Beer in Prague, Vienna, Budapest?

[thadeus_d3]

Here are a few more places that are within 5 mins walk from each other, just take the green line metro to "Jiřího z Poděbrad" and great beers are close

https://www.facebook.com/beergeek.cz - They have a bottle shop and a brand new bar. They have the more expensive beers, maybe 50/50 split on Czech and imported. They take great care of the beers and have beer sommeliers on hand to describe the beers if needed.

http://www.obycejnysvet.com - A classic Czech pub that has a great selection of Czech beers from medium sized breweries. Not craft beer but not well known beer either.

https://www.facebook.com/pivoaparek - Again lots of beers from small breweries and a good selection of bottles. Name means "Beer and Hotdog", that should say it all

And if you fancy a curry after all that beer then one of the best Indian restaurants is right next to these places too:

http://www.pind.cz

Lastly, right on Wenceslas Square is this place:

http://www.vytopna.cz/praha/

They have a good unfiltered lager but the attraction is the delivery method. The whole place is rigged up with a model railway and your beer is delivered directly onto your table on the back of a model train. Kids love it, big kids like me love it more

The trip is in 2 weeks and I cannot wait. Prague has been on my "list" for a long time and I can't wait to touch down. Ummm...beer and hotdog. My kinda place.

Some good looking places you have there. I like the train delivery bit. We used to have a drug store in old Elyria that used one to deliver prescriptions back & forth to the pharmacist & cash register. You don't see that sort of thing very often.

Funny to see Elyria mentioned on this forum. I grew up there, but I don't remember the drug store. Probably closed before my time.

 

[unionrdr]

My wife & I grew up there after our families moved from the same street in Lakewood in the late 50's/early 60's. This one was on the corner of Broad St & Washington Ave in the 70's. I bought Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album there back then. I forget the name offhand, but it was a well-known one at the time.

 

[neilpcraven]

Another vote for beer geek - nice folks there!

If you're floating about the touristy areas in Old Town, U Medvidku is still on the list of places to get a good Urquell, or you can go to U Pomniku at Palackeho namesti for a Gambrinus and some good old fashioned Czech pub atmosphere.

If you like dogs and dive bars, Vzorkovna on Bartolomejska, just around the corner from U Medvidku has the well-respected Uneticke beer and often there are two Irish Wolfhounds to keep you company.

Basically everywhere you go will find a place that has decent beer - the difference is whether you find a place that sells it for local prices or tourist prices!

 

[thadeus_d3]

Basically everywhere you go will find a place that has decent beer - the difference is whether you find a place that sells it for local prices or tourist prices!

Yes, that's the impression I have after reading tripadvisor. I'm not staying in the tourist areas, so that should help a bit. I'm staying at the Hotel Galileo in district 2 and I've found a handful of nearby pubs and restaurants that I plan on visiting. My wife and I aren't fans of overcrowded pubs that are full of tourist. We'd both prefer a smaller place where the locals go. So far, here's my list of places that are definite stops near our hotel.

U Webru
U Dandu
Kulovy Blesk
Na Brezance

 

[BadMrFrosty]

I must be in a helpful mood today

Just around the corner from you hotel:

http://www.legendapraha.cz - Good food and a good unfiltered staropramen. They are open a bit later than most places.

Maybe 5 mins walk from your hotel:

http://www.notabene-restaurant.cz - In the basement is a multi-tap craft beer pub, upstairs is a good restaurant. Not really Czech food though.

You are staying in a area quite favoured by Expats so while you may not run into many tourists, you will certainly be around English speakers. Plus pub culture here is very, very active so a lot of places will be crowded even on weeknights!

 

[unionrdr]

Europeans do like their benches, don't they? I've seen pics of some benches that're so old, they have worn down spots where people have been sitting for centuries! Now that's character!

 

[smitty53]

I was just in Budapest last month and had a great time. I really enjoyed the ruins pubs - bars created out of run down, old buildings/houses/cellars. Most of them aren't necessarily beer bars, though.

I recommend going to Élesztő (Tűzoltó utca 22, Budapest). It's part ruins pub, part beer bar. They have 17 (ish) beers on tap, and a cool steampunk/hipster sort of feel. I had the best beer of my trip here - a very fine black IPA. Delicious.

The Legenda beer truck was good, and is supposed to be better than their pub. It's parked near another beer bar called Lehuto (Holló utca 12-14, Hungary), which is supposed to be decent. They're both right next to the Gozsdu Udvar, a long string of great restaurants and shopping. It was originally six buildings, now all connected by one walking street that runs through them. These are all in the Jewish District, home to really great food.

As some others mentioned, Csak a Jó Sör (Kertész utca 42, Budapest) got the best reviews, but was closed when I was there. Right across the street from Csak is a place called Kandallo (Kertész utca 33, Budapest) with six local craft beers on tap. It's supposed to be good, too, but was also closed. We were running around on December 25-26, so everything was pretty quiet.

