Woot! Maerose in da hauz! Here’s the final leg of my trip to Prague, City of a Hundred Spires! This time, I’d write about where and what to eat when you visit the city. Well, it’s all based actually on where and what I ate, but yeah, just to give you an idea. 😉
Luckily, I have a Czech friend who recommended one of the nicest food places in the city. I met him in Copenhagen one rainy afternoon and we visited Christiansborg, among other landmarks. Temporarily based in CPH, he then got dispatched, or sent, to Berlin to work after his contract. Interestingly, we both have the same birthday and we were both interested in history and art, so there was plenty to talk about. He also spent his honeymoon in my beloved Philippines, and I think that was super cool!
Anyway, he was in Prague during my visit, so I tagged my Italian roommate along and the three of us met up on the first evening to have dinner altogether. It’s really easier if you have local friend with you during your search for a good restaurant. For one, the waitress and waitresses won’t fool you or try to take advantage of you for being a tourist. And also, you get really good recommendations on what to try and how the locals perceive their own cuisine.
Tomas took us to U Medvidku, a unique beer hall style pub located in the Old Town. It had a husky, masculine kind of ambiance but with a dash of an ancient feel that makes one feel like traveling back in time. It dates back in the 1400s, when it was a brewery. Later on, the malt house was converted into the present-day beer hall pub, with halls and drinking compartments large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. The interior was decorated with wooden pieces of furniture and big barrels, and the bar U-shaped.
I’m not really a huge fan of alcohol, but I like learning about the history of a place or a thing or a food item! So it was a nice experience being at U Mevidku. The place boasts of a wide range of beers, an onsite brewery and tank beer. I missed taking a glimpse of the onsite brewery during my first visit, but I went to dine at U Medvidku for the next two nights of my stay, and on the second night, my Japanese companion and I managed to sneak in!
In addition, U Medvidku claims to have the freshest Budvar (Budweiser) in Prague because of its tank beer process! Okay.. I just remember a story ( or a fact) from my trip about the Budweiser, so I read up a little bit more about it. It is written that the city of Budweis in Bohemia has been manufacturing beer since it was established by the Bohemian King Ottokar II in 1245. Our tour guide said that they prohibited the sharing or export of the recipe outside of the kingdom. In the 1800s, however, a German liquor importer and his friend developed a similar type of lager inspired by their trip to the region. They, then, introduced it to the USA and has been referred to as an American-style pale lager. (Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser#Name_origin_and_dispute)
I tried two dishes from the menu: their chicken steak marinated in honey with creamy potatoes on the side on the first and third dine, and some unique Czech dish (meat swimming in gravy with white bread on the side) on the second evening. I also tried the Budweiser, and a strong type of liquor I forgot what was called. It was made of many herbs and spices, and since I was with two familiar faces at that time, I agreed to take a sip.
I liked the place so much that I dined there three times — first evening with my Czech friend and Italian roommate, second evening with an amazing Japanese traveler I met during the walking tour, and the third night with my Spanish roommate and her friends. Everything went well, except for a glitch on the last evening. The waiter made a mistake on the bill, and my Spanish companions aggressively talked to the staff. In the end, the staff apologized for the mistake and returned the excess money. *face palm* That’s what you get when you didn’t greet them Ahoy! (jk)
There was also a variety of street foods to choose from, which you would find most especially in the stalls at the Old Town Square. My eyes feasted on the delicacies, and my taste palates got pampered by the unique tastes.
I love food trips, just as much as I love the traveling itself! I also enjoyed the assorted baked goodies. Would definitely love to go back and visit Prague again! 😉
This is all for now. I gotta go back to studying Norsk, as the boyfie suggests. He means well. I know. 🙂
Up next: A wonderful visit to the city of Kutna Hora — the Bone Church, the five-naved Church of Sta. Barbara, and some ancient feels oozing out from the UNESCO site situated in the Central Bohemian Region! See you! ❤
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