Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
square (on the street behind the plague column), serves 100 per-
cent natural, unpasteurized yeast beer. The fresh-beer list includes
both the traditional barley varieties and stouts, as well as wheat
beer with lemon, a rare treat in the Czech Republic. The beer is
supplemented by a long dining menu. Choose between the modern
interior with rustic decor or the street-side terrace (Mon-Sat
11:00-24:00, Sun 11:00-22:00, Riegrova 22, tel. 585-203-641).
Mekáč
(McDonald's), on the Upper Square, is filled with
teenagers and moms with kids during the week. On a weekend,
you can sit here and watch folks from the countryside, dressed in
their Sunday best and coming to town for a “Bikmek” taste of the
world.
Centrum Česká Jídelna
(Czech Eatery) is ideal if you're short
on time and want some local-style fast food. They offer a world of
traditional Czech dishes, ready and warmed, as well as an array of
sandwiches and salads. Choose your meal by pointing at what you
want (Mon-Fri 6:30-18:00, Sat 7:30-12:00, closed Sun, directly
opposite the clock).
Café Caesar,
filling the Gothic vaults in the Town Hall, is a
popular pizza place with fine outside seating within a flea's hop of
the plague monument (daily 9:00-1:00 in the morning, tel. 585-
229-287). The little gallery next door, run by the café, promotes
local artists.
Café Restaurant Konvikt
is a modern-feeling place in the
delightfully restored former Jesuit college. They cater primarily
to businessmen, though some philosophy students also wander
here from the classrooms upstairs. In summer, they offer seating
in a peaceful courtyard above the city walls and greenbelt (daily
11:00-24:00, Univerzitní 3, tel. 585-631-190).
Cafés, Teahouses, Pubs, and Clubs
Olomouc is the Moravian university town, and every aspect of stu-
dent life (except sleeping) happens right in the old center. Being
a student town, Olomouc is lively and cheap during the school
year but slower in July, August, and September (although foreign
students coming here for summer programs in languages, music,
and history are doing their best to make up for the annual vacation
energy drain).
Café 87
has the longest list of espresso drinks, iced coffees,
frappés, pancakes, and desserts in town. The handful of Olomouc
expats converge here daily just before lunch to have the chocolate
cake—heavenly but highly addictive (daily 10:00-19:00, between
the art and natural-history museums on Náměstí Republiky).
Kratochvíle Teahouse
offers a wide array of freshly harvested
tea leaves, as well as coffee, Moravian wines, and the increasingly
popular hookahs (water pipes). This contemplative, bamboo-