Aside from beer, most major cities have really good free walking tours (google: [cityname] free walking tour). Here's the one for Budapest. They have a couple different tours depending on your interest. We also enjoyed the pub tour, which turned into a pretty decent party. Lots of interesting people.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[thadeus_d3]

I must be in a helpful mood today

Just around the corner from you hotel:

http://www.legendapraha.cz - Good food and a good unfiltered staropramen. They are open a bit later than most places.

Maybe 5 mins walk from your hotel:

http://www.notabene-restaurant.cz - In the basement is a multi-tap craft beer pub, upstairs is a good restaurant. Not really Czech food though.

You are staying in a area quite favoured by Expats so while you may not run into many tourists, you will certainly be around English speakers. Plus pub culture here is very, very active so a lot of places will be crowded even on weeknights!

That is very good to know. I hadn't heard of either of the establishments, but I've definitely added them to my list of places to checkout. At first, I was a bit worried about the location of my hotel. However, it seems to have a ton of good restaurants and pubs nearby. Plus it's close metro and tram stops. At $12 a night, thanks to an orbitz coupon, I wasn't going to complain anyways.

I was just in Budapest last month and had a great time. I really enjoyed the ruins pubs - bars created out of run down, old buildings/houses/cellars. Most of them aren't necessarily beer bars, though.

That takes me back to my trip in Budapest last year. It's one of my favorite cities. I spent a few nights in Szimpla Kert and I was definitely a fan of the ruin pubs.

 

[BadMrFrosty]

At first, I was a bit worried about the location of my hotel. However, it seems to have a ton of good restaurants and pubs nearby. Plus it's close metro and tram stops.

You shouldn't worry in the slightest, I would say you are in one of the nicest parts of the city and without being near the tourist hoards.

 

[neilpcraven]

Also go here - it's a Staropramen pub but the staff are very nice
http://www.hoppallaaa.cz/

 

[thadeus_d3]

Just arrived!

View attachment 1424053591753.jpg

 

[Onkel_Udo]

So jealous!

 

[Quaker]

My coworker owns Csak a Jó Sör in Budapest. It's the best place in town to grab a beer. Check it out!

I'll second this place. Mostly a bottle shop you can drink in, plus some taps. Sure to bump into fellow beer fans in the cozy place. I muled a treat of Pliny, Zombie Dust, Headhunter, and several other American IPAs to the owner last winter for his enjoyment.

 

[thadeus_d3]

Fun night! I'm loving this place. I'll write a mini report when I return.

View attachment 1424125117877.jpg

 

[eulipion2]

Oh Becherovka! Such a love/hate relationship we have!

 

[thadeus_d3]

Oh Becherovka! Such a love/hate relationship we have!

Haha. I love her right now, but I'm not sure how I'll feel in the morning. I can say she's much better than the zwack unicum I met in Budapest

 

[thadeus_d3]

Haha. I love her right now, but I'm not sure how I'll feel in the morning. I can say she's much better than the zwack unicum I met in Budapest

 

[JKaranka]

Unicum is the best!

 

[BadMrFrosty]

Fun night! I'm loving this place. I'll write a mini report when I return.

Come on sir, you can do a LOOOOOOOT better than that. Aside from the Becher, which is a quality choice and even better if you leave it in the freezer for a few hours the beers are the Czech equivalent of of Bud, Coors and Blue Ribbon. They may seem different but they aint good.

 

[thadeus_d3]

Come on sir, you can do a LOOOOOOOT better than that. Aside from the Becher, which is a quality choice and even better if you leave it in the freezer for a few hours the beers are the Czech equivalent of of Bud, Coors and Blue Ribbon. They may seem different but they aint good.

haha, I was challenged by a coworker (who's been to Prague 3 times) to try 20+ beers in the 3 nights that I'm here. Those are the cheapies that I picked up just to boost my count. Some of them were like 30 cents USD.

Btw, I did go to Nota Bene tonight, thanks to your suggestion. Their Valasek Vsetin NZ IPA was terrific. I also had a bean soup that was incredible. Unfortunately, I forgot about the craft pub in the basement and skipped it. Maybe I'll head there tomorrow night.

 

[eulipion2]

Come on sir, you can do a LOOOOOOOT better than that. Aside from the Becher, which is a quality choice and even better if you leave it in the freezer for a few hours the beers are the Czech equivalent of of Bud, Coors and Blue Ribbon. They may seem different but they aint good.

I gotta say, Budvar fresh in Prague (and for less than a Euro!) is one of my fondest beer memories. Fresh, bready, and crisp. Had a difficult time finding it vs Pilsner Urquell (it was everywhere!) 10 years ago, and the American import "Czechvar" just isn't as fresh.