Dog Bar & Lounge & DOGBARBERS- Psia škôlka a Kaviareň — Restaurant in Bratislava

We visited this café with our dog, which presents itself not just as pet-friendly but as a true dog café. Unfortunately, our experience was quite disappointing.

At the entrance, we were asked how our dog interacts with others. We explained that she is well-socialized, often plays off-leash. However, as soon as we entered, all the dogs rushed at her at once. It wasn’t aggression — just curiosity — but there were too many of them, and our dog started hiding under the table.

The staff member nearby didn’t intervene — she just stood watching and quietly commented. When our dog growled to signal discomfort, the woman came over and said, “Toto nie je normálne. Je zlá.”

This was said out loud, in front of other guests, and felt quite humiliating — especially since our dog didn’t attack anyone, she was just trying to find a safe space. How else is a dog supposed to express that it feels scared or overwhelmed?

In other dog cafés I’ve visited (in Ukraine and in New York), there is a proper system for integrating new dogs. Trained staff members greet newcomers, gradually introduce them to the space and other dogs, and use tools like treats, toys, or whistles — but most importantly, they pay attention to the emotional state of each dog.

Here, it felt like the mere presence of dogs was more important than their actual well-being. If a place is marketed as a space for dogs, the approach should be entirely different: controlling the number of dogs, avoiding crowding, and having active staff support during introductions — not just passive observation. All of this is crucial to make animals feel safe and comfortable.

It seemed like this place is only suitable for highly confident and very energetic dogs. If your dog is more sensitive, shy, or simply needs time, you might be labeled as having an “Je zlá” and...

Excellent dog cafe with a good amount of space to play with the dogs and lots of toys. The dogs are all very friendly and love attention. The staff were great the entire time we were there, I'll definitely be going again while I am here. This is the best dog cafe I have been to in Bratislava!

Update: I went a second time to this cafe because I had so much fun and I wanted to go before my vacation ended. There was a dog who was very aggressive towards the other dogs, one smaller one in particular, and nearly bit me and my guest. It also ran into the table several times almost knocking drinks over. The staff did nothing but tell it to stop, put it away from other dogs for maybe ten minutes then let it out again. I left early because I could not enjoy myself and so did another...

Please train your staff well because we're been in many so called "Dog cafe" not only here in Europe but in Asia and south America. Unfortunately these staff doesn't know how to handle new dogs especially the dogs are timid and shy. They let the dog expose to the pack which makes our dog anxious and afraid. To top on it the staff just said let it be like the dog will be acclimated within 5mins with so many dog around. There's should be steps how to introduce new dog in the pack not just shoving the dog inside of the cafe and let god graces do...