Restaurant Spargus Review: Autumn Tasting Menu at Gastuž

At Restaurant Spargus, dinner takes place upstairs in Gastuž, the historic inn beside Žička kartuzija. Chef Andrej Smogavc’s autumn tasting menu gave us hazelnut butter we still remember, a playful beef tartare with kimchi, two versions of the main course, and a chestnut dessert. This Restaurant Spargus review follows the meal we ate and explains how to plan a visit today.

Restaurant Spargus and the Gastuž Setting

Mateja and chef Andrej Smogavc opened Spargus here in 2021. The restaurant occupies the upper floor of Gastuž, while the more casual Gastuž café is downstairs. In the dining room we found a modest, carefully arranged interior that let the building and the meal hold our attention. The wider site matters too: the old inn stands at the entrance to the former Carthusian monastery.

The monastery was established around 1160. According to the local tourism office, the ground floor of Gastuž was built in 1467 for travelers and guests who could not enter the monastery grounds; the upper floor followed in the 17th century. Calling Spargus itself a 15th-century restaurant would blur that history. It is a contemporary restaurant working inside an exceptionally old inn. The local tourism office’s history of Gastuž is worth reading before a visit.

The Menu, Wine, and What Has Changed

Our photographs and tasting notes show an autumn menu from the visit described in the original 2023 review. Spargus still serves seasonal food, but its current dishes, formats, and prices are different. The official menu listed five to eight-course tasting options at €71–€101 when checked in September 2026, as well as shorter lunch options and a vegan tasting menu by prior arrangement.

The wine list put Slovenian producers alongside bottles from farther afield. We began with Marof Cuvée Breg White Magnum 2018, whose richness gave way to a rounded, slightly bitter finish. Our earlier visit to Marof’s wine cellar made this a welcome reunion. The Carthusian herbal bitters made sense as a final drink in this setting.

Our Autumn Tasting Menu at Restaurant Spargus

The meal began with three amuse-bouches and sourdough with hazelnut butter, then moved through beef tartare, onion soup, prawns, the main courses, and dessert. This is a record of what arrived at our table, not a preview of the current seasonal menu.

Amuse-Bouches and Hazelnut Butter

We broke into the neat quenelle of fermented hazelnut butter almost immediately. It was exceptionally smooth on the sourdough and, happily, there was enough to return to between courses. A crisp shell held leek paste, dried leek, and aioli; another delicate green pillow carried pork pâté. The cod fritter and a dab of lemon mayonnaise ended the opening sequence with a brighter bite.

Beef Tartare and Onion Soup

Kimchi beside beef tartare sounded like it might dominate the plate. In practice, its lightly fermented freshness worked with the soft meat and egg yolk, while a buckwheat cookie supplied a clean snap. The combination changed as we brought each part together, and the tartare stayed at the center of it.

The onion soup worked a different sweet-and-sour line. Caramelized onion met salmon and a bread roulade, with a crunchy element to interrupt the softer textures. We even returned to the sourdough and hazelnut butter as we ate it, which probably says as much about that bread course as it does about the soup.

Prawns, Pork, and Sea Bass

Prawns arrived with gnocchi over pumpkin purée, plus orange, walnuts, and pea shoots. We liked how the shoots lifted a plate otherwise built around sweetness. The prawns were cooked well and remained the focus amid all those components.

For the meat main, the pork came with a reduced jus, celeriac purée, celery, and a fried croquette filled with pulled pork. The sauce carried a deep savory sweetness with a slight bitter edge. Beside the tender pork, the croquette gave us a welcome change of texture.

The fish alternative took a gentler route: steamed sea bass wrapped in savoy cabbage, with caviar, a slightly sweet fritter, and a creamy sauce. We particularly liked the sauce, which brought the quieter fish and the sharper accents into the same mouthful.

Chestnut, Coffee, and Tonka Bean

Somehow, the tonka-bean ice cream took us back to the coconut ice cream we loved in Melaka, even though there was no coconut on this plate. It came with chestnut foam, a lightly salty chestnut sponge, and coffee crumble. We tried them together in different spoonfuls, and the coffee gave the gentle chestnut flavors just enough bitterness without taking over. A small yellow flower would have brightened the plate, but we were very happy with what was on it.

Fun Fact About Tonka Beans

In the past people thought that tonka beans had magical powers. Maybe people prescribed them as a cure for the soul because they helped with poor mental health and tummy ache among other things. Tonka beans are still controversial and prohibited in some countries due to their toxic component called coumarin. Once we tasted the “to die for” beans we understood how one could eat too much of the delicious tonka bean and perish. Some describe tonka beans as having the taste of vanilla, caramel, almonds, cloves, and freshly cut grass.

Our Verdict on Restaurant Spargus

Even without visiting the monastery, dinner at Spargus made the trip to Žička kartuzija worthwhile. We still remember the hazelnut butter, the surprisingly gentle kimchi beside the beef tartare, and the coffee that gave the chestnut dessert its balance. Eating upstairs in the old Gastuž made the evening special from the start, and the kitchen gave us plenty to remember afterward.

Restaurant Spargus Review Card

• 9.6/10
  ATMOSPHERE – 9.6/10
• 8.9/10
  SERVICE – 8.9/10
• 9.1/10
  PRESENTATION – 9.1/10
• 9.5/10
  FOOD – 9.5/10
• 9.2/10
  DRINKS – 9.2/10
• 9.6/10
  VALUE – 9.6/10

Restaurant Spargus Practical Details

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For another Slovenian destination meal with a memorable setting, read our Restaurant Pavus review at Tabor Castle or our Restaurant Grad Otočec review.