Monday Eating Riturals in Prague

You won’t hear many workers saying the following phrase, “I love Mondays”, but I do, because I work in Prague every Monday. It’s one of my easiest days, and allows me a mini-vacation of sorts. I have tried to diversify my activities each week, seeking out new restaurants for lunch or getting in some big city shopping done, and of course trying my best to keep in touch with Prague dwelling friends. Over the summer I calculated that during the tenure of this job contract I had 91 opportunities to sample different restaurants, and that was the mission, I kept it up for about two months, but then I started forming my allegiances and it was all over.

Some of My Favorite EATS:

Despite my desire to vary my Monday activities, I am a creature of habit, and my loyalties to those places and people I like best limited the scope of my Mondays. As of late one such local favorite is Himalaya; an Indian restaurant, I was introduced to by friends Holly and João; the best masala sauce I’ve ever had!Recently topped off dinner with a quick digestive walk over to the Paladium mall, where you can take an express escalator to the fantastic food court for some nice cakes, followed by a trip to the free bathroom (not many of those in Prague).

Another Monday favorite is meeting my another proud Praguer, Pia for our monthly tea and cake date at Café Café; not the most creative name, but it is everything a posh European café should, be, attractive waiters, sumptuous cakes, and over-priced but interesting hot beverages all in a classic atmosphere, black and white frame photography lines the walls and lovely deep reds and black furnishings inspire a blend of deco elegance work in tandem with the grandiose Victorian chandeliers giving it a glamorous feel. It’s a cherished monthly powwow, which I need to make the time to reinvigorate this tradition, as we have both been busy lately.

When I’m in a hurry, as a result of sleeping late, and just need a small bite before classes, I go to the Creperie across from the French Cultural Center. I have to admit, what I think I love most about it is, I never see anyone I know there, so I can be guaranteed to have some time to myself to read or just ruminate while enjoying a mushroom-spinach-ricotta crepe. The best thing about this place is they have a non-smoking section which is usually completely empty except for moi!

In the summer I have an insatiable hankering for salad, so I was thrilled when I discovered a tiny boutique hotel around the corner from work that had cheap Chicken Cesar Salad on the menu and a unique back garden that was actually partly enclosed with a giant skylight, so that even in rainy Czech summers, one can still sit "outside". The service is beyond terrible, but my need for salad overrode any service inflicted dissatisfaction I have with the experience.

If you would have asked four years ago, I would have said the best place to get a meal in Prague is Maly Buddha, the enchanting aroma of the dark cavernesk restaurant, the specialty teas, the Thai dishes in addition of Nepalese and other Southern Asian inspired gastronomy is delightful. However, they open late for lunch, so the only time I can go is dinner, and I rarely find myself in Mala Strana after work, so it just hasn’t happened. I used to eat there twice a week, this year, I’ve only eaten there once!

I was introduced to a Lebanese restaurant which I quite enjoy, despite it’s convenient location just on the river on the border of Staro mesto and Novo mesto, again, they open late so it’s rare that I make it there for a meal. One night I had some time to kill before meeting a friend, so I went there and just ordered a cup of Dahl soup and a giant bowl of tatziki with pita- a perfect meal! Sure it was a little embarrassing how much parsley found its way into crevasses in my teeth, which lead to tooth scrapping incidences the rest of the night, but it was worth it.

Last but not least, the grand old classic, which probably graces the top ten lists of most expat Prague inhabitants, The Globe book shop café. I always liked it, but usually I just went in and picked up a book or magazine and went on my marry way, but one day after picking up the latest New Yorker, I had some extra time and decided to trot over and sink into one of the velvet chairs and fip through my new read, over a filtered coffe (another difficult find), when I looked at the menu I realized they served a breakfast burrito- one of my all time favorite foods, I hadn’t had in quite a while. I assumed it would be terrible, as most Mexican food is in Europe, and by Angelino standards it was mediocre, but it still reigns supreme in terms of my first choice for brunches in Prague.

I will be taking a trip to my hometown in California in about a month, and I have already started mapping out what I want to eat as well as the can't miss restaurants I've been dreaming about since expatriating myself. Thus, I thought it an appropriate time to think back on some of the wonderful meals I've had in the Czech Republic, even if none of the above contain any Czech dishes- maybe in another blog I'll focus on my favorite Czech restaurants.