A hop-and-a-skip away from Prague's famed Old Town Square in the Staré Město, you'll find the Municipal House. It may be be more famous for its designs by Alfons Mucha, among others, but here you'll find no less than three great eateries and a high-end cocktail bar, arguably one of the first of its form in Europe.
Prague's Municipal House opened in 1912 on the site of a former late medieval palace of the kings of Bohemia abandoned in 1485. The building is significant for both its place in the history of Czech nationalism in the early 20th Century and for its designs by leading lights of the Czech art nouveau style including Karel Špillar, Alfons Mucha, Jan Preisler and Max Švabinský, among others.
But, it is also significant for its contribution to the gastronomic culture of the city. And this is just one post on that topic.
In the basement is the Plzeňská Restaurce, a "pilsner" or "bierkeller" restaurant with a folkish feel with some of the most beautiful art nouveau decoration anywhere in Europe. Ironically, I first experienced the delights of this eatery after I encountered the splendours of the posher Francouzská Restaurace upstairs, celebrating our shared birthday with my partner Luc and our friend Brian in 2012, all the more special as the centenary of the building's opening.
Probably the biggest learning curve was that, downstairs in the basement, you could get basically the same excellent cuisine for half the price (or even less if you did it as a lunch rather than a supper) on the delicious Bohemian specialities such as this duck with dumplings and two different types of braised cabbage.
Sadly since those happy days, it looks like COVID-19 is currently playing horrible buggers with their business. But I sincerely suspect it will spring back to life once we can all get on the road again.
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