October 14, 2026
More awarded restaurants than last year, new trophies for gastronomy personalities, and the launch of the hotel guide Stay & Dine. The gala evening of the international restaurant guide Gault&Millau on Monday, 23 March, held at Stará Tržnica, showed that Slovak gastronomy has moved forward once again. And that it is full of flavour, enthusiasm, collegiality, and ambition.
The second edition of the Gault&Millau restaurant guide for Slovakia covers a total of 221 reviewed restaurants. Of these, 182 achieved a score of at least 11 out of 20, earning them the prestigious toque symbol. The guide also includes 83 venues in the POP category — a popular section featuring street food concepts and bistros that cannot be assessed by Gault&Millau's classical criteria, but which inspectors recommend as quality spots worth visiting.
Three top restaurants claimed the prestigious four toques — ECK Restaurant, which triumphed last year, was joined by Irin. and Gašperov Mlyn.
Twelve restaurants received three toques this year: ARTE Restaurant; SEVEN Restaurant Café; EDOMAE Sushi Matsuki; ORIGIN, BISTRONOMY; UFO watch.taste.groove.; BISTRIC Restaurant; D.Steakhouse; Grand Restaurant; Reštaurácia Klára, Kaštieľ Voderady; Reštaurácia Sissi and Semillon Restaurant.
"Our inspectors returned to the venues we visited last year to assess how they had progressed. We are also very pleased to have discovered many restaurants we hadn't managed to visit previously, or that are entirely new. I can confirm that the quality of Slovak gastronomy is steadily rising and holds its own in international competition," says Michal Ondriš, chief inspector of Gault&Millau Slovakia.
Gault&Millau also presented trophies in seven categories at the gala evening. Chef of the Year went to Jozef Breza of Gašperov Mlyn, while the Chef of Tomorrow trophy went to Peter Bracho of Reštaurácia Klára, Kaštieľ Voderady. Roman Borovský of Semillon Restaurant became the Young Talent of the Year and Sommelier of the Year went to Jakub Doktorík of Irin. The Service of the Year title went to ECK Restaurant, and Hotel Lomnica was named Gourmet Hotel of the Year.
Alongside the restaurant guide, this year also saw the first edition of the online guide Stay & Dine. "This new publication focuses on hotels that combine a great experience with quality food. Each of the 62 included hotels offers guests a restaurant that has successfully passed an independent assessment by secret inspectors and received a minimum of 10 points," explains Miroslav Lekeš, CEO of Gault&Millau CZ, SK, HU and IT. The publication aims, among other things, to shine a light on hotel restaurants that are well worth visiting and often underappreciated in Slovakia.
Gault&Millau in Slovakia is supported by partners from the gastronomy sector who care about quality establishments being recognized and appreciated — led by the main partner, METRO
Profiles of award winners
Chef of the Year: Jozef Breza — Jozef Breza has been head chef at Gašperov Mlyn for a decade, and both he and the restaurant rank among the most celebrated in the country. His hallmarks are local ingredients, bold flavours, and impeccable craftsmanship. He has completed various stages abroad and continues to push Slovak gastronomy forward. Nestled beneath the Tatras in the small village of Batizovce, Gašperov Mlyn demonstrates how fine dining of the highest order can be achieved using the most humble ingredients — drawn largely from the surrounding forests, meadows, and ponds.
Young Talent of the Year: Roman Borovský — Roman Borovský honed his skills at one of the finest schools in the Czech and Slovak context, restaurant Kampa Park. He later received an offer from Poul Andreas Zisk and went on to work at the iconic KOKS restaurant in the Faroe Islands. His mastery is evident at Semillon Restaurant, where he delivers intense, finely tuned flavours and reimagines traditional Slovak dishes in a contemporary form with beautiful plating.
Chef of Tomorrow: Peter Bracho — Peter Bracho is currently head chef of the gastronomic concept Reštaurácia Klára at the newly renovated Kaštieľ Voderady. A formative experience was cooking in Germany under Czech legend Pavel Pospíšil, where he came to understand the workings of haute cuisine — something he continues to offer his guests with great care. He enjoys combining humble ingredients with noble ones, and various techniques and styles of presentation, yet every dish bears his unmistakable signature and perfect harmony of flavours.
Service of the Year: ECK Restaurant — ECK Restaurant is committed to the highest level of fine dining, with attention to detail in cooking, philosophy, ambience, and above all hospitality and guest comfort. The atmosphere and service style are informal and welcoming, yet professional, with the aim of delivering a top-tier experience with maximum comfort. Thanks to its warm staff, first-time visitors feel immediately at ease, and the level of service impresses even those who have dined at dozens of the world's finest restaurants.
Sommelier of the Year: Jakub Doktorík — Jakub Doktorík, head sommelier at Bratislava's Irin., belongs to a young generation of sommeliers who are simultaneously at the absolute top of their field. Just as Irin. is minimalist in character, Jakub gravitates toward producers who rely on quality and craft over quantity. Beyond an exceptional wine list and pairings to which he brings narrative, logic, and clarity, he is also responsible for the now indispensable non-alcoholic pairing. Being guided by his commentary and recommendations is an experience not easily forgotten.
Gourmet Hotel of the Year: Hotel Lomnica — Restaurant Sissi can be found at the five-star Hotel Lomnica in the High Tatras. The elegantly appointed restaurant, open to non-hotel guests as well, is headed by Patrik Pokrývka, a member of the national culinary team and winner of the national heat of Bocuse d'Or Slovakia 2025. His kitchen focuses on seasonality, local flavours, and precise preparation of ingredients in a fine dining format delivered in a relaxed atmosphere. Alongside Sissi, guests can enjoy refined snacks at the Franz Jozef Lobby Bar or excellent pastries and coffee at the charming Mozart café.
POP of the Year: Beňovský Bistro & Market — Beňovský Bistro & Market is located on the square in the beautiful town of Spišská Sobota. For over four years it has offered guests several services under one roof: a bistro serving breakfast, lunch, and early dinner; a café with specialty coffee, cakes, and pastries; and a shop stocking quality, mostly local produce, fermented lemonades, wines, and other drinks. The cosy space, friendly service, and beautifully presented food make it well worth a visit.
About Gault&Millau
The French restaurant guide was founded by journalists Henri Gault and Christian Millau in the 1960s as a reaction to the then-rigid criteria of other guides. They created a flexible rating system combining the toque symbol with a points score, and defined the culinary ten commandments of nouvelle cuisine. Their work earned them a cover of Time magazine in 1980, and their system has helped discover many gastronomic talents. Gault&Millau currently operates in twenty countries worldwide.
Gault&Millau in Slovakia
The first edition of Gault&Millau for Slovakia, in both print and online form, was published in June 2025. It included 194 venues in total — 146 reviewed restaurants and 48 in the unrated POP category. The highest rating in the first Slovak edition went to ECK Restaurant, with four toques and 18 points. The very first Gault&Millau award holders in Slovakia, announced at the gala evening, were Daniel Tilinger (Chef of the Year), Lukáš Heuser (Chef of Tomorrow), Patrik Pokrývka (Young Talent of the Year), and Mäso od Romana (POP of the Year).
