El Gaucho Bratislava — Restaurant in Bratislava

A nice surprise in Bratislava

A bit concerned by several bad reviews both on Google and Tripadvisor I rediscovered a place with great service, very good meat. I was at El Gaucho a few times many years ago and while it was not bad, I found it at the time overpriced. Maybe prices have aligned more along the years (I believe that in general after the last lock down prices went up 20% in Bratislava). What I found yesterday was a good atmosphere, fairly good food and great service for a reasonable price (considering everything).

The place: the restaurant is in the heart of the old town in a perfect position. The place has a very nice terrace that I will try when summer will come again. The interior is a bit dated in my opinion, but conveys a feeling of cosiness I really enjoyed. I would suggest to review lighting of the place. I needed my phone torch to read the menu (to be fair we were seated in a corner of the room, that may be even darker). Also, considering the price range, it would be nice to have a table cloth or at least a runner. I tend not to like eating directly on the table. The place can be a bit loud if full. But despite its obvious flaws, the interior made me feel welcomed and I enjoyed spending there two and a half hours through dinner.

The service: service was honestly faultless. Really nice, responsive, attentive and professional.

The food: coming to the food it’s a mix bag. Prices are a bit high, but there are dishes that I believe are worth the price and other a bit overpriced. We got the Argentinian mixed grill and I cannot complain at all. Meat was good or really good. Without being outstanding it was a great meat plate, especially considering you are in Slovakia (not famous for beef meat). I was surprised that we were not asked about cooking temperature, but we received a perfect medium rare steak. Sides and sauces were good without being special. Had some issues with dessert. The lava cake was definitely overcooked and dry. I asked to have it re-done (waiter was really nice in proposing it himself to re-fire a new one). Unfortunately this time it was largely undercooked. Tasted good though. Had a glass of overpriced wine and a bottle of water. Highly appreciated the free warm bread with garlic as well as the vodka shot at the end (even if I don’t drink).

The price: while not cheap, considering the quality, taste and cooking of the meat, the restaurant is worth its price overall. Some dishes are in my opinion slightly overpriced, but I find the full check fair and fitting what we had for dinner. Paid 45 euro per person including tip.

Overall the restaurant is a a good option when you crave a good steak in the city. While not cheap you really don’t feel cheated and the place has a nice atmosphere to spend an evening in two or with a bunch of friends. I will surely come...

The last experience with this restaurant was a serious disappointment for me. After complaining about the fillet steak, which definitely did not meet nobody's expectations of the USDA prime quality, the chef convinced me that the meat was completely fine. It wasn't, I'm sure, as it certainly wasn't my first USDA fillet. After a discussion, he offered me a replacement, so I ordered 200g instead of the former 300g. I waited 45 minutes, cold sauces, fries, etc. The biggest surprise was that on the bill was a full 300g . After the discussion, the waiter told me that I had already eaten 100g from first one. Really funny situation, but I paid 300g. Last time for me. The experience with the branch in Prague is completely...

Service very friendly and professional. Thanks for that.

The food was great, empanada as a started is something amazing and must to try.

However, there are some negative sides: Steaks were a bit overcooked, ordered “medium”was almost “well-done”, but still delicious and soft. Sweet potatoes were completely overfried even some burned pieces were noticed.

Atmosphere in the outdoor terrace was quite disappointing and unpleasant compared to indoor restaurant. Tables are shaky, dirty walls with dust and spider nets, same about floor. Of course it is the street area, and it’s cannot be perfectly clean, but if you clean it regularly at least a bit, you would not see such amount of dust, bugs and...