Jirka Zajíček
Chef Gurdau
Jirka is one of the prominent figures of contemporary Czech gastronomy. Cooking has been part of his life since childhood — inspired by his older brother, who was a chef, he chose his path very early. At seventeen, he worked in Brno’s first sushi bar, later joining the restaurants Rialto and Borgo Agnese, which showed him that gastronomy can be precise, distinctive and based on a different approach to ingredients.
Instead of a long-term internship abroad, he chose his own path of education — visiting a number of Michelin-starred restaurants around the world as a guest. It is these experiences, conversations with chefs, learning about techniques, recipes, and different gastronomic philosophies that fundamentally shape his perspective on cooking.
An important moment for him was a visit to the Fäviken restaurant beyond the Arctic Circle, where working with local ingredients became not only an inspiration, but also a confirmation of a simple principle: true gastronomy should be based on place, season, and respect for the product.
Jirka's cuisine is based on the taste, purity and meaning of every ingredient on the plate. He believes that food should be technically precise, visually elegant, but above all, authentic. He seeks out local farmers, growers and producers who share the same emphasis on quality, origin and honesty.
In 2025, he received The Best Chef Award with the One Knife – Excellence symbol, which placed him among the outstanding chefs of world gastronomy. Under his leadership, the Arte restaurant also achieved significant ratings: Gault&Millau 3 toques and 15.5 points, Falstaff 95 points and 4 forks.
Today, Jirka develops his philosophy naturally at Gurdau — a place where landscape, wine, architecture and seasonal gastronomy are interconnected. His goal is not to create spectacular dishes for their own sake, but a menu built around wine as the centre of the experience. Each course is designed to enter into dialogue with the wine, support its character and create harmony with it.
Availability & Price
At Gurdau, this philosophy is reflected in a tasting menu centred naturally around wine. The sommelier guides you through our three main varieties — Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Blanc — while we create a seasonal six-course menu to accompany them. Each course follows the character of the wines, together creating a harmonious gastronomic experience.
Monday - Sunday
advance reservation required
4,000 CZK / 170 EUR per person
minimum number of people 5