I'm off to Vienna and then Bratislava this April. There was a thread about Vienna last year that I will be using but wondered if anything is new there. Bratislava looks like a pretty blank canvas, so looking forward to suggestions. Looking for beer suggestions, restaurants, fun things to do, etc. Thanks & Cheers!
I've never been to Bratislavia, but the beer scene there seems quite interesting. Recommendations from other sites include these bars / pubs: Damian Bar - Rozadol, 100 pív, Feriba Pub, Kollarko, Žil Verne and Clock - Block. There are also at least 10 brewpubs. Mestský pivovar Alžbetka is supposed to be the best. Keep us updated when you go there - I hope to go there myself before I die.
I spent a weekend in Bratislava a little over a year ago. There are a few breweries, but more in the Central European style, not the modern craft style -- that is, they do one or two beers, and do them very well. Fabrika is the closest to an American craft brewery that I found there, but even so, my recommendation is to stick to their (excellent) lagers -- IPA and pale ale skills are still being developed here If you want something you aren't gonna get anywhere else, Dunajský Pivovar is a brewery located in a hotel/restaurant on a barge floating in the Danube. How can you beat that?? Their dark lager is on point. As far as Vienna goes, I didn't explore there as much as I wanted to, but I will say that Siebensternbräu has a vending machine in the foyer that will sell you bottles of beer. An honest-to-god vending machine with glass bottles! I found this entirely charming.
Back from a great trip. Vienna, to me one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Lots to see and do and the beer and food were very good. There are a bunch of traditional brewpubs but almost all of them had some sort of IPA or APA on tap to go with their lagers, dunkels, etc. My advice is to try some of their hoppy offerings if you like, but their traditional styles are much better. Zwickels were everywhere. Including Rot (red) ones Really good beers, I only found Bock beer on tap at the Gosser tied beer haus. BTW, parts of that place are over 350 years old, it is a great place to grab some food and beers. Bratislava - Very cool riverfront, old town, castle, and beer scene. There are a lot of craft beer bars, traditional and craft breweries. Tons of bars, reminds me of Wisconsin : ) Really cheap. I had .51L beers for as cheap as 2.25 Euro, Don't think I ever spent more than 4 euro for that size, most places were around 3.25 to 3.5 euro We were able to attend the Craft Beer Festival that took place in their Old Market Hall. $10 Euros for three day and it included a very nice .25CL glass. Samples ranged from 1 to 4 euros (could get large or small pours). We went two days and we are able to really sample the best of the local beers. Some really good sours, hazies, etc. but the best beers I had were a Baltic porter and then traditional styles. I will be entering a ton of reviews on in Places (and adding a few more spots). Reach out to me if you want any specific recommendations.
Awesome, gonna go look at those reviews! I have been going to Budapest almost annually lately, and Vienna and Bratislava are just quick hops on the train from there.
Gravity Brewing if you want to visit a place where they actually brew. I also really liked Parabolic Lázárus, but I think it has more mixed reviews in general. Both are on the Pest side very close to the city center. For bars, Legfelsőbb Beeróság and Hops Beer Bar, both in Pest kinda in the nightlife district. For beer shops, Beerselection and Csak a Jó Sör. I prefer Beerselection because more of their stuff is refrigerated. For beers to try if you see ‘em: absolutely anything from Brew Your Mind, hands down my favorite Hungarian brewery. Egészségedre!
