Kávovarna at Palác Lucerna

"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess." - Oscar Wilde

When we last left our story's four insatiable adventurers, they were having beers, burgers, and a chimichanga in the Wild West Show scene at Buffalo Bill's.

For most, this would be enough. For us, the saga continued.

It turned into an unexpectedly long night of wide-ranging social intercourse and eclectic eating, liberally stimulated by the liberating effects of drink.

I was with the Michigan Man, the English Editor, and of course, the lovely and charming V. EE suggested Kávovarna, just off Wenceslas Square.

Off we went.

It is in the Palác Lucerna, which has an interesting history.

It was built by a man named Vácslav Havel, the grandfather of former Czech president Václav Havel.

The first section of the arcade opened in 1907 and it was it was finished in 1921.

A more recent addition was the David Černý sculpture hanging from the ceiling.

It is a comic reinterpretation of the statue that dominates the square outside.

St. Wenceslas is riding his horse, but in Černý's version, the horse is hanging upside down. Love it.

We entered this often crowded, smoky establishment and got a table and stools by the window looking out into the arcade. But the view can be interesting in any direction.This cafe is great for people watching, inside or out, which is the attraction of this place for some.

There were tables "outside" in the passage for people who want a little less noise and smoke, though it's too cold to sit out there in the winter.There was also a non-smoking room inside.

It can get a little noisy, and the chairs are nothing to write home about. But there are other attractions.Kávovarna, along with the rest Palác Lucerna, retains the patina of the past. It isn't fancy, but it has the charm of unprimped age that Nouveau Retro establishments can only aspire to attain.

During our visit, we started with half-liters of Pilsner Urquell (35 CZK). They also have Litovel dark beer for the same price.

There sell Hoegaarden, Guinness, Stella, and Leffe Brune in small bottles.

Bottles of red and white wine were available at 180 CZK to 550 CZK, with selections from the Czech Republic, France, Spain, and Chile.

Other alcohol-based drinks could be had, but what was interesting was the extensive non-alcoholic drink section of the menu.Sure, you can get your basic cappuccinos or espressos at this cafe.

But there were many other more creative options that were made at a separate coffee bar. There were a large variety of flavored syrups on display.On separate visit, I wanted to try a coffee, but I decided to keep things relatively simple. I ordered the Vanilla Royale Iced Coffee (54 CZK).

I really liked it.

Maybe you could take or leave the huge amount of whipped cream and the cherry. But it had a good coffee kick, and the syrup gave it just a touch of sweetness.

It beat the pants off the two different iced coffees I tried at Prague's new Starbucks. Those were truly awful.

At the global chain's outlet at Malostranské námestí, I had an iced Americano on one visit and an iced cafe latte on another.

One was way too watery. The other was way too milky. And they cost almost twice as much for a serving of approximately the same size.

Coffee Heaven is also in Palác Lucerna. It has more comfortable chairs, but it is also quite expensive.

At Kávovarna, without any extra cost, you can go wild with the syrups.

For example, they offered an iced Black Forest Mocha. It had chocolate, cherry, and coconut syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings in a half-liter glass.

I doubt I'll ever try that.

Or an Iced Banana Split Cappuccino. Or a Hazelnut Decadence Iced Latte. Or a Double Decadence Delight, which has creme caramel syrup and chopped walnuts.

The cost for all are the same -- for your wallet or purse, anyway.

If coffee is not your thing, you can have a hot chocolate flavored with peppermint, raspberry or any other syrup. The even have sugar-free flavors.

There were syrup-flavored sodas (44 CZK) and even granitas (39 CZK).

But enough about the drinks. Let's jump back in time to our over-the-top evening adventure and talk about the limited food options.

I'd had a good memory of the spicy sausages with mustard and horseradish (45 CZK). I'd tried them a year earlier.

This year, they looked slightly different (I have pictures of last year's, too). I didn't like these so much.They were not the type you usually find around town. They were more pepperoni-like.

Which I like.

