Reštaurácia Chateau Grand Bari
The restaurant of the Chateau Grand Bari wine estate in Veľká Bara, with an à la carte menu, the estate's wine list and a terrace grill.
Food and drink in Slovak Tokaj
Zemplín dishes to try, eating at wineries and guesthouses, buying wine from several producers in Čerhov, tasting etiquette and prices, and drinking safely.
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The Tokaj villages are in Zemplín, in the south-east of Slovakia, and the local dishes lean on potatoes, cabbage, dumplings and pastries. There are few restaurants, most of them at wineries, guesthouses or the manor house in Borša, so eating well takes a little planning. The places we know of are listed below.
Zemplín dishes to try
- Lokše: thin potato flatbreads baked on a hot plate, served savoury or sweet, and a staple at cellar events.
- Holúbky: cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice.
- Kettle goulash (guľáš): cooked outdoors, a fixture of cellar days; some guesthouses cook it on request.
- Pirohy, halušky and koláče: filled dumplings, small potato dumplings and sweet pastries.
- Burčiak: young, still-fermenting wine, sold in September and October. Go easy, as its strength is hard to judge.
Where to eat
- Winery and estate restaurants. Chateau Grand Bari has an à la carte menu and a terrace grill; reserve by 11:00 on the day. Majer Bara, the farm estate of Tokaj Gold, cooks traditional dishes from local ingredients. The Zlatá Putňa guesthouse in Viničky, part of the family complex of Tokaj Zlatý Strapec, serves Zemplín cuisine.
- The Borša manor. The restaurant in the Rákóczi manor (just outside the wine region) serves Slovak, Hungarian and international dishes daily from 12:00.
- Your guesthouse. Some small guesthouses cook home meals for their guests if you ask in advance.
- Picnics. Buy food at the village shop on Kostolná street in Malá Tŕňa and eat at the lookout tower, which has benches and a gazebo.
Tip: Lunch is easier than dinner on weekdays. Majer Bara, for example, serves only from 11:00 to 14:00 from Monday to Thursday. On a weekday evening, eat where you sleep.
Eating at wineries
Most wineries are not restaurants. Some serve local snacks with a tasting (Víno Kapraľ, for example), so ask when you book, and don't expect food you haven't arranged. Festival days are the exception: at the Open Tokaj Cellars Day each winery serves local dishes such as holúbky, goulash or lokše with its wines.
Buying wine in Čerhov
Čerhov has two wine shops selling bottles from several Slovak Tokaj producers under one roof, and the tourist information office has a wine shop too. It's the easiest way to buy from producers who don't receive visitors, such as Chateau Viničky, or to take something home for your designated driver.
Tasting etiquette
- Book and be on time. Say how many you are, which language you prefer and whether you want food.
- Expect to be cold. Cellars are 10–12 °C and humid, so bring a layer even in August.
- Spit if you like. Ask for a spittoon. Nobody minds.
- Go from dry to sweet. Tastings usually start with dry wines and finish with sweet ones. In Slovak Tokaj the terms you will hear include samorodné (made from the grapes as harvested, with no botrytised berries added; dry or sweet), výber (sweet wine with added botrytised berries, graded in putne) and esencia. Our glossary explains the rest.
- Say thank you with a bottle. When a family opens its cellar for you, buying a bottle or two is a good thank-you.
Prices
Prices vary, so ask when you book. As a guide, a tasting at Tokaj & CO in Malá Tŕňa (with a choice of 2, 9 or 15 samples) was listed at 25 € on a booking site in October 2026. In 2026 festival tickets cost 15 € for the Harvest Festival (14 tasting tokens and a glass), 28–35 € for Tokaj Live and 35 € for the Open Tokaj Cellars Day.
Drinking and driving
Note: Slovakia and Hungary both have zero tolerance for alcohol when driving: the limit is 0.0 ‰. Take the train, agree on a designated driver who doesn't drink at all, or stay overnight. Alcohol from a long evening tasting can still be in your blood the next morning.
Sources
- Zavinom.sk: Open Tokaj Cellars Day
- Zavinom.sk: Tokaj tastings
- Netky.sk: Tokaj Harvest Festival and Zemplínske lakocinky
- Obec Čerhov: Tokaj Harvest Festival 2026
- OZ Tokajské pivnice: Tokaj Live
- Chateau Grand Bari: restaurant
- Majer Bara
- Rákóczi manor, Borša: contacts and opening hours
- Tokaj Wine Route Association: Tourist information office
- Tokaj Wine Route Association: Ubytovanie Na Chalupe
- Vínotéka TOKAJ, Čerhov
- Košice Region Tourism: Tokaj cycle route
Restaurants, wine shops and local dishes
Reštaurácia Majer Bara
The farm-estate restaurant of the Tokaj Gold winery in Malá Bara, cooking traditional dishes from local ingredients.
Tokajská turistická informačná kancelária
The Tokaj tourist information office in Čerhov, with a shop for local products, a wine shop stocking local producers and a tasting room with a fireplace.
Vinotéka KRAM
A wine shop on Dlhá street in Čerhov selling Slovak Tokaj wines, open every day including weekends.
Vínotéka TOKAJ
A wine shop in Čerhov with more than 100 wines from several Slovak Tokaj producers under one roof.
Reštaurácia Zlatá Putňa
The restaurant of the Zlatá Putňa guesthouse in Viničky, serving traditional Zemplín cooking.
Kaviareň Grófka
A café in the Trebišov museum complex serving coffee and Tokaj wines.
Reštaurácia u Kňažnej
The restaurant inside the Rákóczi manor in Borša, serving Slovak, Hungarian and international dishes.
Local dish
- Lokše
- Lokše are thin flatbreads made from potato dough and baked on a hot plate; they are eaten sweet or savoury. You are most likely to meet them at events such as the Open Tokaj Cellars Day and the Zemplínske lakocinky food festival.
- Holúbky
- Holúbky are cabbage rolls: cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of minced meat and rice. Wineries serve them alongside their wines during the Open Tokaj Cellars Day in September.
- Zemplínsky guľáš
- Kettle goulash is cooked outdoors and is a regular part of cellar days in the Tokaj villages. Zemplínske lakocinky holds a Zemplín goulash contest, and some places to stay, such as Na chalupe in Veľká Tŕňa, cook it for guests on request.
- Pirohy, halušky, koláče
- Pirohy are filled dumplings, halušky are small potato dumplings and koláče are sweet pastries. All three are among the traditional Zemplín dishes showcased at regional food festivals such as Zemplínske lakocinky.
- Burčiak
- Burčiak is new grape must that has only partly fermented, so you will find it only around the harvest, in September and October. At the 2026 Tokaj Harvest Festival it was included free with the ticket.