Category Reviews

Inspired by Slovakia’s take on Kitchen Nightmares (TV show Na Nože), this series follows the trail of restaurants featured in the show—one plate at a time. Let me open with a famous Cimrman quote: “He opened a pub… and those bastards actually started coming.” As a long-time fan of kitchen rescue shows like Áno, šéfe! (the Czech version of Kitchen Nightmares), I’d always wanted to visit the restaurants featured on TV. But life had other…

Update: Since this article was written, NIXA has closed. We visited NIXA nearly two months ago, and I was curious to see what—if anything—had changed. So we returned. At first glance, a few things had changed. The old opening hours from the previous business were finally removed. A laminated pizza menu had appeared in the stand by the door (which I hadn’t noticed during our first visit), so I started to wonder if they had…

La Secchia is, by now, a fairly well-known name in Banská Bystrica. A small restaurant tucked into a converted family home, it won’t dazzle you at first glance—but if you push past the initial confusion, there’s a lot to write about. Both good and bad. The entrance is a bit awkward. You step through what feels like the hallway of a private house, and for a moment you’re not sure you’ve entered the right door.…

Update: Since this article was written, NIXA has closed. The review remains here as a snapshot of its early days. NIXA is a newly opened restaurant in the former space of the old Bowling restaurant. Before we dive in, let me answer the question nobody asked: why is this article labeled Part 1? Simple—we visited unprepared. But let’s go step by step. The interior hasn’t changed much from its Bowling predecessor, which isn’t necessarily a…

Intro: Wait… This Is a Food Review? You’re probably wondering why “the biggest sports and entertainment park in Slovakia” is popping up in the Gastro section. Fair question. While Bounce Park’s main attraction is draining your kids of every last drop of energy, it also offers a way to give some of that energy back—in the form of food. They call it a “restaurant”—quotes very much intentional, because I’m not entirely sure that term fits.…