But they were also extremely greasy and a tough to chew, unlike last year. We didn't feel like finishing them.

We also ordered the traditional cheese with green olives for 48 crowns.It was a fairly boring cheese, enlivened by slightly creative presentation.

There are several kinds of nuts, including cashews, for around 40 CZK. Don't come to this place expecting a serious meal.

Like me, V is very curious about trying different foods. She saw some Czech cheese cake, tvarohový dort.It's similar to an American version, but it has raisins and is a bit more crumbly. We enjoyed it.

They also sell chocolate pralines with different fillings. V is always pushing the eating experience envelope, so four of them suddenly appeared on our table.

I tried most of them. Some I liked, some I didn't.

Don't ask me me which ones. At this point, the memory gets hazy. When we got the bill, it showed 18 beers for the four of us.

Spreading them out over four hours certainly helped lessen the intoxicating blow.

The effects of the alcohol were also blunted by the Tex-Mex meal, greasy sausages, olives, cheese, cheesecake, and chocolates.

It's not a pretty list.

You might call it excessive.

But, we all thought it added up to an unplanned and unexpectedly successful evening.

Oscar would be proud.

Kávovarna at Palác Lucerna
Štěpánská 61
Prague 1 - Wenceslas Square
Tel. (+420) 296 236 233


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Viniční Altán at Vila Grébovka (The Vineyard Gazebo at Gröbe’s Villa)

"It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend, one's present or future thirst, the excellence of the wine, or any other reason."
-Latin Proverb

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the sunny days of early May after the long, gray winter.

We took great advantage of the beautiful weather on the May 8th national holiday and walked over to Havlíčkovy Sady. For those not in the know, it's a hilly park between Vinohrady and Vršovice.

Central to the park is Vila Grébovka. Most people actually refer to the park as Grébovka. It sits atop its own working vineyard.The Neo-Renaissance villa was built as a summer home for industrialist Moritz Gröbe in the 1870s.It sat decaying for many years, but a complete renovation was completed in 2007. It is now the home of the non-profit Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI).

The institute organizes training for lawyers, judges, and others committed to law reform and democratization. The villa looks beautiful from the outside, but the house itself is not usually open to the public.

A friend who was inside recently for a conference said it is "amazing" and they did a very nice job restoring the interior.

Right underneath the villa is a reconstructed gazebo, Viniční Altán, where you can sit and drink the vineyard's wines and enjoy some light snacks.

Which we did.There aren't too many tables, maybe around 12 outside and a few inside.

It was a holiday, and many were empty. But that's unusual on nice spring and summer evenings. Often, none are open. Note: You have been warned.Above the terrace area, the top of the gazebo has a beautiful carved wood ceiling.

This area is not usually open to the public. But it is often used for weddings and other special events.The view of the Nusle Valley was lovely on a sunny day. Especially because the green, leafy trees obscure some of the less attractive parts of the Nusle Valley.Before I got to the wine, I started out with a non-wine-related beverage.

It was noon, and I really wanted a beer.

The choices available on tap are far from my favorites. They had only Staropramen and Stella Artois on tap.

Instead, I ordered a Hoegaarden. The weissbier came in a tiny .33 liter bottle (35 CZK). So, I had two.

It was refreshing start to the day.

V was in the mood for something wine-relate and had a glass of sekt or Czech "champagne" (60 CZK).

The small glass flute had a strawberry sitting across the top.

She also had some Mattoni sparkling water (25 CZK).

After these rounds, we decided to sample the wine.

They did have some international choices such as Jacob's Creek from Australia (120-360 CZK), Rutherford Ranch Vineyards from California (490 CZK), Italian wines (350-480 CZK), Argentinian (350 CZK) and more.

There was also a large selection of wines from all around the Czech Republic. Many were priced at 200-300 CZK for a .75 liter bottle.

