Address: Vajanského 10
Prices: Sk Sk
Cusine: International
English menu: Yes
Reservations: No
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-01:00; Sun 15:00-23:00
Credit Cards: Yes
A fine new addition to Bratislava's nightlife opened its doors in late September near the Slovak National Museum and Comenius University. Named 'Mustang,' in deference to the line of denim wear that the bar touts on its walls, this new watering hole threatens to make serious inroads on the Dubliner Irish Pub's ex-pat business.
Mustang is (so far) a smaller, cleaner, cheaper and less-crowded version of the Dubliner. With 12 beers on offer, including Guinness, Kilkenny, Murphy's and Cashell's, the pub boasts a fine selection of amber nectar at an average of 10 Sk per pint cheaper than its cross-town rival. Domestic Slovak beers go for 23Sk a large pint. The liquor list is also well-stocked - Canadian Club rye whisky, for example, being about as common in these parts as Newfies in Norway, will catch the eye of anyone who knows the intoxicating pleasure of a rye and coke.
Mustang's owner, Karel Sás, was manager of the Dubliner for two years, and said that "we wanted to focus on the 30-something group and the business community. We wanted to attract not only the Irish Pub clientele, but also a wider group." The Mustang was a "beer restaurant," he said, "and this kind of pub is opening up all over Europe, so I wanted to create something like it in Bratislava."
Sás would not reveal the names of Mustang's investors, nor would he discuss the sum of money involved, but he did say that five times a year the pub would stage a fashion show sponsored by the Mustang jeans company. "We will also have regular live music from both Slovak and English bands, all of it in English," he said.
Seating capacity is about 200 at the moment, and another 40-seat non-smoking room is set to open from November 1. Most of the tables are candlelit, and attended by surprisingly gracious waitstaff (but then, it's early days yet).
Food service will also start as of November 1, with typical grilled dishes going for 200k each, including a vegetable garnish. Sás said that a special business lunch menu was in preparation.
