It's still quite common that your asking for tap water at the Czech restaurants and cafes is rejected becuase of many stupid reasons. There is a new Czech web at which people share their experience with asking for tap water at the restaurant and then they evaluate the restaurant from this point of view. Marks are from 1 (the best, tap water at the table) to 5 (they don't bring you tap water). In Czech : tap water = voda z vodovodu/kohoutku Here is the web : http://www.vodovoda.cz and it's google translation : http://translate.google.cz/translate?u=http://www.vodovoda.cz&sl=cs&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 There is similar tap-water initiative in London which is supported for example by Mayor of London. LONDON ON TAP initiative to promote London's drinking water through restaurants, bars and hotels : http://www.londonontap.org/ Facts and figures : http://www.londonontap.org/facts/ List of tap-water friendly restaurant/bars in LONDON : http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/tap-water/list.html
I am not used to ask for tap water, and I have never tried in Prague, but other cities so far (but I have been in very few restaurants there!), where I remember tap water was available: Paris: 1 London: 2
At home I think they're legally obligated to provide you with tap water if you want, I can't imagine not being given it.. but I wouldn't feel comfortable asking if the place was posh. Still at home it's not normal to be charged for water. People complain about places that do.
Tap water (with ice and perhaps lemon) is expected here in the South at no charge. About the only time you won't automatically get water is when we are under a "water restriction" because water levels are low - even then, you'll get water if you ask for it. I don't drink much water with my meals so I don't pay any attention if it comes or not - probably why I don't remember any problems in Prague. It's sort of like the old W.C. Fields line "Water! Water? I never drink water. Fish f**k in it."
It's pretty common here to get a glass of ice water automatically. But I live in hot Palm Springs, so that could make a difference.
I had lunch yesterday at the Illy café/restaurant at Křižíkova metro with a South African friend. We normally just have a glass of wine but yesterday, we had more time so we ordered a bottle. My friend likes to dilute her wine and had no problem when she asked for a carafe of tapwater apart from the fact that the waiter was horrified at the idea of putting water into wine! :shock:
So am I! However, I recently learned of the Czech tradition of putting coke into red wine. I actually enjoyed it.
In the Middle Ages, these Bohemian inkeepers who diluted wine with water were punished by sumberging to Vltava river
