Food & Beer Culture

All of Prague sits in the hospoda. The Czech word simply means pub, but the hospoda is at once local haunt, living room, and news exchange. Larger beer halls are called Pivnice, with long wooden tables where you sit down next to strangers without a second thought.

Beer calls for food, and hearty food at that. Vepřo knedlo zelo, roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, counts as the national dish. The beer cuts through the fat, and the mild sweetness of the cabbage pairs well with malt. This works especially well with dark lager, whose caramel notes complement the roast.

Svíčková na smetaně is beef sirloin in a creamy root vegetable sauce, served with cranberries and dumplings. The sauce is sweet and creamy, and the beer counters it with light bitterness. A Smažený sýr, breaded and deep-fried cheese, calls for a pale lager that cuts through the film of fat in the mouth.

Popular pub snacks include Utopenci, sausages pickled in sour brine with onions, and pickled Hermelín cheese. Both are salty, sour and spicy, a bite that builds thirst for the next beer. The name literally means "the drowned ones," a bit of mockery that has stuck around in everyday use.

The large houses like U Fleků, with its many halls and courtyards, recall the beer halls of Munich, only on a smaller scale. The house claims space for up to 1,200 guests. Anyone who prefers a quieter setting should head to U Medvídků or the Strahov Monastery Brewery, and anyone looking to try something new should visit one of the city's smaller house breweries.