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Here is the best of Otto’s rambles around Prague in the Czech Republic, birthplace of lager. So were to start, when so much has already been written? You can get a day ticket for around £4 which gives you unlimited travel within a 20 mile radius of the city, on all forms of transport. Trams are the only way to travel, they are every 10 minutes from 4am to 12pm and even after then there is a night service. Beware Taxis in Prague they will rip you off! Big style!
The Jewish quarter is a good place to visit for 300Kc you get to go into the old grave yard, 3 Synagogues, a museum and a new exhibition about the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis with actual people telling their story on file and audio.
Charles Bridge is good, but very crowded. The castle is a good day out and if you walk back down through the town you can find some really good bars. The old square is very nice; it has an astronomical clock and a really gothic church. It’s best not to eat and drink in this area as the bars and restaurants are a tad more expensive, but still very cheap compared to the UK, yet not the same as going into the back streets or on the outskirts of town.
There a now 9 brew pubs in Prague. So let’s start with the brewpubs and then a few of the better bars to sup a beer and while away the day.
Eat and have a beer at the Pivovarský Dům, Ječná, a brewpub just out of town. This is a must do micro. They serve a fantastic tmavé (dark) and svétlé (light)and a wheat beer and sometimes a seasonal, plus other stuff such as cherry, coffee and banana. Stick to the basic beers, plus the food. If you’re in a group get a beer bong, a 4 litre tube of beer on a copper brew kettle!
We also found Pivovarsky Klub, Kriizikova 17, Karlin At Florenc Metro, exit by the Křižíkova steps and the brewpub is 100 metres along the street towards the railway viaduct (not the big concrete flyover!). Florenc tram stop (trams 8,24) is one block behind the metro, and the bus station is almost opposite the pub. It’s the sister pub to Pivovarsky Dum which serves two of its own draught beers plus four guest micro beers and has a selection of over 200 bottle beers with over 150 from Czech Republic. The food is good and in my opinion better than Pivovarsky Dum !
If you are visiting the castle why not go up to the Klasterni Pivovar first. To get there, take the 22 or 23 tram from Malostranská, which go, up the fantastic hairpin bends of Chotkova, past the castle and alight just before the monastery on Keplerova. Walk straight ahead following the tram, cross the main road, and then walk up the small lane that heads uphill to the right. At the top, turn left through the large arched gates in front of you into Strahovské nádvoři.
We have visited here about 4 or 5 times and found the beers average to say the least. On this visit, however, there has been a massive improvement and I would now rate it as one of the top 3 in the city! The standard beer is a dark 14° which has also become one of the best in the city. There is also usually a special available and on our visit it was a big hoppy IPA at 6.4%. Good food is served here, and you get to visit the monastery in the same trip, then walk back to the castle.
Another must do visit is U Fleků, on Křemencova. Famous as the world's oldest brewpub!? Catch it when it's quiet, early evening and you can enjoy the single dark 13 degree beer which is excellent. There is also a beer museum at the rear of the building. Beware the shorts that the waiters try to force on you, they cost the earth. Stick to the beer, which by the way is by far the most expensive of any other brew-pub / craft beer pub in Prague.
Novomĕstský Pivovara, Vodičkova 20. The entrance is pretty hard to spot it's down a shopping arcade-like strange passage. The place is geared to food. Mind you don't get lost, it's like a warren. The 2 beers, pale and dark, are flowery and malty.
There is a beer museum in the U Medvidku pub which is the Budvar tap in the city selling both light and dark beers. The museum is housed in the pub's former brewery buildings. It's a right old mix of a place is the little bears; for a start it has three bars plus a brewery. The main beer hall is open from 11:30 - 23:00 and serves just Budvar. The X-Beer bar is open from 11:30 - 23:00. Walk straight through the beer hall, avoiding the waiters trying to offer you a table, passing a room with a load of wooden casks on your right behind a glass wall, until you find some steps. Go up to find the extremely well hidden brewery and bar where you can sit in peace supping the Old Gott, this is a semi-dark 5% beer. You can also get a room here for 45k a night. They also have a shop selling all types of beer related stuff from Czech Republic.
Another must do brew pub is The Richter Brewery, located in the Pivovar u Bulovky pub which is at Bulovka 17. Take tram 24 to Bulovka stop. Cross the road at the end of the tram stop and it is down the hill approx 100mts. The beer here is German style as the brewer is a German. Regular beer is Richter Lezak – Cesky type larger. On our visits we have also had hefeweiss at 4.9% English Ale at 5% and an excellent Octoberfest ale at 6.5%. Note they also do an Extra Stout at 6% in the winter. All the beers are brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Good food here as well but if going in the evening better to book in advance as can get very busy.
