
- Vienna is only 1 hour away by train and should be visited if you have time.
Best Bars Bratislava ~ SKY Bar
1 ~ LEMON TREE SKY BAR
Located next to the American Embassy in the Old Town, this superb venue offers three different drinking experiences in one building. The Lemon Tree Bar on the ground floor is a New York Style cocktail bar with a rather confusing statue of a sexy woman waiting to be served - many drunken men have probably tried chatting her up at some point. In the basement, you'll find the intimate Rum Club, however the real highlight is up the lift to the seventh and eighth floors. The Sky Vodka bar offers excellent World Class Competition standard cocktails, over 70 different vodkas - including brilliant tasting flights - and a superb wine list, not to mention the amazing view of St. Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava Castle, Most SNP bridge and the Danube. A smoking terrace and rooftop bar are the perfect place to hang out on warm nights. Attracting a more sophisticated crowd and a particularly high percentage of good looking girls, this is the place to be seen.
Cocktails €7+ Beer (0.5l) €5+ Wine €4+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Slovak Pub / Photo: slovakpub.sk
2 ~ 1. Slovak Pub
The largest bar in Bratislava , as well as one of the most popular, this 500 seater pub next to the university is divided into eleven rooms, each dedicated to a certain stage of Slovakia's history, including an original 200-year-old wooden shepherd's hut, which was taken apart and then put back together using 80% of the original materials. One room is dedicated to Slovak intellectuals from the 1800's, another to poets, one to Pribina's Knights and one to a famous Slovak highwayman. It is one of very few pubs in Slovakia to have its own brick cellar cask larder, storing cask-conditioned beer at 8°C before being mildly cooled before serving. Zlatý Bažant 10 is tapped directly from the tank and the restaurant runs its own organic farm 25km outside the city, which produces some of the products that go into the typical Slovak cuisine. The pagan era terrace also proves popular in summer, especially with students.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Bratislava Flag Ship Restaurant / Photo: bratislavskarestauracia.sk
3 ~ BRATISLAVA FLAG SHIP RESTAURANT
From the same owners of 1. Slovak Pub (above), this is a similar but more upmarket offering located in a former cinema just around the corner. One of the largest bars in Bratislava, you enter from the Námestie SNP square into a passageway decorated with the facades of original homes which no longer exist, except for one "Dobrého Pastiera" (The Good Shepherd), which now houses a gift shop selling typical Slovak products such as honey, mead and blackcurrant wine. The main attraction though is the stunning restaurant and bar area with its galleries decorated with real wood, stone, a crystal chandelier and authentic stained glass windows. The typical Slovak fayre is produced at the same organic farm 25km outside the city. They brew their own Kláštorný ležiak 11° (Monastic beer), without any additives or mixtures whatsoever.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Cafe L'Aura
4 ~ CAFE L'AURA
This traditional Bratislava bar next to St Martin's Cathedral looks more like an antique shop than a place to drink Slovakian wines and spirits. With its mix and match furniture, old paintings and a clutter of ornaments and glassware, it is not hard to see why it is also home to the "Grandma's Bazaar" vintage sale (weekdays until 6pm). The outdoor terrace is a nice suntrap in summer. Cash only.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Gallery Andy
5 ~ DRINK IN GALLERY ANDY
We absolutely adore this tiny bar on the foot of the climb up to Bratislava Castle from the Danube. The inside of the cavernous space is shaped like an old tram - that's how small it is - and, as you would expect for a place named after famous Slovak American, Andrej Varhola Jr. (or Andy Warhol as he is better known), the walls are decorated with ever changing artwork. There's loads of board games to play and the staff are really friendly. If you look carefully at the outside of the building, you'll notice it's even painted like a tram. If you're looking for something that's unique in Bratislava, then jump aboard this wonderful bar when you're in the castle area. Cash only.
Beer (0.5l) €2+ Wine €1+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Bratislavsky Mestiansky Pivovar
6 ~ Bratislavský Meštiansky Pivovar ~ Drevenej
This large microbrewery is named after an old Bratislava brewery which existed from 1752 upto 1968 and is one of two located in the centre of the Old Town from the Meštiansky Brewery. This, the original, opened in 2010 next to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Spread over three floors, it lures visitors for its special kind of home brewed beer and traditional Slovak food. Absolutely buzzing with atmosphere, the beer is delicious and there's a great choice of local spirits on offer too, including homegrown rum, although we're not too sure about the "Magic Eye" beer and peppermint liquor combination.
