Following successful final building approval at the end of last year, the first phase of the new Vydrica district is gradually filling with new residents and retail establishments. Of the total 19 retail spaces in the first phase, Vydrica has already signed contracts for 17, leaving only two spaces still available. Alongside the announced gastronomy concepts, the offer for residents and visitors of Vydrica and surrounding neighbourhoods will expand to include the OST BLOCK specialty coffee shop and cultural-social space, Bratislava Burger bistro, and Vydrinko wine bar.
In the health and beauty sector, there will be the Slovak premium dietary supplement manufacturer Voxberg, a barber shop, and a yoga and Pilates studio. The attractive retail mix will be complemented by an exclusive car showroom – leasing company RAI INTERNACIONAL, which will occupy a ground floor space of the VYDRICA Offices building.
“From the beginning, we have been assembling the retail offering in Vydrica to create a vibrant street with a diverse range of options for different customer groups. We also wanted established concepts to bring something new to Vydrica that would reflect the character of the location and the overall atmosphere of the new district. This is precisely what connects the announced brands like Bistronomy, Ristorante Italiano da Cono, YEME grocery store, KRUH bakery, and Love Them Space by well-known influencer and entrepreneur Yak.sha,” said Juraj Ťahún, Sales Director of Lucron.
“However, for good urban living, you also need to have other services nearby, such as a pharmacy, café, and spaces for health and beauty care, and Vydrica will offer all of this in its first phase.”
Among Vydrica’s already established businesses, the fine dining restaurant Bistronomy has been open since January 3rd and has enjoyed great interest from the start. Paid public parking is also operational, making Vydrica accessible to visitors with cars.
OST BLOCK – specialty coffee and a cultural-social space
A new brand in Vydrica is the specialty coffee shop OST BLOCK, which in their own words creates a “safe cultural space for all open-minded people.” In addition to high quality coffee and craft beer, they will bring a space for relaxation, socializing, or working remotely to Vydrica.
“We will open our third OST BLOCK in Vydrica which, to be honest, we were not planning to do in Slovakia anymore. But the uniqueness of the project really appealed to us,” said Camilla Kelényová, one of the concept’s three founders. “We love travelling to Scandinavia frequently, and Vydrica really reminds us of residential districts in central Oslo and central Copenhagen, both in its visual aspect and philosophy. All three of us are Bratislava natives, and having a specialty coffee shop with a view of the Danube is a dream come true for us.”
The OST founders plan to organize pop-ups of local brands and coffee cuppings for the public in Vydrica. “The third OST BLOCK will be our ‘coffee laboratory,’ where we’ll explore coffee even more deeply. Let yourself be surprised; it will be fun,” said Camilla Kelényová.
Bratislava Burger bistro is moving its operation from Petržalka to Vydrica, expanding its presence to the city centre
The family gastronomy brand Bratislava Burger will be opening in Vydrica. It was built by the husband-and-wife team Petra and Martin Jakeš, who want to bring quality in food, taste, and especially in customer approach to the gastro market in the capital. Currently, Bratislava Burger can be found in Rača and Petržalka, but the owners have decided to relocate the Petržalka operation to Vydrica.
“We are both native Bratislavans and have a genuine relationship with this city. I spent a lot of time around the castle area as a child, and this place is the heart of Bratislava for me. The combination of Vydrica’s exclusive location and our select burgers with a touch of Bratislava is love at first sight for us,” says Petra Jakeš about the motivation to open an establishment in Vydrica.
Wine bar Vydrinko chose its name after Vydrica, with an exclusive interior by designer Alan Prokop
A stylish wine bar is also part of good living in the city centre, and Vydrica will be no exception in this regard. “For our wine bar, we chose the name Vydrinko, which clearly relates to the Vydrica locality, and just like the district, we want to connect the historical with something new,” said owner Laura Vargová, who will operate Vydrinko together with her partner.
Vydrinko will offer wines from Italy, France, and Slovakia, but there will also be selections from the New World, mainly from California. Breakfast will be available throughout the day.
“For us, this is the beginning of our presence on Bratislava’s gastro scene, and therefore in addition to a high-quality wine selection, we want to impress with the unusual design of our establishment and the quality of our staff.” This is confirmed by the choice of interior designer, renowned designer Alan Prekop.