PRAŽSKÝ MOST U VALŠŮ, Betlémská 5, Staré Město. Situated close to Charles Bridge and not too far from U Medvídků, this brand-new brewpub is found in the maze of old lanes and so needs a map to locate. Brews its own světlý and tmavý beers plus they also have Rohozec tmavý 12° and Březňák světlý 12° on tap, both pretty good and rare beers for Prague. There is a large medievial banqueting hall to the left as you enter the pub and the upstairs main bar area carries on that theme. The steep winding stairs to the rear lead down to the brew kit and a warren alcoves and seating areas. Food is good and not as expensive as you would think.
SOUSEDSKÝ PIVOVAR BAŠTA, Táborská 49, Nusle. Get the tram 18 to Nuselska Radnice then walk along following the tramlines, cross Sezimova, and the brewpub is on your right only 2 minutes from the tram-stop.
A nice brewpub which opened at the turn of 2008, this is an unusual pub in that it's very Köln in character - it doesn't have a bar but an area where the staff dispense beers before service! All very new and wood-clad with a cute little brewery in a side room producing a range of four beers of which three are generally on at any one time, plus a number of specials. We have eaten here quite a few times and the food is very good and reasonably priced, but you will need to gen up on the lingo as no one speaks English and there are no English menus available.
It can be worked into a crawl featuring U Klokočnika, Zlý Časy and then Prvni Pivni Tramway.
Now if you are still thirsty and want a bit of a change here are some of the better bars we have visited in the last few years; starting with one of our all time favourite pubs in the world!
ZLÝ ČASY, Čestmírova 5, Nusle
Trams 11, 18; Náměstí Bratří Synků.
Currently the pub with the most draft beers - 28! This cellar bar is fast becoming an institution in Prague's beer scene with its eclectic choice of guest beers. The"Evil Times" is a brick-lined cellar with up to 28 guest beers on tap usually including Kácov and maybe Joe's Garage and Kocour.
The kitchen offers a daily lunch menu and a specials board which usually includes the renowned black beer sausage, or a delicious brie cheese. For more details follow this link to Ottos Classic Pubs.
Also another of our favorite Prague bars is the PRVNÍ PIVNÍ TRAMWAY.
Na Chodovci 1a, Spořilov. Take Tram 11 for Sporilov to the last stop, as you alight the bar is in what looks like the old concrete staff hut just a few metres from you! Remember that the tram boarding point is at the other side of the loop, but they ring a bell inside to warn when a tram is leaving (sometimes...).
Inside is thankfully nothing like the exterior with various cosy rooms including one where a fake tram has been constructed for patrons to sit in, all very surreal? Tramway has existed since 1997. The interior decoration, which is by Igor Sevcik (1951-2003) a painter and graphic artist. All the seatng is form old trams, and last but not least are the famously decorated men's urinals! But the main reason to come here is for the three guest beers which can be from anywhere in the country. They also have two large fridges now which have a good selection of beer including Kocour and Brew Dog! Check out the posters which advertised Black Death vodka, "Drink in Peace" being their slogan! The food is good and reasonably priced (the garlic soup is lovely and very garlicky!) this was the Czech beer lover's bar of the year in 2006.
KULOVY BLESK (Ball of Lightning), Sokolská 13, Praha 2.
Ball Lightning is a cellar restaurant, where the visitor can feel the atmosphere of old Czech comedies. There are scenes from a multitude of different Czech Films hung on the walls. The main beer is Pilsner Urquell, however, there are many interesting beer specialties from far and wide with delicacies from Kocour, Matouska Varnsdorf, Montenegro, Hlinska etc, often up to 12 at a time.
The restaurant is rugged and the meals are literally everything - from meat, fish to vegetarian dishes and salads. It is like a warren in the cellar with at least 6 small lounges, I would advise to book a table so as not to be disappointed, plus there is a pleasant summer garden, and sometimes live musical performances.
FERDINANDA, Opletalova 24, Staré Město.
A cellar bar situated between the main train station (Hlavní nádraží) and Wenceslas Square. Leave the station and walk along Opletalova it's on your left and only a few minutes’ walk. Not everyone will like this brash, trendy bar. It serves up to four Ferdinand beers on draught including the pretty good Sedm Kuli 13º polotmavý. The 11% tmave was smooth, quite fruity with coffee flavours. The 12% svetle was like a really hoppy English bitter with a long bitter finish. The 11% svetle was well balanced.
SVIJANSKY RYTIR, 13 Jireckova Open M-F 11 – 23, Sat/Sun CLOSED Letenske Namesti 1,8,15,25,26
This is quite an upmarket restaurant/pub, which sells the whole range of Svijany beers. The Kvasnicak 12.5% was slightly yeasty but with a good grape fruity, bitter finish. The rare Baron 15% was again grape fruity with a long bitter finish. The best was the Rytir 12% svetle, a classic bitter. It was nice to see lots of young people there, all drinking beer.