V ordered a .25 liter carafe of the Rulandské šedé (70 CZK). She pronounced it "very nice." It was not anything special. Just light and drinkable.Oddly, looking at the menu on the Internet, I saw that only Rulandské modré costs 70 CZK, and the Rulandské šedé was 84 CZK. But the bill clearly says "GREB.RS 0.25L" and that it was 70 CZK.

On a previous visit, they were out of the Rulandské šedé. We tried something else from the Grébovka Vineyard. We didn't like it, but it was a while ago, and I can't remember what it was.

It being lunchtime, we also wanted some food. The menu was very limited. They mostly have desserts like ice cream, medovnik (honey cake), warm waffles with fruit, and a couple of other snacks. They have espresso, cappuccino, and such.

But they do have a couple of encased pork options.

V got the lahůdkové párky (deli hot dogs) for 46 CZK. There was a nice snap to the skin and decent-quality meat product inside.V said it was what Czechs usually call Viennese-style. Not bad as hot dogs go.

I went for the klobása (56 CZK). It's red skin was also pretty snappy.It was studded with fat beneath the skin, but I've had worse. I'd call it average and certainly edible. My last sausage on Wenceslas Square did not meet that standard.

Both of our plates came with ketchup, two types of mustard, and horseradish from a jar.

We also got a basket of sliced Czech bread. It was OK, but not super fresh.

I'll underline the obvious here: You don't really go to Viniční Altán for the food.

However, there are a number of other reasons to visit.

First and foremost is to take in a nice view on a nice day, along with some nice, cheap wine.

The question is, do you need another reason?

Viniční Altán
Havlíčkovy sady 1369 - Grébovka Vila
Prague 2
Tel. (+420) 222 516 887
GPS: 50°4'7.255"N, 14°26'39.607"E


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Zapa Bar

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
-Yogi Berra

When we are in Old Town and we want to talk and have a cocktail, we go to Zapa Bar.I don't think they have the best drinks or the best prices. But they've done a good job updating the former below-street-level digs of Alcohol Bar, and surprisingly enough, I've never seen it full.

That's what we really like about it.They mix some fine and expensive drinks nearby at Tretter's, but it is usually jam-packed with yammering yuppies, posturing poseurs, and meat market manipulators. Getting a seat or hearing a conversation in there is close to impossible.

The American Bar at Obecni Dum is beautiful and we once had some nice, big gin and tonics there. But the prices are through the Art Nouveau roof. It just felt touristy and dead.

At Zapa Bar, I saw the barman making some very fancy fruity drinks.I can only tell you they looked good because neither of us are likely to order an electric blue or hot pink cocktail.

I ordered a Cuba libre (120 CZK). An unimaginative selection, I know. But this is my drink of choice when I am dead tired and don't want to keel over off my stool.

This was the case on this evening. I needed a caffeine and sugar boost.

If you like the rum to dominate the Coke, then you'll enjoy it. There was a full measure of rum, but it was served in a relatively small glass.

So, there wasn't a lot of room for the cola. I wouldn't have minded a little bigger glass and a little more cola.

And I wanted more lime. Tretter's version was bigger and had plenty of citrus.

In fact, I was craving limes so much that after two Cuba libres, I switched over to a gin gimlet (115 CZK).

It was not too sweet, not too sour, but a little on the watery side. I prefer the more sour version at Hapu up in Žižkov.

What I really didn't like was how small it was. The gimlet was served in a tiny martini glass only partly full.

V surprised me (she does that a lot) and ordered a .2 liter glass of Lambrusco (100 CZK). I'd never seen her drink that before.

The chilled, sparkling red had a touch of sweetness and was quite refreshing. She enjoyed it so much, she had three glasses.

It was 10:30 pm, and I hadn't had dinner. I was absolutely starving, so I looked over the small food menu.

I chose the grilled sausages (150 CZK). That's a lot for a couple of sausages, but I didn't expect to get off cheaply when ordering food at a cocktail bar.

I did fondly recall the cheapness of the 49 CZK sausage I had recently at Mad Bar.

