Prague is full of neighborhoods that don’t make the regular tourist maps but are gems none the less. In Vršovice there is a corner that’s a great example. Bounded roughly by Moskevská St., Kodnaská St, Ruská St and Náměstí Svatopluka Čecha, it’s an area you can walk around in 20 min. But you’ll walk through or around three parks with playgrounds and dog runs, a wonderful street with neighborhood shops (no souvenirs or Marks & Spencer – for that you gotta go downtown), a lovely wide but pretty quiet tree lined boulevard with beautiful Empire style buildings and of course many pubs, cafés and restaurants. Of course there are the piles of gambling joints that kinda cheapen the whole city but I have yet to find an area free of them except maybe the castle district. And there are the neighborhood whorehouses but you’ll have to come wander around and find them the old fashioned way.
It’s an area well worth a lazy afternoon and for anyone looking to stay in Prague for more than a weekend or maybe even move here I definitely recommend a look here. The feeling is similar to Náměstí Míru (and it’s only a couple tram stops away) but not as upscale and not nearly as expensive. Most wait staff speak English and there are more and more UK and US expats moving there – so you should have little problem finding someone to chat with.
Among my favorite haunts there are:
U Pštrosa - Moskevská 49
GREAT food. The chef here really is good. For lunch you get the regular Czech dishes but made exceptionally well. In the summer they grill outside most Thursdays – and this is a bit pricy but really, REALLY good. And their regular dinner menu includes ostrich as well as a good selection of game meats like venison and wild boar.
Nano Cafe - Kodaňská 22
As the name implies – it’s a tiny place. But, rare among such spots in Prague, it’s non-smoking inside. They have year round outdoor seating though (for smokers and anyone wanting to be on the street) and free WIFI. The young couple who run the place, Vladimir and Ivana are very nice (they recently had a cute little baby boy) and the clientele are like a family. This is getting to be something of a UK / US expat and student hangout. The one downside, by me anyway, is that they don’t serve Czech beer – just Stella and Hoegaarden. It’s one of my favorite summer afternoon hangouts.
Public Transit:
Trams 4 & 22
Bus 101, 134, 135, 139
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