Hello, My name is Emilia. My husband and I will be in Prague Dec 9, and we would like to know where the best local pubs and restaurants are (Places away from the tourist areas are most welcomed). Any information is greatly appreciated. Emilia
I'm from Houston, and just returned from Prague and points eastward on November 7th. It maybe considered a touristy area I guess, but I had dinner at U Pinkasu (Praha 1) my first night in Prague, joined by the all-knowing, all-seeing myczechrepublic "gurus" Jeff and Dana. The traditional Czech food was very good, but I don't drink so I can't tell you about the beer (I know - all the way to Prague, and no drinking). I do recall hearing that one of the bartenders there, recently was named #2 in the world. We dined in "Doma" which is now rather upscale in appearance, and the dinner prices were reasonable. The address is 16 Jungmannova, near Wenceslas Square. It's near the Hotel Adria, which was prominently featured on Samantha Brown's "Passport to Europe" Prague edition, and I remember it being nearby a musical instrument shop, yes? Dana and Jeff, any help here? It isn't a pub or restaurant, but another place featured on "Passport" was a strudel shop. I think Jeff or Dana or both have been there, and it's an out-of-the-touristy-area place you might want to visit. Maybe they can post the location and directions here. It seemed to be more in a residential area. The strudel looked huge, and was cheap. Greg in Houston
Greg, Thanks for all of the info you graciously passed on. I printed out the info in order to take with us. I was beginning to think no one would respond Thanks again, Emilia
I sent you a PM with detailed tram directions to the Susta Strudel shop in Praha 3. I found them in a Travel Channel message board. Off-topic: I also have lots of color and B&W photos I took in Prague this month, if you want me to e-mail some of them. Greg in Houston P.S. Samantha Brown's hotel room at Aria cost more than $800 US/per night. One night there equals 150 percent the cost of my roundtrip plane ticket. Again, off-topic.
Hi Emilia, Regarding U Pinkasů, they serve the best Pilsner Urquell beer I've ever tasted. They're famous for their Pilsner. When Jeff and I went there with Greg, it was our first visit after some 10 years. The restaurant was restored a few years ago and we had read positive reviews of it, so we wanted to try it. To be honest, we were both disappointed with our svíčková but of course I can't comment on the other meals. Another thing to keep in mind is that the menu at U Pinkasů is quite limited. If you decide to eat there, let us know what you thought! Susta Strudel, yes, it's delicious. Almost as good as my mom's. It's a bit out of the way but if you're spending over a week in Prague, you may want to venture out there. Just a reminder, you can't eat there, it's just for take-away. You buy the whole strudel and take it with you. Dana
Dana, Thank you for your response. I am looking forward to trying the Pilsner Urquell beer. My husband and I love beer and stick to imported beers all the time. The other day we were out looking for a good beer and we found Pilsner Urquell. We were very excited to try it since we are going to Prague and we loved it. We went out and bought more. It ought to be fabulous from U Pinkasu! I am also looking forward to trying the Susta Strudel Shop. I've never had one and I don't even really know what a strudel is. Thank you for all of your kind info! Emilia
I'm glad you could recommend the Pilsner there, Dana. I wasn't qualified to speak on that. And thanks for mentioning what I forgot, which is the restaurant's limited dinner menu. Well, I hope more people will come to the board and recommend some places to eat and drink in Prague. I know it comes up as a topic somewhat often, but when people have trips coming up soon, they need occasional reminders. I won't be back in Prague until next November, so Dana, you're going to Susta Strudel this weekend and then Fed-Ex a huge apple strudel to Houston for me. Right?
Greg, We would love to see some of those pics if you have any time. Again, thank you for your help. Emilia
You may well be right. I was just telling Jeff today how embarassing it is to allow our laziness to keep us from enjoying the best strudel in Prague (from my experience). The place is far enough and inconvenient enough for us to get to that we simply don't go there much. But that has to change! I'm not sure if Mr. Šusta works on the weekends. From the looks of the place, he's the one who makes the strudel and he's the one who sells it. I think he is the shop! So let's give him a break and let him enjoy a strudel-free weekend. FYI, apple strudel is not the only type of strudel Mr. Šusta makes. He also uses poppy seed (delicious!), cheese and, occasionally, plum filling. One pub that seems to be popular is the U růžového sadu at Mánesova 89, just off of the Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague 2-Vinohrady (take line A of the metro to the Jiřího z Poděbrad station and use the exit on the right-hand side). Jeff and I walked in there once and it was extremely smoky, so we left but their food is supposedly good and it's definitely a local pub. And it's away from the tourist areas. Oh, and take a look at this post. The Na staré kovárně v Bráníku is a good bet if you're looking for a Czech pub/restaurant frequented by the locals and away from the touristy areas. Quite an interesting place. Very "pubby" but at the same time serving interesting meals. You can also try U Kašpárka. It's a restaurant in Prague-Strašnice that feels like it's out in the middle of nowhere, but it's worth the trip. At least their pork panenka dishes are. Be prepared to deal with lots of cigarette smoke in Czech pubs.
