Matsu
Premium Tea & Coffee

Špitálska 2202/51
81108 Bratislava
Slovakia

Mention Bratislava and most people think of winding streets and pretty houses with colourful facades. But if you like sake, your next visit to the city should also include Matsu, a stylish and cozy café offering not only excellent coffee and matcha drinks but also a well-picked selection of sake to enjoy there or to take home.

Matsu, is located in the old city, not far from the popular attractions. But even though it’s just a few hundred meters from the tourist paths, it feels like you’re discovering a hidden gem.

The neighbourhood is home to the design center and several university faculties and the whole area is evolving, with new places are popping up here and there. A Japanese izakaya that opened nearby is actually run by friends.

Inside, the high-ceilinged space is decorated with lots of plants and artworks by local artists and has a chic but relaxed Scandinavian feel to it, with some Japanese touches. With its smart interior, the café wouldn’t feel out of place in Copenhagen or Tokyo. And so it’s no surprise that the shop also attracts a lot of international customers; although most of them living and working in Bratislava.

Matsu was started by Slovak-Japanese couple Veronika and Kaoru about one and a half years ago. Veronika had worked in a café before and at first they only concentrated on high-quality coffee, but soon added matcha which actually turned out to be extremely popular.

From Matcha to Sake

Sake was only added to the menu in 2019. Kaoru has a friend who works as an importer in Amsterdam, so they could pick some sakes from his collection. “Importing by ourselves would have been too difficult. We would have to get it shipped from Japan by reefer container and the market here is not large enough to sell that kind of volume,” Kaoru says.

Veronika and Kaoru have been running Matsu for one and a half years, but only recently added sake to their menu.

Veronika adds, “the people here are curious about new things, but also a little shy.” The customers are slowly evolving and becoming more open; maybe trying coffee or a matcha latte first and then becoming interested in trying sake as well. But coffee and tea are still the main reason why people come.

Sake Connects

To spread the word, Veronika and Kaoru also regularly host events and invite Japanese artists to perform at Matsu. Just recently they held the second version of their own ‘sake festival’, where people can try different styles of sake in a relaxed setting and enjoy music by a Japanese DJ from the Netherlands.

”In the beginning, we had movie screenings and ‘Japanese Mondays’ but only few people attended. Adding alcohol really helped *laughs* and suddenly a lot more people came. Sake connects! There are a lot of Japanese DJs abroad and the combination of music and sake works really well to draw people in.”

Mutsu Hassen is especially popular with customers.

Selling Sake in a Wine Country

Mutsu Hassen (a sake brand from Aomori Prefecture, in the far north of Japan) is especially popular with customers, because it’s fruity and fresh so it appeals to people who like wine. But at events, Veronika and Kaoru tell, Umeshu and Yuzushu (liqueurs with Japanese apricot and citrus, ed.) are usually the first to be sold out. “It’s an easy entry into Japanese drinks. Even when some people come in with the idea that they don’t like sake, they will try umeshu.”

They also make a very pretty sake cocktail with tonic water and pickled sakura (cherry blossom). The ingredients blend together really well, without one overpowering the other.

Kaoru acknowledges that it takes some time to get to know sake. “You need to try some different kinds next to each other to appreciate the differences.” Considering their excellent selection, there should be a tipple for every taste. Recently, they also introduced a cheaper daiginjo from Kaori Ranman in Akita Prefecture to make sake more accessible for everyone.

Kaoru’s own favourite from their lineup is Yuki Otoko honjozo from Niigata Prefecture because it’s easy to drink for the whole evening, whereas a really expressive and aromatic daiginjo can be interesting at the first sip but become too much. “People tend to think that daiginjo is the best because it’s expensive and something like honjozo is bad because of the added alcohol, but that’s not really true. It depends on the food and on what taste you prefer.“

Veronika & Kaoru recommend:

Kansai Izakaya
Mickiewiczova 2250/6
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Jasmin Chinese restaurant
jasmin1.sk

Suvlaki Greek bistro
Krížna 8
bistrosuvlaki.sk

Future Plans

Matsu is a café and not a bar, so they currently close at 20.00 in the evening. But “in the future it would be nice to open later in the evening as well, serving sake and some small otsumami (snacks, ed.). People should just get a little drunk and just enjoy it. — The experience is what’s important.” Kaoru draws an analogy with ‘third-wave’ coffee culture, which, too, can come off as exclusive because of overly geeky, high-brow attitudes.

At Matsu, the atmosphere is decidedly different. With their friendly staff and engaging events, Matsu is as a welcoming space, no matter if you come for coffee, curry or sake. Drop in next time you are in Bratislava!