Zylinder, in the historic centre of Bratislava, transports you back to the Austro-Hungarian era, not just through the restaurant’s décor, featuring period-upholstered furniture, wallpaper, and chandeliers, but also through its cuisine, which showcases tafelspitz, Wiener schnitzel, Szegedin goulash, and Vienna-style roast beef, the greatest treasures of Austrian, Slovak, and Hungarian culinary traditions. The beef broth here is rich and served with meat strudels and Celestine noodles. In the Szegedin goulash, medallions of beef tenderloin are perfectly seared, and you can add sour cream to the cabbage to taste. We had hoped for spätzle as a side, but they were not available, so we chose potato dumplings instead, though they tasted more of flour than of potatoes. For dessert, we had kaiserschmarrn (Imperial shredded pancake) flambéed with Grand Marnier. It had a firm crust, a pronounced buttery flavour, and the fruit coulis balanced its sweetness perfectly. Zylinder definitely has character, though the service communication could use some improvement. Overall, it offers good food, period details, and a delightful journey into the past, making it a favourite, not only among tourists.