Cocktails €3+ Beer (0.5l) €2+ Wine €2+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Vinimka
7 ~ Vínimka
This fantastic wine bar in the Old Town from leading Slovak sommelier Andrej Lúčny offers over 250 varieties, covering 45 wine regions in 15 countries, with a focus on exceptional bio wines from family wineries in Slovakia, Austria and Italy in particular. The bar itself has won architectural prizes and is a great place to spend the night with its 03:00 closing time. Closed Sunday.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ UFO / Photo: Facebook redmonkeygroup.com
8 ~ UFO
The iconic symbol of Bratislava, the alien spaceship like building on the MOST Bridge is home to this top class but expensive restaurant and cocktail bar, 95 meters above the Danube with a beautiful panorama of the capital. The atmosphere can be more formal with a pre-dining vibe than other places in town, however from a tourist or a cocktail connoisseur's point of view, it should be one of the first places you need to tick off. Sitting at the round bar, you will find the original statue that used to stand outside the influential and much-missed Paparazzi bar - from the same team and where some of the best bartenders in the world started their career, including Marian Beke (Nightjar London) and Stanislav Vadrna (Nikka Whisky). During the summer, a beach bar can also be found by the riverside below with DJs adding to the vibe.
Cocktails €7+ Beer (0.5l) €5.50+ Wine €3+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Pod Kamennym Stromom
9 ~ Pod Kamenným stromom
Hidden away amongst all the party bars in the Old Town, look for a small passage behind an iron gate, take the door on the left and go down the stairs to this lively bar in the cellar of a beautiful 13th Century saddlery. With an outside terrace and a smoking room in the back, bookshelves provide plenty of reading material whilst you sip on the excellent Slovak fruit brandies and Czech beers.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Omama Shop Cafe
10 ~ OMAMA SHOP CAFE
Located near the University, this Soviet era theme bar is furnished as a living museum with an interior evoking the atmosphere of pubs, cafes and grocery stores from Czechoslovakia's communist times. Together with a great selection of Slovak and Czech beers, you will find wonderful vintage coffee trays, enamel advertising signs, old scales, metal tea boxes, cigar and cigarette cases, ashtrays, bottles and more. Closed Sundays.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Starosloviensky Pivovar
11 ~ STAROSLOVIENSKY PIVOVAR
This friendly microbrewery was founded in 2012, bringing local beer and traditional Slovak sheep cheese to Bratislava's Old Town. The unfiltered and unpasteurized yeast beers are made on site whilst the cheese is imported directly from the largest and oldest sheep cheese factory in the world, Bryndziareň in Zvolenská Slatina, 200km to the east of Bratislava and dating back to 1797.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Beer Palace / Photo: beerpalace.sk
12 ~ BEER PALACE
Located in the grand setting of the historical palace of the Motešický family in the Old Town, which dates back to the 1590s, this is one of only a few places in Bratislava that offers the Czech Pilsner Urquell tank beer directly from the original tanks, so you can enjoy it in a clean, unpasteurized form. Other beers include Šariš, the largest brewery in Slovakia alongside mainstream Slovak ales like Smädný Mních and ERB Weizenbier.
Cocktails €5+ Beer (0.5l) €2+ Wine €2+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Pinot u Bruna / Photo: Facebook Evelyn Bencicova photography
13 ~ PINOT U BRUNA
Located in a romantic white house with its weeping willow tree and garden next to the Dóm Svätého Martina church, at the entrance to the Old Town, this family ran wine bar focuses on small vineyards. Maintaining a close and friendly relationship with both their customers and the winemakers, they host several tasting nights throughout the year. Closed Sunday and Monday
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ KC Dunaj
14 ~ KC DUNAJ
This arty venue is located on the fourth floor of a rather unattractive building in the Old Town. A cultural centre which boasts live music, club nights, literature readings, film screenings, theatre productions and after show parties, there's something happening every night of the week. The highlight though is the large open smoking terrace which boasts fantastic views of Bratislava. Cash only.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Papichulo
15 ~ PAPICHULO
This tiny bar and nightclub is located in the former premises of public toilet on Americké Námestie. Open until 05:00, there's DJs, beer pong, karaoke and live sport screenings to keep you entertained. Cash only. Closed Sundays.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ U Certa
16 ~ U Čerta
Translated as "The Devil", this lively bar on the Danube side approach to Bratislava Castle is decorated with dolls, ghouls, masks and a portrait of Salvador Dali. A great choice of Slovakian beers, wines and liquors complement the selection of whiskies and rums from around the world. Away from the main tourist party bars, this friendly venue is popular with locals of all ages. Cash only.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Cierny Pes
17 ~ Čierny Pes
Hidden down a narrow cobbled street in the Old Town, the "Black Dog" is a friendly pub with beautiful cavernous candlelit small rooms, with a capacity of no more than 40 people, in which to enjoy a great selection of Slovakian beers and wines. Cash only. Closed Sunday.