MERENDA RESTAURANT, Husitská 74, 130 00 Praha 3 – Žižkov,
A romantic Prague restaurant, which offers you beers from medium and small breweries from across the Czech Republic, in pleasant club environment. The restaurant is divided into upper and lower parts. In the upper section there is a non-smoking restaurant. Choose from traditional Czech food and beer cuisine, or from a varied menu of hamburgers. For the ladies they even offer salads! There is also a cellar bar, where once again there is a varied range of interesting beers and also occasional live music.
U RADNICE, Havlíčkovo námesti 7, Žížkov. Lipsanka 5,9,26 a few minutes’ walk downhill.
Serves up to eight guest beers on tap t e problem, however, is working out what they are as the staff speak little or no English (it's not on the tourist trail) and the various chalkboards all seem to say different things! Still, it's well worth a visit for the very cheap prices and the rarity of the beers.
HROM DO POLICE, Moravská 40, Vinohrady. Šumavská 10,16 if you're travelling out of the centre then follow the tramlines and take the first right into Chodská; the entrance to the bar (it's in a cellar and the entrance isn't what you'd expect!) is just over the first road (Moravská) on your left.
A great cellar bar which serves the full range of Polička brews; 10° pale and dark, 11°, 11° kvasnicové, 12° and 12° kvasnicové for very reasonable prices, enabling you to clear the lot for less than 150Kč! Well worth a visit for the very tasty and characterful brews on sale. The Otakar 11% and the Zavis 12% are both full bodied, with good bitter finishes as were the unfiltered versions, the dark Hradebni tasted like a good mild.
U KLOKOČNIKA, Na Veselí 48, Nusle. Na Veselí 18 and walk up Na Veselí north to the pub, around 200m.
What a cracker this is! A proper local's bar out in the wilds of Nusle, which will never see an ordinary tourist (unless they're very lost), it serves ordinary and kvasnicové versions of Kácov's excellent brews, with the extra yeast turning them into some kind of divine nectar and some of the finest Czech beers available! A basic boozer.
It can be worked into a crawl of sorts with Prvni Pivni Tramway and Sousedský pivovar Bašta so there's no excuse not to come here - it's a classic pub with superb beers for some of the cheapest prices I've ever seen in Prague; 15Kč for the 10° kvasnicové is just daft for something of that quality!
Restaurant U Prince Miroslava The Vodojemu 4, Prague 5.
Currently the pub with the second most draft beers, which reaches the magic number 13. It has unusual decor, good food and plenty of other reasons to visit
Pub Monastery pub (Šumavan) Ovenecká 1022/15, Prague 7.
Located near the Summer Street Ovenecka and where eager beer drinkers can start at 9:30 in the morning. There are two main beers the light and dark, which are both unpasteurized. In addition, each weekend there are specials from the likes of Beroun Bear, Jihlava Jezek and Janacek from Uherské Brod Svijany. You can also enjoy delicacies such as toasted, chopped, pickled or jellied sausages and beer cheese.
U SLOVANSKÉ LÍPI, Tachovské Nám / Koněvova, Žížkov.
Lipsanka 5,9,26 5-minute walk downhill from the Lipanska tramstop; 133 bus; The bar is next to the tunnel linking Žížkov with Karlín.
This bar serves Kout na Šumavě beers from the brewery of that name out near Plzen, generally including the 18 degree dark! It's a very old-school place, down to earth, loud and smoky, with cork tiles and old yellowing photos on the wall, that kind of thing, a real find and the prices are tremendously local!
Another pub of note is the Marquis De Sade on Templova 8, this is a multi tap beer and music pub, and does beer tastings at 14:00 and 17:00. To be honest it is better to do it yourself. Housed in what used to be a First Republic bordello, this spacious drinking establishment never quite lives up to the reputation of its namesake. Instead, it is a loud, friendly, sometimes raucous place where people flop around on beat-up couches and listen to the occasional live blues or jazz band. It is popular with groups of travellers and young Czechs. They have approx 8 different lagers on draft, including Herold dark. Also on offer in their shop is a vast amount of bottles. Worth a visit if you are in the area. A tad expensive.
Also if you are wondering what to do on a Sunday morning and are at a loose end why not go to the football?
Victoria Zizkov - is based at the Viktoria Žižkov Stadium, Seifertova trída, Prague 3 (tel: 22272 2045). At around £2.20 to get in they are at the top of the 1st Division at the moment and have a good fan base and you can get 2 types of beer and the best sausage in the league for around £1.00 A great way to spend a Sunday morning, (and I don’t watch football!)
Otto says get to Prague now before all the stag and hen parties spoil it! (or has that already happened?)
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