"Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it."You've survived a forced march over uneven, cobblestone roads. You've stormed the castle and viewed Prague from its ramparts.
-G.K. Chesterton
Then, after a long day on thin rations, there's an attack.
The hunger.
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Legions of rogue restaurants lie in wait. You face the very real possibility they will treat you like a serf, serve up glorified gruel, and levy charges for each crust of bread you eat. Or didn't eat.
Short of self-defenestration, how can you avoid this terrible fate?
It is a prime tourist zone I rarely visit myself, so even I struggle to answer this question.
But I recently visited a restaurant that had good food, a good atmosphere, a little bit of history, and very little highway robbery.
Best of all, it is within the walls of Prague Castle.
I'm talking about Restaurant Vikárka (The Vicarage).
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But in recent decades, it's been a restaurant. It underwent a renovation in 2005.
The entrance is right next to St. Vitus's Cathedral and there is a lovely view from there.
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I ordered the hovězí svíčková (195 CZK), which is one of my favorite traditional Czech meals. It is roast beef (often overcooked) in a cream sauce with bread dumplings and some cranberry sauce.
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There's more to it if you want to see a full recipe.
This version was a sweet, creamy, tangy and I couldn't get enough of it. I soaked up every last bit with my dumplings.
For some perspective, hovězí svíčková costs 169 CZK at the great Pilsner pub, U Pinkasů, near Wenceslas Square.
V had potato gnocchi in a mushroom cream sauce (180 CZK). The quality gnocchi themselves were nothing to write home about. The lighter, fluffier gnocchi at Kogo are certainly superior (and more expensive).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F03g65eWoelsD8W8pG_0GSpMDaVEVb_Rcl3jEAure2r_jUkH3oLQLsWHcgo0UhHXOZ_RyWAjdOyWLTyGzudCgj_DcC1VAzQe121u2anLu09q0EEWa_sGJ6Nrmoqto3mA18CJq27Z0HWX/s400/Vikarka+Gnocchi.jpg)
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They did have Pilsner Urquell, but it was 80 CZK for a .33 liter serving. Crazy. At U Vejvodů in the center of Prague, a half-liter of Pilsner draft is only 30 CZK.
When I mentioned "highway robbery" earlier, the beer was what I was talking about.
As for the rest of the menu, soups were 50-60 CZK, and starters and salads were 85-180 CZK.
If you want to loosen the purse strings on the main courses, there was a steak for 425 CZK, lamb cutlets with marjoram sauce for 450 CZK, and grilled salmon for 320 CZK. I'd never eaten here before, so I can't vouch for the quality of the other offerings.
They had a small children's menu with a fried chicken cutlet, fish fingers, or spaghetti. We had no problem with the service.
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The threat of Swedish invasion is long gone, but the international tourist invasion remains. As we sipped our drinks, we observed that they made up the majority of the diners.
V had a glass of red wine for 75 CZK, a .25 liter bottle of water for 35 CZK, and an espresso for 60 CZK.
The final bill was 605 CZK.
Yes, you could spend a lot here. But you could also get away with a pretty reasonable bill if you order selectively.
And believe me, you could do a lot worse.
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Restaurant Vikárka
Vikářská 39
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 233 311 962
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8 comments:
That svíčkova doesn't look too shabby, same go for the knedlíky. Now 60CZK for a glass of Krušovice Černé is a bit more than highway robbery.
Pivovar Strahov a bit up the hill has decent food and their beers, for the same price, are MUCH better.
The Beef and cream sauce is without a doubt my favorite Czech dish. I found this Recipe.
Does it look authentic to you? Have you found a good recipe you like?
Good tip re: Strahov, Max. And you're right -- the Krusovice price is crazy, too. I'll beef up the outrage on that.
Regarding svickova recipes -- I've cooked one. I'm more of an expert on eating them.
I included a recipe from The Prague Post in the post, but I don't vouch for its quality. It is just the first one I came across -- I wanted people just to have an idea of what is in it.
Also, I've heard there is another decent restaurant in the area (though I haven't been myself):
Restaurant Malý Buddha
http://www.malybuddha.cz/
Anonymous: Svickova recipe
Well, in my opinion, this is very odd recipe. I never heard about adding thyme to it. I think that this one is more authentic:
http://www.bigoven.com/113064-Moms-Marinated-Beef-(Svickova)-recipe.html
But in fact, Svickova is a delicate matter, there is nothing like an original recipe and each family or resturant has its own. It's the same case like with a potato salade, that we prepare for the Christmas.
Re Maly Buddha - I hated the food there. I love Vietnamese food and the place was billed as Vietnamese. The best I can say is that it tasted like someone trying to imitate some kind of Asian food. What kind? I can't say. But I'm sure it was [imitation] Asian.
Brewsta, you completely failed to explain the cultural context of the Vikarka restaurant.
It is a truly legendary establishment, a Prague cultural institution in its own right. It hasn't been around just in "recent decades" as you write.
In fact, it was a legendary restaurant already more than hundred years ago.
Vikarka features in 19th century novels as well as in a Janacek opera.
I understand that you, as an American, are apparently not into some "historical bullshit" but it would be good to do some research on the restaurants you review.
I absolutely love historical bullshit. I just don't always have enough time to indulge.
I was in a hurry to do a post before vacation -- so I read the restaurant's history page (didn't mention exactly when it became a restaurant), scanned the first Google search page, and moved on.
That's how it is in the blog biz sometimes. No prodding editors. Just you.
I always appreciate enlightening and constructively critical comments.
Yours was good until you blew it with the silly national stereotyping at the end.
Excellent review. I will invade Prague soon and try the beef with cream sauce!! :) And, your bill wasn't too bad for 2 people. That's only $37.
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