Saint Nicholas Cafe

"Saint: A dead sinner revised and edited."
Ambrose Bierce

I was planning a meeting with the English Patient and a couple of Irish friends.

We needed a place for a drinking session. Food was an afterthought.

Location was an issue -- Malá Strana was requested.

Saint Nicholas Cafe was chosen.

The exterior wasn't much to look at, with beat-up, patchy, painted walls.



After stepping through the first set of doors, the entrance to the cafe inside a passage is slightly more attractive.



Inside, slightly below street level, is a dark, atmospheric, and even historic space. The owners say the building dates back to 1554.

There are often expats seated at the bar. Saint Nicholas Cafe is not far from a number of embassies.



They also say the decorative painting replicates the style of a much earlier time. There is certainly a patina on the walls. Whether it is from age, cigarette smoke, or both, I cannot say.



As I said, the main order of business for us was alcohol.

Becherovka and beer to be specific.



The four of us consumed 18 Becherovka shots (50 CZK each), 6 half-liters of Pilsner Urquell (40 CZK each), and 4 half-liters of Gambrinus (33 CZK each).

A typical English-Irish meeting. Damage inflicted on all sides.

For the uninitiated, Becherovka is a liquor flavored with cinnamon, anise, and 32 other herbs that supposedly have medicinal qualities.

It is 38 percent alcohol, which was the only medicine I needed.

As the session stretched into the evening, we decided to order food. The menu options were limited. We settled on three pizzas.

We sampled a Margherita pizza with tomatoes and onions (105 CZK).



There was a diavola pizza with pepperoni, onions, and some red and green cherry peppers (145 CZK).



And a Hawaiian pizza with the standard ham and pineapple (125 CZK).



My memories of these pizzas somewhat hazy. For example, I don't recall what that white cheese in the middle of the diavola was. But I do remember some basic details.

On the positive side, the crust was good and crunchy. Also, the price was nice. I have the receipt to prove that.

Otherwise, all the pizzas were fairly unremarkable. I'd certainly get one again if I needed food support during a prolonged beverage-oriented mediation.

I have to confess, I was feeling pretty dead when we were done. I'd had my share of drinks, washed down with pizza dough.

But I knew what to expect -- it wasn't exactly a meeting of saints.

Perhaps if I do a little more editing...



Saint Nicholas Cafe
Tržiště 10
Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Tel.: (+420) 257 530 204

Prague Directory Listing

READERS' COMMENTS