Our gourmets

The evaluators are both as interesting and varied as the gastro-project ratings. People from the culinary field certainly have a different viewpoint than laypeople. And just like you, we are interested in both viewpoints – are the drinks and food professionally prepared? Is it to the taste of an ordinary guest, whose main focus is the taste?

So, we have involved both of them.

Pavel Švestka

Association of Chefs and Confectioners of the Czech Republic

He has worked in restaurants across the Czech Republic and abroad, gaining valuable experience with Michelin-starred chefs like Tom Sellers. After returning home, he became a member of the Czech National Culinary Team, representing the country worldwide. In 2024, he placed 4th in the cooking competition Hell’s Kitchen Czechia.

Petr Kunc

 Salabka Restaurant and Winery 

He gained experience in the UK, working alongside Michelin-starred chefs. As a private chef, he cooked for VIP clients in London, including Buckingham Palace. He also held the position of head chef in Thailand. After returning to Prague, he created culinary magic in places like SOHO, and since 2016, his heart belongs to Salabka in Troja.

David  Wiśniowski

Head Chef and Gastro Consultant

He explored the flavors of Europe in kitchens across Spain, Switzerland, and Austria. In 2018, he represented Czech gastronomy in Ecuador. In the Czech Republic, he trains and consults on menus and concepts for Gastro Team. For Orkla Food Service, he develops new recipes and culinary innovations.

David Kalina

Prague-based Head Chef

David has dedicated his entire life to cooking. Today, as an executive chef, he leads the kitchens of four Prague restaurants. Mincovna, Tiskárna Jindřišská, and Tiskárna Národní focus on classic cuisine from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the First Czechoslovak Republic, while U Tellerů takes a much more modern approach to Czech cuisine.

Jiří Hilgart

Culinary Multitalent

A finalist of MasterChef Czech Republic 2015 and former editor-in-chief of FOOD magazine. A showman in his own right—he even interned with film showman Quentin Tarantino. Today, he works as a cooking instructor, private chef, and barista—he’s managed more than one café. He co-organizes culinary events, develops recipes, and creates restaurant concepts.

David Kania

Gastro Experimenter

He loved soups even as a kid. But the journey to Ostrava’s Mutant Ramen Noodle Bar was a long one. He started with classics like burgers, but his yellow food truck Iveta became famous for its Mexican and Asian dishes. Ramen became the standout favorite, leading to the opening of a permanent bar that now lovingly crafts broths, noodles, and miso pastes.

Anna Filipová

Operations Manager at Mamacoffee

Since high school, Anna knew she wanted to dedicate her career to coffee. Two years in London shaped her view on the coffee world and how businesses work. She’s managed coffee events, worked in green coffee sales, and contributed to coffee projects in Nicaragua and Brazil. Now she blends all these experiences at Mamacoffee in Prague.

Oleh Horb

Barista at Grão Café

A passionate barista from Ukraine currently brewing coffee in Bratislava. Last year, he won the Slovak Aeropress Championship and represented Slovakia at the World Aeropress Championship (WAC) in Lisbon. He started out at home with a moka pot and once volunteered at a radio station in Bulgaria. Aeropress is his true passion.

Jakub Mertlík

Coffee guide Mr. CoffeeBean

A physiotherapist turned coffee enthusiast. On Instagram, he runs the “Coffee Diary of a Café Lounger,” sharing coffee brewing videos and insider tips from his travels around the Czech Republic and worldwide. Beyond café and roastery reviews, Jakub releases his own limited-edition coffee batches.

Jan Čulík

Co-owner AlmaWines

As a proud resident of Tábor, he co-organizes the legendary wine festival Bottled Alive along with other cultural and foodie projects like Výčep and the artisanal Lužnice bakery. He co-owns AlmaWines, where he handpicks wines from winemakers he shares not only vineyard memories with but also countless glasses and good stories.

Roman Novotný

Sommelier and Manager at Ambiente’s Bokovka

His love for wine began with five years at the luxury Savoy Hotel. He continued at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise before finding his home at Bokovka. At the renowned wine bar, he curates the wine selection and runs daily operations. Known for his sharp eye for quality, he often serves as a judge in wine competitions.

