252. Mon 20/11/17: U Pinkasů, Můstek, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Pop back into U Pinkasů after stodging out at the wonderful fast food vendors in Wenceslas Square. They’ve ripped us off before – but them huge red sausages (and sweaty bread rolls) are magnificent.

U Pinkasů is pretty good too. Like it here – it’s quite packed, but not so bad as there’s no tables available. Can’t hear any English spoken in here, which is nice but odd. This is right in the tourist centre of Prague – if anything, nearer the seedier stag party end – but they don’t appear to be falling so ingloriously to grab the tourist dollar as other places. It does have a small range of “merch”, and is clearly not the little back street boozer, but it retains a character of a traditional – better than basic – town centre pub (without resorting to Disney-ing it up with oompah and costume).

Anyway, we’ve only just discovered U Pinkasů this year. We’ve seem U Medvídků and U Fleků change (mostly, but not entirely, for the worse) over the past decade; one hopes the management of many Prague pubs will have looked at these and similar examples and decided on “reigning it in” a bit. I’ll be interested in coming back to U Pinkasů in the future.

As it is, it’s late… it’s 08:50pm. We’re going home tomorrow – and we’re back to the apartment now.

1647. Tue 5/12/23: Restaurace U staré pošty, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Here, just outside the station, to see AJK off. Explanation of his convoluted trek home, frankly, takes the romance right out of international train travel. He’s got a few connections to make – and a five hour wait, starting at 5am, at some Germany station or other. Much as I don’t like flying…it’s all done in a few hours.

Back in Praha the abrupt/dodgy service at U staré pošty extends, not to a warm welcome, rather a stern notification that they don’t accept credit/debit cards. Not here. We do not ask “will you accept a cheque?”, even given the delicious pun. Previous experience here has gradually engendered the idea that tourists aren’t necessarily welcome here.

As it is – not too busy – there’s a spare table in the front. The service is gruff, but fine, and one deigns to feel a little better about being here. It’s a decent pub.

Sport on the telly is indoor football. Plzen are thrashing “HEL” 5-0 in a sports hall.

Me brother bids us farewell, which is a little sad.

We’d planned to stay out and try to find a pub screening Luton Town v Arsenal later, but we’re a little soused already and (probably for the best) we don’t get to do that.

1645. Mon 4/12/23: U Sadu, Žižkov, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

The new seasonal menu is out. It’s Christmas themed, though not in the way we know it. We sit on the first proper table in the middle (upstairs main/tourist bar). I order 200g Pečený bůček Luciferem na chilli a medu mačkane brambory s restouvanou cibulkou (roasted pork belly with chilli, honey mashed potatoes and sauteed onions). I’m very enthusiastic over these little seasonal menus. The devil is part of local festive folklore. Lucifer gets to hang about with (a Czech rather a Coca-Cola) Father Christmas and an angel at this time of year – we see them in St Wenceslas Square.

Me brother and SA have fried cheese, again. Their mealtime excitement is dented accordingly.

My meal is splendid. Excellent, even. The chilli is unexpectedly hot, but if one dabbles with the devil in the menu detail, what should one expect?

Rounds off the evening, all that food. Delicious.

1647a. Tue 5/12/23: Restaurace U staré pošty, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Last beer, for me, on this trip. I need somewhere near the station. TPK and SA were barred from entry into Pošty by a sour-faced barman on their way into Prague, some days earlier. The same sour-face lets me in, no problem, although the way he advises us the establishment doesn’t accept cards indicates he has anger issues.

Oh well.

This is my last beer before I face the overnight train to Karlsruhe. On the way over, I had to change a couple of times. I was advised, earlier in the day, that this won’t be necessary. I’m not counting on it, but at least the snow hasn’t brought everything to a complete, grinding halt.

544. Fri 9/11/18: Lokál Hamburk, Karlín, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Our second visit to the Karlín Lokál locale – this time on an early Friday evening (rather than a Monday). Oddly, it’s far quieter this time round. I suggest, at the time, that Czech students might bugger off back home at the weekends… I suppose they might, it’s a small country after all.

The Lokál bars seem uniformly manned by beard’n’tatts hipster types. Nothing wrong with that, other than it’s a demographic conspicuous by its absence in Prague – apart from as employed by this chain. I remain quite impressed/intrigued by Lokál. They may be pushing pubs I prefer into anachronism, they’re certainly doing that to the main Pilsner Urquell chain, which Lokál have made look decidedly naff; but it may be that longer established independent boozers might have to try a bit harder in future. In the meantime, these places are bright and cheerful and (for the time being) refreshingly different.

The place starts filling up the longer we’re in there – specifically with a group of Americans, who seem affable enough, but whose conversation (loud, in English and impossible not to latch onto) hurries our exit.

1644b. Mon 4/12/23: U Sadu, Žižkov, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Ah; that unmistakable, comforting smell of deep fried brown food. We’re back in Sadu.

I’ve started collecting some materials for my hare and tortoise project next year. It’s going to be an absolute blast. Both animals exist here, and neither gets much of a break. Hare features on the menu (see last post from Sadu), while little plastic tortoises (or, more likely, turtles) are used to encourage steady hands and better aiming in the gents’ pissoirs. Not sure who comes out worse.