These two were good. I haven't seen sausage curls too often in Prague. They were well-seasoned inside, and properly cooked.The accompanying items underneath looked good, but unfortunately, they were really mostly for show.

The sausage sat on top of plain white toast. It came with fresh rucola and a few cherry tomatoes. But they were dry.

No dressing. No fun.

I was so hungry, I didn't think to ask for some oil and vinegar. The sausage also came with small servings of ordinary ketchup and mustard.

The final bill, which also included two bottles of Mattoni (35 CZK each) came to 875 CZK. A lot of money. Then again, we had more drinks than we planned because we were having such a nice conversation.

You can't put a price on that.

Will we return to Zapa Bar?

If we need a quiet spot to relax in the center, probably yes. It is comfortable, there's no attitude, and we always get a seat.

But if it ever gets too crowded, we ain't going there any more.

Zapa Bar
Dušní 6
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 222 315 899


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Riegrovy Sady Beer Garden

Prague is full of beer gardens, great and small.

In the great category, there are two that divide the loyalties of Praguers and expats who love outdoor drinking, hot summer socializing, watching internationally televised sporting events, and observing lightly clad men and women partaking in all of the above.

First, there is Letenský zámeček, which was written up in an earlier post. And then there is the Riergrovy sady beer garden.

The park (sady) is not far from Wenceslas Square. I went through the entrance on Italská and passed the statue of Mr. František Ladislav Rieger, a 19th century Czech politician. The park was completed in 1908.

From this entrance, there is a bit of a hill to walk up, but as you get to the top, there are some great views of the city, including the back of the National Museum and, off in the distance, Prague Castle.

There are some nice gardens, and benches line the paths through the park. These often fill up later in the evening with people who want a break from the beer garden to chill out or make out.

The entrance to the beer garden itself doesn't really have any big, clear sign saying "Riegrovy Sady Beer Garden." You enter under a sign, written in Czech, saying dogs must be on a leash. The sign is sponsored by Coke.

Inside, you dive into a veritable sea of humanity, a few hundred people, sitting at long tables with benches. The prime activity is beer drinking. It is self-service only, though they do have people who come around and pick up the empties.

I was shocked! shocked! to discover the strong and pungent smell of marijuana wafting through the air. This is a common feature of large Prague beer gardens.

For smokers and nonsmokers alike, the most popular beer choice here appears to be Gambrinus, which is 25 CZK for a half liter. People line up at the shack devoted to dispensing only this beverage. The line waxes and wanes, but it can grow quite long. If you buy multiple beers, they'll often give you a tray for carrying the beers back to your table.

They do serve half-liters of Pilsner Urquell at a different shack for 36 CZK. It is the one with the big Heineken sign, which comes in bottles, and a much smaller Pilsner sign. For some reason, the line here was short for most of the night. It did get long around 10 pm, though.
At this window, it is possible you will get the topless server with the enormous chest. You may find this titillating if you like men who spend a lot of time lifting weights.

This shack also serves cocktails that start at 80 CZK, served in a plastic cup. They have a Long Island Ice Tea for 160 CZK. I once tasted one that someone else ordered. My verdict: Strong, but not recommended if taste and drinkability are important to you. You can also get soft drinks here.

But alcohol is not the only form of entertainment. There is also a large screen and projector television for showing sporting events. If there is a big football match on, this is when you will see the garden at its most crowded. They also have a couple of foosball tables.

There are a few kinds of food available on a self-service basis. The main choice is sausage (klobasa), which sell for 35 CZK. They have the white kind or the red/black kind.My friend, Crazy A, got both. He said the dark one was very fatty. He said the white one was undercooked. He also told me that he felt pretty bad the next morning, but it's hard to know for sure if his dinner was the cause.

Grease is the word

The shack that sells the sausage also has light snacks like nuts and potato chips (crisps).

If the alcohol, sporting events, lightly seared pork, and fine conversation with your friends is not entertaining enough for you, there is always just people watching.You are being watched

Want to see the Czech Please Riegrovy Sady music video? Click here.