Michal Vavřich

Owner of Fér vína

As the sommelier behind Fér vína, he introduces selected wines to Czech audiences. He curates wines made without synthetic additives—craft wines from small family wineries across Europe that honor nature and tradition. He’s passionate about hosting tastings, running sommelier courses, and training restaurant staff.

Marek Vácha

Brewer

A PR and communications specialist for the city, Marek spends his free time exploring local beers. In the past four years, he visited over 200 Czech breweries, mostly by bike. After tasting all imaginable types, he started brewing his own beer, aptly named Váchovar.

Roman Řezáč

Brewer at Řevnice Brewery

He started out as a homebrewer while studying at the Czech University of Life Sciences – even his thesis was about beer. After graduation, he worked in the finance department of Staropramen, occasionally brewing at home. Then came a retraining course, hands-on experience at the small Beer Factory brewery, and now he brews full-time in Řevnice.

Tomáš Hasík

Beer sommelier

Beer sommelier, lecturer of the Czech Bartenders Association (CBA), and co-founder of the Czech Beer Institute (2015), which aims to elevate beer culture in the Czech Republic. He focuses on educating hospitality professionals and runs beer courses for students. He also brews a historical beer called Kmet.

Jaroslav Brečka

Not only Food Truck Owner

Food enthusiast, owner of the creative Slovak bistro Coolňa, and organizer of the food festival FEST Cool Piknik in Slovakia. Travels the world tasting food from Michelin-starred restaurants to street food spots, because you never know where you'll find a culinary gem.

Kateřina Kočičková

Editorial Team, Apetit Magazine

Although she studied journalism, food has always been her passion. Before joining Apetit in 2017, she worked at the editorial office of Gurmet magazine and wrote the ice cream blog Tři kopečky ("Three Scoops"). She continues to promote good-quality ice cream—for instance, as the author of the only Czech ice cream cookbook.

How do we evaluate?

The numbers don’t lie. Therefore, we have set evaluation criteria with maximum points. Allocated points were added up and converted to percentages. All companies that have received a rating above 70% are presented.

Restaurants

Max. points in %

40%

taste and quality of food
20%

taste and quality of drinks
10%

presentation of food / drinks, appearance
5%

originality of the offer
15%

personnel (behaviour, knowledge)
10%

environment / atmosphere

Bistros

Max. points in %

40%

taste and quality of food
20%

taste and quality of drinks
15%

presentation of food / drinks, appearance
15%

personnel (behaviour, knowledge)
10%

environment / atmosphere

Cafés and Sweet Shops

Max. points in %

30%

taste and quality of coffee, variety of offerings
30%

taste and quality of dessert
10%

offer and quality of other drinks
5%

quality of offer for light meals
15%

personnel (behaviour, knowledge)
10%

environment / atmosphere

Wineries and Wine Bars

Max. points in %

40%

quality of wine
20%

extent of assortment
5%

extent of assortment
25%

personnel (behaviour, knowledge)
10%

environment / atmosphere

Pubs and Breweries

Max. points in %

40%

taste quality, treatment of beer
20%

beer snacks
10%

assortment of beer
5%

nealko nápoje
15%

personnel (behaviour, knowledge)
10%

environment / atmosphere

Malé gastro zastávky

Max. points in %

30%

taste, quality and variety of offerings
20%

taste and quality of drinks
15%

presentation of food / drinks, appearance
15%

personnel (behaviour, knowledge)
15%

environment and self promotion
5%

cooperation with local producers

Our taste judges

Just like last year, we reached out to the general public in South Moravia. Gastro fans, gourmets, satisfied customers and enthusiastic laymen sent us their nominations. We asked about their favourite establishments in every category. Where? Through surveys at www.gourmetjiznimorava.cz and the Facebook page @TheSouthMoravia. We shared the surveys on the Instagram profiles @tastymoravia and @southmoravia.

The mayors of the towns and villages of South Moravia nominated their favourites.

We asked at the information centres of our region. Ehere else can you get proven recommendations on where to go for local /gastro/ treasures?

And, of course, we couldn’t do without nominations from experts who have an intimate knowledge of tourism. DMOs, i.e. destination managements organizations of the Moravian Karst and surroundings, ZnojmoRegion, Brno, Slovácko and Pálava regions and the Lednice-Valtice area, added their tips as well.

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Explore the South Moravian gastronomy scene with us! We bring you the current seasonal offers from delicious establishments and the stories of the people behind them. With us, every bite is an experience.