Address: Klariská 1
Phone: 335-614, 331-511
Cuisine: Slovak
Hours: 11:00 - 23:00 daily
Reservations: yes
English menu: yes (German)
Credit Cards: AmEx, Euro
Recommended: highly
This charming restaurant is located on a quiet, tiny cobblestoned side street across from the Klariská Church in the heart of Old Town. If you're coming from the corner of Michalská and Sedlárska Streets, walk through the passage and you'll see the restaurant across the way, in a delightful old building with Renaissance sgraffito decoration adorning its exterior walls.
U Dežmára seats 45 and an additional 70 in the outdoor courtyard in summer. Thanks to the dependably good food and reasonable prices, U Dežmára fills up rapidly, so reservations are recommended. Unfortunately, U Dežmára has a relatively expensive cloakroom at 4 Sk per item.
We have eaten at U Dežmára many times, and the food is always reliably good. The opekaný oštiepok (baked smoked cheese) (42 Sk) is satisfying, served piping hot with a layer of ham on top. The vyprážené šampiňóny (fried mushrooms) (46 Sk) appetizer is also excellent and makes for a good light lunch with a soup. Our favorite is the garlic soup (18 Sk). TRhe thick, hearty poprtion is very strong, and creatively served in a hollowed out small round loaf of bread. We also tried the chicken soup (18 Sk), which we wished had been served hotter.
The highlights at U Dežmára are the wonderful main courses. We tried a mouth-watering bravčová sviečkovicá na rokforte (pork steak with roquefort) (95 Sk). It is rich and satisfying andpractically melts in your mouth. Another interesting dish is the misa dežmár, a 400 gram serving for two of various meats with pineapple and bacon (373 Sk). Salads here are always fresh, with generous helpings. Desserts at U Dežmára are not particularly unusual or creative. The palacinky Are served cold, filled with ice cream. The other desserts are mainly ice cream dishes.
The most expensive item on the menu is biftek na zelenom korení (green pepper steak) a spicy beef dish (109 Sk). The least expensive is the syrové halušky (cheese dumplings) at a most reasonable 44 Sk. The atmosphere in this restaurant is pleasant, though there is nothing special about the décor. Service is pleasant, and our waiter was most patient describing the various dishes for us and our guests. On nice, warm days, be sure to sit in the courtyard, making a quiet and restful retreat from noise and work at noontime.
Paul Zendzian and Madeline Vadkerty are the authors of Bon Appetit Bratislava!, which will be published later this year.
Author: Paul Zendzian, Madeline Vadkerty