Have fried cheese. It goes on forever. After tvarůžky and halloumi in Olomouc, this is real deal. I usually try and get this meal early doors when visiting Czech – it seems fitting to end (or more or less end) this trip with a couple of bricks of good old chewy, fried cheese.

1405. Sat 12/11/22: U Bláhovky, Brno

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Best pub in the world, according to me; following our last/first visit half a decade or so ago. It was busier then. It gets silly busy in this place. It’s very popular and not very big. The crowds inside and out at 5pm yesterday were huge. We went elsewhere – but we’re back on Saturday, not long after noon.

It’s quite quiet. Too quiet? On this showing, on lack of convivial hubbub alone, it’s absolutely fine, but not now “best pub” brilliant.

We find a table easily, but it’s not the vantage point we had last time – overlooking the bar and marvelling at the barman pouring beer after beer for the crowd. It was mesmerising. Today it’s just us, and another table – and the strange deep voiced lady outside, who keeps coming in and is drinking lots of beer and spirits. A group of six tourists come in and announce (in English, I don’t think they’re English though) they need a table – and they’ll be eating too. Barman informs them that, no, the tables are all reserved and he cannot accommodate them. This is a place, out of the centre, that attracts tourists – but doesn’t need their custom. I’m on barman’s side, mind, in this instance… there was something glib and presumptuous about the tourist horde.

Beer bloody lovely.

Toilets bloody awful.

It is too quiet. We are missing the sense of theatre this time… but I don’t care too much. U Bláhovky is a fantastic little place.

We have a few. Barman rounds the bill up significantly when it comes to our paying – ripping us off for at least the price of a beer (which, at 62Kč, £2.26 a half litre – is at the top end of what you pay for PU in this town in the first place). Steph reckons he’s been more than a little cheeky, but we’re tourists, we probably deserve it by association.

1423. Thu 17/11/22: U Bansethů, Nusle, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

New day – Nusle. It’s the 17^th November, it’s a Czech Bank Holiday, it’s Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day. We’ve slept in late, and I’ve dragged Steph down Wenceslas Square and into Narodni, and it feels to me that – though Václav Havel seemed an exceptionally good fellow – our presence, nay my insistence that we’ve got to be, here on the 17^th seems rather incongruous/dim headed. Next year we’ll maybe give it a miss (in favour of going a little later and catching the first Christmas markets).

In the meantime. Post Struggle Day mooch – we’re off to Nusle, to U Bansethů, to Jaroslav Hašek’s favourite pub (reputedly). We’re far from alone this afternoon – the Bank Holiday has bought many a local out. Many of the locals are eating duck. The duck looks delicious.

The late lunch crowd start to flitter away – leaving us with the excellent beer and creeping last day blues. We’re jetting back home in the morning.

In the meantime the huge plasma telly behind the bar is fired up. It’s showing Eurosport – the sound is muted, but the telly still seems huge and out of place. Nadal is playing tennis.

We sup up, slip out, and walk the three steps to U Bansethů’s sister (brew)pub next door…

524. Mon 5/11/18: U Saní, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Our Karlín expedition isn’t going brilliantly, frankly, as we meander slowly but surely towards the town centre. We finally spy a PUG* pub on a big square and head for that. It’s reasonably big, dark, busy and boring… we’re tucked away in a little dining area by the side of the bar.

Little of interest to mention of this place. There’s a print of a bar brawl scene from The Good Soldier Švejk on the wall (which we saw before #515). What would Jaroslav Hašek make of a chain pub like this? He’d love it, for all I know.  We talk of the fish debacle at the last place – and of how Stephanie almost electrocuted herself in our hotel room in Hradec Králové. She’s fine – the fish, on the other hand is probably dinner by now – we’re off after one.

* contemporary 2018 acronym for “Pilsner Urquell Green” pubs. Because of the ubiquitous/boring colour scheme. Have since learned that the boring brewery own brand chain go under the “Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurant” moniker. Good beer. Originality of a retail park McDonalds.

1177. Wed 17/11/21: U Vystrelenyho Oka, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Opens at 4:30pm, and we arrive around five minutes later. The proprietor has half an eye on the police outside on the street right outside his pub, busy towing a car away.

The pub is great this early on – apart from us there’s two other couples (of middle-aged blokes). This place is dubious and crusty – but I like it more every time we visit.

Didn’t a representation of a pub win the Turner Prize this year? U vystrelenyho oka is Martin Valisek’s art installation created, even if it was brand new when I first visited, at least a quarter of a century ago. The place is full of comically grotesque artwork – every time we visit I seem to notice something new (even if it has been here donkeys years).

The pub seems to have grown around the art. I’m sure now that many locals don’t give Valisek’s artwork a second look – but that seems just fine.

It’s quite probably that my personal perspective on the art and the pub and the clientele are skewed too… probably has to be. Whatever, this is a fantastic and fascinating place. The beer is good, but that’s boring.

It’s Czech Freedom and Independence Day. The barman, who had been keeping an eye on the coppers outside, is now talking to a couple of ladies (who are sitting on the table behind us – they’ve bought their dogs, who are playing, rather boisterously). On the wall behind him I notice (for the first time) a picture of him – he’s much younger, and he’s pictured smiling in the company of Vaclav Havel.

You don’t need a rudimentary knowledge/enthusiasm of/for Czech history from the middle-ages to the late 20^th century to enjoy this pub, but it does pay small dividends.