Eating - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 139

Rubbing Elbows with Hip Locals Away from
the Center, in Vinohrady and Žižkov
For the next four listings, see the “New Town” map on page 122.
Café Medúza (Café Jellyfish), an authentic between-the-
World-Wars café with plush sofas and pictures of 1930s movie
stars, draws a crowd of dreamy young Czechs enjoying coffee,
cigarettes, dark Svijany beer, and cheap lunch specials (daily
11:00-24:00, Belgická 17, Metro: Náměstí Míru; from Metro stop,
walk down the street a bit and look for Belgická on your left; tel.
222-515-107).
At Hlučná Samota (Loud Solitude), the wooden floor and
brick walls are dedicated to the great Czech writer Bohumil
Hrabal. Though he never visited here, Hrabal would surely be
inspired by the rich mix of Czech and Italian cuisine (includ-
ing honey duck, spinach salmon, and Prague's own Staropramen
beer). On a nice day, the good sidewalk seating is a pleasure (daily
11:00-23:00, Záhřebská 14, tel. [phone]).
Restaurace u Sadu, dark and dingy, is decorated with old
typewriters, radios, meat grinders, skis, and sledges. It serves
cheap beer and decent food indoors on aged green tablecloths or
outside on wooden tables. The way that Czechs of all generations
drink beer in this classic blue-collar pub hasn't changed a beat since
the 1920s (daily 10:00-4:00 in the morning, on Škroupa Square
below TV tower at Škroupovo Náměstí 5, tel. [phone]). The
restaurant up in the TV tower itself is expensive, but comes with a
Sputnik's-eye view.
Hospůdka nad Viktorkou, named for this neighborhood's
soccer team, is around the corner on Bořivojova street. This quint-
essential Žižkov pub features occasional live performances by local
bands, a warm glass terrace in the winter, and a little courtyard
with a shady canopy of chestnut trees in the summer (Mon-Fri
15:00-1:00, Sat-Sun 17:00-1:00, English menu available,
Bořivojova 79, tel. [phone]).