Czech Food With a Side of Party Vibes at Prague Restaurant
Beijing is blessed with thousands of restaurants from all over the world so it’s rare that we come across a relatively under-represented cuisine but this is certainly the case with the food of the Czech Republic. Thanks to new Sanlitun addition Prague Restaurant we have the perfect excuse to explore this hale and hearty cuisine.
Luckily for us, the owners are no stranger to introducing Czech cuisine to diners in China, with five other branches of the restaurant in northern China, including three in Tianjin. This is the first branch in Beijing, a huge two-story space with seats for around 200, including a bar area, a stage for live music, and a soon-to-be-open street-level terrace.
Prague Restaurant’s menu is wide-ranging but where the kitchen excels is authentic Czech dishes such as goulash, roast pork, and steamed bread dumplings. As head chef Martin comments, “If I don’t have one of the ingredients I don’t make the dish.” On tasting, authenticity certainly doesn’t seem to be a problem. For example, a beef goulash served in a rye bread bowl (RMB 49) has a rich, deep flavor that smacks of long, slow cooking.
A lighter appetizer, but one that still packs a punch, is the beef tartare (RMB 129), which eschews French-style seasoning such as capers and Worcestershire sauce for ketchup, onion, and punchy homemade mustard. Be sure to rub the cut garlic on the fried bread before eating.
Perhaps the most tempting dish on the menu is the baked beef in a vegetable cream sauce with dumplings and cranberry sauce (RMB 119). Based on chef Martin’s grandmother’s recipe, the dish takes a full week to make, including five days marinating the beef, which leaves it incredibly tender. This and other main dishes represent great value thanks to filling sides such as the bready dumplings.
Beer is as much a part of Czech cuisine as the actual food and Prague Restaurant certainly leans into this angle, with their own brewery in Tianjin that brews six different beers (RMB 50-60 for a pint), including a plate Czech lager and a dark Bohemian ale. If you prefer to try one of the Czech Republic’s signature Pilsner lager, then legendary Pilsner Urquell, the world’s first blond or pale lager, is also on tap.
In fact, despite dubbing itself a restaurant, the bar offering is a major attraction thanks to daily drinks deals, giveaways, and fun events like a Tuesday open mic night, open to all. During a recent edition of open mic night, more than 20 budding performers took to the stage (encouraged, no doubt, by the promise of a free beer for each performer). On other nights of the week, particularly Friday and Saturday, you can expect live music from popular local and foreign bands, with the party often going on late into the night. Look out for other upcoming events, such as Czech-themed celebrations.
With a prime location in Sanlitun and an atmosphere that brings together both sustenance and celebration, Prague Restaurant is a fun new addition to the Beijing F&B scene.
Prague Restaurant
Daily 11am-2am
Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu (next to The Local), Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路4号院80号楼1层F区
(010) 6505 6211
READ: Beijing's Best Restaurants for Visitors and Tourists, 2019 Edition
This post is paid for by Prague Restaurant
Photos: Uni You
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