Bratislava has gone international. Of course you can still find the no-nonsense heavy dumplings of yore – in a classic traditional old hostelry such as the Staroslovenská Krcma (Michalská 14-16, 5443 0872) – but gnocchi in gloopy sheep’s cheese isn’t your only option. These days there’s a sushi bar, Kiraku (Gorkého 6, 5443 4783), by the National Theatre, a vegetarian restaurant, Elixir 14 (Stefaniková 14, 5249 9849), and a fish restaurant with light dishes, Caribic’s Restaurant & Pension (Zizková 1A, 5441 8334), pleasantly facing the Danube. Le Monde (Hviezdoslavovo námestie, 5441 5411, www.lemonde.sk), where trendies gather for deal-making while crunching through plates of tiger prawns, is one of the more upmarket choices, offering lunch at a reasonable 600Skr. On Hlavné námestie, dressy Café Roland (No.5, 5443 1372) serves conventional mains and gooey cakes all day.

Drinking options range from renovated Habsburg-era cafés (Kaffe Mayer, Hlavné námestie 4, 5441 1726) to hulking beerhalls (Stara sladovná, Cintorinská, 32 5932 2236), with plenty of continental bars in between. The Bratislava Beerguzzlers’ Club (Krcma Gurmanov Bratislavy, Obchodna 52, 5273 1279), or KGB, is one bearably communist-themed option among many unbearable ones.

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