Bratislava is hands down one of the best cities in Europe I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. It’s got culture, quirks, history, architecture, and some truly amazing places to eat and drink – all very much budget-friendly.

I listed out my 10 Best Reasons To Visit Bratislava last year after visiting, but if, like me, travel is just as much about adventure as it is about relaxing somewhere utterly fabulous looking with a great coffee, then keep reading. These are the unforgettable places we stopped for a break, where the decor and atmosphere was just as delicious as the food itself.

Urban House

A hipster’s dream and enormous enough in floorspace to guarantee you’ll always get a seat (unlike many European coffee shops where you’re scrambling for a bar stool by the front door). With a typical brunch menu, you’ll also noticed grilled food and even a pizza area, so plenty of variety. if you stumble across this place later in the day, they do become a bar in the evening.

The decor was almost exclusively made from reclaimed items, and paired with palette walls filled with urban jungle features, it was a really chilled atmosphere for both tourists and locals alike.

If you’re interested, I ordered the coconut latte (delicious). The menu changes seasonally so you may find the likes of beetroot lattes or cucumber lemonade on the specials, making it a sustainable choice and also very vegan-friendly. My only regret was that we discovered Urban House on our last day, and I wish I’d had time to go for seconds.

Address: Laurinská 213/14, ground floor, 811 01 Bratislava
Website: http://www.urbanhouse.sk/

The UFO

I couldn’t very well talk about Bratislava without mentioning the UFO, now could I? If you haven’t got around to reading my Bratislava Guide yet, basically there is an enormous UFO sat on top of their main bridge. Within the UFO, is a bar and restaurant called watch.taste.groove, with the most fantastic panoramic views of Bratislava.

The restaurant is A La Carte and booking is essential (tip: calculate when the sun will set for an even more incredible view). Designed minimally, with floor to ceiling glass for maximum views, it’s a fantastic setting for dinner where you can see as far as Austria.

However, if you just want to pop in for a drink, you can sit at the bar where they sell a fabulous range of cocktails (again, booking advised). This is probably the most expensive place we drank at around £10 a cocktail but it was certainly worth it for the scenes.

Address: Most SNP, Bratislava 851 01, Slovakia
Website: http://www.u-f-o.sk/

Five Points

I’m not going to beat around the bush with Five Points – this was the best breakfast I’ve ever had on holiday. No exception.

I ordered a moccacino which was exceedingly good, with a cheese bagel topped with avocado and poached egg. You could argue, a pretty standard breakfast for city folk like me but it was done so well, I was gobsmacked.

This cafe does offer selfiecinnos at certain points of the year where you are able to select an image and have it dusted onto your coffee. Sadly it wasn’t there when we visited in April 2018, but that’s just a good excuse to try again another time. The attention to detail in the tiled flooring, rustic wooden counter tops and suede teal seating gave a real air of luxury to this corner coffee stop.

Address: Panská 23, 811 01 Bratislava.
Website: https://www.fivepoints.coffee/

Konditorei Kormuth

From the outside it looks like an old antiques store, but upon closer inspection, it’s a stunning cake shop and cafe!

Said to have been baked with authentic Austro-Hungarian Empire recipes, cakes are served on historic porcelain, adding to the decadence of the interior. Renaissance paintings adorn the walls, and even the lighting fixtures which are sculpted with antiques! To be honest, as soon as I saw the pink marble tables and coconut cake, I was sold.

A coffee and cake menu will set you back around €10-15, which I thought was a bargain considering the generous portions and such fun setting!

Address: Sedlárska 363/8, 811 01 Bratislava
Website: http://konditoreikormuth.sk/

And those were the cream of the crop! It was a really quick trip but due to the small scale of the city, we managed to cram in a lot of sightseeing – and eating! Honorary mentions go to traditional Slovakian food which could be found on most side streets but didn’t often have a branded name. We tried Goulash and traditional Stroganoff which both blew my socks off. The ice cream on every street corner may have had lengthy queues thanks to a hotter-than-average April, but it was worth it to try the legendary Bratislava ice cream. The donut shop, known for its vegan-friendliness, over on chequered-floored Šafárikovo námestie was honestly incredible, and we ended up taking a collection back to our hotel room for a snack. Bratislava was filled with snack bars, pop-up eateries, and restaurants full of flair. I can’t wait to go back and find plenty more places to sit with a coffee and watch the world go by. Have you been to Bratislava?