The entrance is from Palackeho street and the club extends right through the block to another entrance onto the main road (Hasičská) that runs along the river. The front bar that you enter from Palackeho street is the first of several distinct sections of the cinema movies club. It’s done out in pale green leather and dark wood and is decorated with framed prints of famous actors. There are tables and chairs as well as ledges designed for people who prefer to stand with their drinks. Past the bar is a larger space filled with tables and wicker chairs and sofas, as well as a decent-sized movie screen. This section seems to be the main dining area. Above this main room, there’s a mezzanine floor with more tables and chairs but no view of the movie screen. Further to the rear, there’s a small glass-enclosed garden room, and then an outdoor dining area beside the busy road. There must be space for at least 300 people, and maybe as many as 450, if you count standing space.

The rear rooms are more inviting than the one at the front. Any seats that are not upholstered are provided with colourful cushions and the wood is a lighter, more natural and welcoming colour than the almost black furniture of the bar. Warm orange and blue hues replace the insipid pale green and the skylights provide natural light until well past 9pm in mid summer. Stills from well-known films including Finding Nemo and The Matrix decorate the walls and the highlight of the interior decoration is an old reel-to-reel film projector peering out from an alcove along one side wall. The bathrooms are a model of electronic, ceramic, and stainless steel EU-compliance.

Meals are served until 10pm. I had a dish of sautéed chicken with broccoli and bamboo shoots for 130Sk, with a side order of chips (French fries) for 29Sk. Delicious! The portion was generous and the service prompt. If the three women at the next table hadn’t been laughing hysterically and smoking like chimneys, it would have been an entirely pleasant experience.

If I were to return to Trenčín, I’d skip the bar in favour of Krankenhaus, Steps pub or somewhere new and would probably only eat there again if Restaurant Aramis were closed at the time. That said, though, the staff seem accustomed to dealing with foreigners, and it’s probably a good option for a lot of people, especially anyone who finds a little slickness reassuring.