Beer (0.5l) €1.50+ Wine €1+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Obyvacka / Photo: obyvacka.net
18 ~ Obývačka cafe restaurant
"Living Room" is a friendly bar that is decorated in the style of your grandmother's house - if your grandmother is Slovak of course. Set over two floors with comfortable couches and dining tables throughout, upstairs the walls are decorated with open antiquarian books. In the summer the backyard boasts inviting terraces overgrown with ivy. Among other things, they offer great wines, draft Budvar, excellent coffee, loose tea served in mugs and tap Kofola Slovakian cola. Cash only
Cocktails €4.50+ Beer (0.5l) €1.50+ Wine €2.50+
More information / Map / Directions
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Prasna Basta / Photo: prasnabasta.sk
19 ~ Prašná Bašta
Built in the 16th century in the city's fortifications, this wonderful Slovakian restaurant and bar takes it name, "Powder Bastion", from the former bastion house in which it is located. Inside, the Baroque style room with its low ceilings, offers a feel of old Bratislava, whilst a pleasant garden courtyard is the perfect place to listen to a live chamber orchestra whilst you drink from the great Slovakian wine menu.
Beer (0.5l) €2+ Wine €1+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Richtar Jakob
20 ~ Minipivovar Richtár Jakub
Microbrewery "Mayor Jacob" is named after the 15th Century mayor Rod Jakubovcov who was responsible for building many of the famous buildings in Bratislava, including introducing a beer tap to the court hall in 1477. Located near the University, the tasty unfiltered and unpasteurised beer is brewed on site, leading directly from tank to tap.
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Best Clubs Bratislava ~ Klub Loft
21 ~ LOFT
This nightclub on the edge of Bratislava's Old Town offers live music concerts featuring international artists as well as DJs spinning virtually every kind of music there is. An interestingly decorated industrial interior offers many corners and tables to hang out.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Zamocky Pivovar / Photo: zamockypivovar.sk
22 ~ Zámocký Pivovar
Set over two floors, at the bottom of the road up to Bratislavský Hrad, the "Castle Brewery" offers homebrews in a rock pub or sports bar atmosphere, with the opportunity to sit next to the beautiful copper beer vats. The non-pasteurized beers, available in sharing pumps, are as tasty as the traditional Bratislavan cuisine with plenty of events from live music to sports screenings to keep you occupied.
Beer (0.5l) €2+ Wine €1.50+
Best Bars Bratislava ~ Tempus Art Club / Photo: Facebook tempus.sk
23 ~ TEMPUS ART CLUB
With a beautiful entrance amongst high rise housing close to the Blue Church, this neighbourhood basement bar with room for just 30 people, offers a friendly, calm atmosphere with great drinks and cocktails. A typical Bratislava local's bar. Cash only. Closed Sunday.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Kontakt / Photo: Facebook KONTAKTUJ
24 ~ KONTAKT
This alternative bar, restaurant, concert venue and theatre workshop in Bratislava's Old Town is a unique concept. Best described as a multifunctional place for creative people with a love for local beer, wines, and food, there's always something going on here and enough to keep everybody happy.
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Best Bars Bratislava ~ Funus / Photo: krcma-funus.sk
25 ~ FUNUS
A pleasant walk out of town, at the end of a steep street through a beautiful forest in the Embassy district, you will find this friendly pub which allows you to sit under 100 year old chestnut trees in a large garden whilst you sip on unpasteurized Budvar or a Chotěboř Czech beers. Inside the pub, you will find a large fireplace, table football, darts, and a children's playground. Cash only. Closed Sunday.
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Last updated 16 Feb 2016