Not sure where it is? Check out this map.

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Wenceslas Square Sausage Stands

It's rarely mentioned in any books, but St. Wenceslas is also known as the Sausage King. He is the patron saint of the klobása.

In his honor, every day and night, there is a sausage fest on Wenceslas Square. Top to bottom, on every corner, you will find crowds of people gathering around sausage stands and paying homage at these altars of indigestion.

I, myself, have made the pilgrimage many times. And I'd say some of the sausages are pretty good. That's not to say they are good for you. But, given the right circumstances, the right amount of hunger, and perhaps a little impaired judgment, they are a great, quick bite.

I much prefer the two stands at the very bottom of the square, the one on the corner Vodičkova or the one on the corner of Štěpánská. This is mainly because they are a relatively new design, with stainless steel exteriors, the larges variety of sausages, and easily viewable work and grilling areas.

One stand has a sign on it that says "Euro Food," but other than that, they don't really have names or identifying signs. They are apparently all run by a company called DMJ. It has a small website with a limited look at the menus and some pictures of the stands.

There's just one small table nearby, where you can stand while you eat, if you don't want to take it on the run. You'll probably have to share it with a hoard of hungry tourists during the day.

For a long time, I favored the German sausages in a bun (Německé klobásky v housce) for 40 CZK. They put five of these little links in the bread. I get it with mustard (hořčice) and fried onion (cibule).

Not long ago, this item cost 30 CZK. Talk about inflation.

I was pretty disappointed with these sausages after a recent visit. They had been sitting on the grill for far too long, and a lot of the fat in them had been cooked off. They were dried out and almost hard.

This is the one of the problems with these places. They don't pay much attention to the cooking. The sausages might be overcooked. Or they might be undercooked. It partly depends on the ebb and flow of customers. The people who cook and serve the stuff don't seem to watch the grill too carefully.So, on another visit, I decided to be different and get the Prague sausage (Pražská klobása). This special one is a little pricer than the rest and goes for 50 CZK.

It is redder in color than any of the others and has a bit of a spicy kick.

It has a thick casing and a nice snap when you bite it.

After I took my first bite, I thought I saw big chunks of fat. But when I looked more carefully, I saw what appeared to be pieces of garlic in it. I didn't really get much garlic flavor from them, but I was happy it wasn't fat.

I'd say this was my favorite sausage of all, and I'll probably get it again.

I also liked the Bavarian sausage on a roll (Bavorská klobása v rohlíku) for 40 CZK. I got it with mustard and asked for sauerkraut. There is a jar of cold kraut next to where you order. The first time I asked for it, the lady put it on for me. The second time, a different lady just handed me some tongs.

It was well cooked, not too fatty, and had a nice pork flavor.

One problem with all these sausages is the bread. First of all, they are not of great quality to begin with. But the main problem is that the keep them all in a warming tray, I suppose, to keep them from going stale. However, they end up turning into rubbery, chewy things instead.

For the final experiment upon my stomach, I tried Wenceslas's sausage on a roll (Václavská klobása v rohlíku) for 40 CZK. This was my least favorite, mainly because it was the most greasy and fatty. It was big, but tasted more like a hot dog than a sausage.

I did not get a chance to eat the Moravian sausage. And I must confess I have not tried any of their other offerings, such as the fried chicken cutlet (smažený kuřecí řízek) or the fried cheese (smažený sýr).

I know people who swear by the fried cheese as the perfect stomach-lining snack when you are on a bender. That may be. It's just not my thing.

One more thing -- a couple of people on Prague discussion boards complained about being short-changed. It's never happened to me at one of these places, but it does seem there has been something of a short-change epidemic in the country. It's happened to me three times this year at places like gas stations and Christmas markets. Always count your change.

I leave you with the words of Good King Wenceslas -- who, unlike me, really loved all sausages equally and enjoyed nothing more than sharing a big spicy one with his queen:

Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither

The Sausage Queen

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