June 26, 2026
More awarded restaurants than last year, new awards for gastronomic personalities, and the launch of the Stay & Dine hotel guide. The gala evening of the international gastronomic guide Gault&Millau, held on Monday, March 23 at the Old Market Hall, showed that Slovak gastronomy has once again moved forward and is full of flavour, enthusiasm, collegiality and ambition.
The second edition of the Gault&Millau gastronomic guide for Slovakia includes a total of 221 rated restaurants. Of these, 182 achieved at least 11 points out of a maximum of 20 and can therefore proudly display the prestigious chef’s toque symbol. The guide also includes 83 establishments in the POP category. This popular section features casual concepts such as street food venues and bistros. While these are not evaluated according to the standard Gault&Millau criteria, inspectors recommend them as interesting places to visit.
The prestigious four toques were awarded to three top establishments this year – in addition to ECK Restaurant, which triumphed last year, the award was also given to restaurants Irin. and Gašperov mlyn.
A total of 12 restaurants were awarded three toques this year. The following establishments demonstrated their high standards to the inspectors: 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 establishments we visited last year to evaluate how they have progressed. At the same time, we were very pleased to discover a number of additional restaurants that we had not previously visited or that are new. I can confirm that the quality of Slovak gastronomy continues to rise steadily and stands up well in international competition,” says Michal Ondriš, Chief Inspector of Gault&Millau Slovakia.
During the gala evening, Gault&Millau presented trophies in seven categories. Chef of the Year was awarded to Jozef Breza from Gašperov mlyn, while the Young Chef of the Year trophy went to Peter Brach from Reštaurácia Klára, Kaštieľ Voderady. Roman Borovský from Semillon Restaurant was named Chef of Tomorrow, and Sommelier of the Year became Jakub Doktorík from restaurant Irin. The Service of the Year award went to ECK Restaurant, and Gourmet Hotel of the Year was awarded to Hotel Lomnica.
In addition to the gastronomic guide, the online guide Stay & Dine was launched for the first time this year. “This new publication focuses on hotels that combine a pleasant stay with high-quality dining. Each of the 62 selected hotels offers guests a restaurant that has successfully passed an independent evaluation by anonymous inspectors and received at least 10 points,” explains Miroslav Lekeš, CEO of Gault&Millau for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Italy. One of the aims of the publication is also to highlight hotel restaurants that are definitely worth visiting and are often underrated in Slovakia.
Profiles of Award Winners
Chef of the Year: Jozef Breza - Jozef Breza has been the head chef of Gašperov mlyn restaurant for ten years, and just like him, the restaurant itself ranks among the most awarded in Slovakia. His signature style is built on local ingredients, bold flavours, and precise craftsmanship. He has completed several internships abroad and continuously pushes Slovak gastronomy forward. Under the High Tatras, in the small village of Batizovce, at Gašperov mlyn, he demonstrates how fine dining at the highest level can be created from the simplest ingredients, sourced mainly from the surrounding forests, meadows, and ponds.
Young Talent of the Year: Roman Borovský - Roman Borovský gained his know-how at one of the best culinary schools in the Czech and Slovak region — the Kampa Park restaurant. Later, he received an offer from Poul Andrias Ziska and also worked at the iconic KOKS restaurant in the Faroe Islands. His mastery is evident at Semillon Restaurant, where he focuses on intense, perfectly balanced flavours and transforms traditional Slovak dishes into modern interpretations with beautiful presentation.
Chef of Tomorrow: Peter Bracho - Peter Bracho is currently the head chef and creator of the gastronomic concept at Reštaurácia Klára, located in the newly renovated Kaštieľ Voderady manor house. An important part of his professional development was working in Germany with Czech culinary legend Pavel Pospíšil, where he learned how high gastronomy operates — something he now proudly offers to his guests. He enjoys combining simple ingredients with premium ones, different techniques, and various styles of presentation. Each of his dishes carries a distinctive signature and perfect harmony of flavours.
Best Service: ECK Restaurant - ECK Restaurant focuses on the highest level of fine dining, emphasizing detail in cuisine, philosophy, environment, and especially hospitality and guest comfort. The atmosphere and service style are informal and welcoming, yet professional, with the aim of creating a top-level experience with maximum comfort for guests. Thanks to the friendly staff, even first-time fine dining guests feel relaxed, while the level of service impresses even those who have visited dozens of the world’s best restaurants.
Sommelier of the Year: Jakub Doktorík - Jakub Doktorík, head sommelier of the Bratislava-based restaurant Irin., belongs to the young generation of sommeliers while also ranking among the absolute top professionals. Just like the minimalist concept of Irin., Jakub tends to favour winemakers who focus more on quality and craftsmanship than on quantity. In addition to an exceptional wine list and wine pairing, to which he brings story, logic, and clarity, he is also responsible for the now-essential non-alcoholic pairing. Being guided by his explanations and recommendations is an unforgettable experience.
Gourmet Hotel of the Year: Hotel Lomnica - The Sissi restaurant is located in the five-star Hotel Lomnica in the High Tatras. The elegantly designed restaurant, open not only to hotel guests, is led by Patrik Pokrývka, a member of the national culinary team and winner of the Slovak national round of the Bocuse d’Or 2025 competition. His cuisine focuses on seasonality, local flavours, and precise craftsmanship transformed into fine dining served in a relaxed atmosphere for maximum guest comfort and experience. In addition to Sissi, guests can enjoy refined snacks at the Franz Jozef lobby bar or excellent desserts and coffee in the charming Mozart café.
POP of the Year: Beňovský bistro & market - Beňovský bistro & market is located on the square in the beautiful Spišská Sobota. For more than four years, it has offered several services under one roof: a bistro serving breakfasts, lunches, and early dinners, a café with specialty coffee, cakes, and desserts, as well as a shop selling high-quality, mostly local food products, fermented lemonades, wines, and other beverages. This 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).
