October 14, 2026
Ingredients we all know well, yet given a personal touch. Cooking “the Slovak way” is essentially a return to the roots, often to ingredients that at first glance seem completely ordinary: carrot, zucchini, dill, tarragon, chervil. And that’s where the magic lies – rediscovering familiar flavors while exploring new dimensions of dishes that remind us of childhood and the food of our grandparents.
Behind It All – A Good Kitchen Team
Just a few years ago, talking about gastro-tourism in Prešov would have been difficult. But today, the city finally has places worth traveling for. Among them is Zwicker, part of a guesthouse on the outskirts of Prešov, in the Ľubotice district. In our Gault&Millau guide, the inspectors awarded it two toques and 14 points.
In 2020, Zwicker welcomed its current head chefs, Michal Biroš and Lukáš Šepeľa – known to their friends as Majky and Jardo. They are the ones behind Zwicker’s signature as we know it today.
“Our à la carte menu is essentially based on classic, even traditional dishes. But we like to prepare them in a way that lifts them to another level, because we believe our gastro-culture has much to offer,” say Majky and Jardo.
The duo have been through a lot together – they cooked at Bratislava’s Albrecht and Fach, and before Zwicker they worked at Akadémia in Trnava. Their signature? Jardo focuses on meats and sauces, Majky on desserts. Both create the à la carte and tasting menus together. Their handwriting is also visible in plating, where simplicity is beauty.
Preserving the Best of Each Season
Zwicker exemplifies an approach that Prešov’s gastronomy has long been missing – building the menu on quality, ideally local ingredients. From farm to table. Or from garden to table. Yet the reality is that many producers are based in western Slovakia, and getting their products beyond the Tatras is sometimes difficult. In the east they searched for a reliable poultry farmer, but deliveries were irregular and often too small. The same goes for fish, vegetables, fruit, herbs – most of these products still come from the west.
Majky and Jardo explain that the key is to preserve the best of each season and to use every part possible: from snout to tail, from flower to leaf to stem. Their kitchen produces green herb oils, herb salts, vinegars, preserves and fermented vegetables. It’s a kitchen that doesn’t pretend, but rather returns to the roots – capturing the best of each season in jars.
So it’s no surprise that at their Chef’s Table tasting dinners in midwinter, you might find pickled gooseberries, dill oil or wild garlic salt on your plate. Their sourdough bread is baked by the local artisan bakery Kromka.
The Chef’s Table concept allows guests to rediscover familiar ingredients in new attire. It is also a source of inspiration – for new recipes or new ways to present food. As tradition dictates, the dinner begins with bread in the shape of a small loaf, butter and a seasonal garnish – vegetables or herbs in various forms. Guests then taste marinated fish (served cold and hot), a meat course, a pre-dessert and a dessert. Expect homemade sorbets and ice creams, colorful vinaigrettes, sauces and herbs. Tasting dinners are all about tasting and rediscovering flavors.
Guests in the Kitchen – Friends in the Kitchen
Zwicker regularly welcomes back chefs from other restaurants, who also happen to be Majky and Jardo’s friends. Patrik Hanzel from the farm Naša farmička, with whom they worked in Trnava’s Akadémia, is a regular guest at their traditional February pig slaughter feast. Jožko Breza from Gašperov mlyn has cooked here, as has Kristián Babjak, until recently part of Prague’s KRUH Dining project.
Every December they close the year with charity Christmas markets, full of meetings, great food and local handmade creators. Every summer they cook at Vínoles, a beautiful outdoor event organized by Bažalík Winery from Svätý Jur.
Today, Zwicker’s kitchen team also includes Jarko Tomeček, Jakub Novotný and Miloš Anderko. At the head of the restaurant is Danka Kaňuková.
Zwicker recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and can be found at Bardejovská 48 in Prešov.
