Wednesday 2 January 2013

Lokál, Prague

I enjoy food at every level. On our trip to Prague, we'd already eaten at high end La Degustation, now it was time to go for the cheap eats.
Lokál is owned by Tomáš Karpíšek, who also owns La Degustation and it's just across the road. It's a huge long corridor like room, split into smoking and none smoking (still legal in Czech restaurants) but the fact that it's so busy all the time saves it from being an atmosphere free empty shell. I liked the childlike drawings on the wall illuminated from behind.

There are huge tanks of beer direct from the brewers and it's amongst the best I tasted in Prague. So fresh and clean, and well more-ish!



It's a modern take on Czech food, cheap but using excellent quality ingredients. We ordered spicy sausage for starters, then beef goulash, fried cheese (what's not to like!) and pork schnitzel. All were great - simple food, and it was really inexpensive. 
Spicy sausage.

Goulash.

Fried cheese.

We noticed that a lot of people were eating the steak tartare. Gutted we missed out, we went to the second Lokál inn over the Charles bridge for a late lunch on our last day. We got the last table again in this smaller venue and ordered the nectar of the gods, that fantastic beer. We shared the Steak Tartare.  
Steak Tartare. Notice the bite. I couldn't wait!
 It was amazing. Bear with me on this, but it sent me back to my first bite of a big mac when I was about 10. It was the gherkins I think. The meat was so clean and fresh, and you get the heat from the garlic rubbed into the toast. A perfect combination. It was one of the nicest things we ate in Prague. Fine food doesn't have to be so complicated. The simplicity of great fresh ingredients was so wonderful.  It reminded me of some Pan d'Tomate we'd eaten in an excellent Alicante tapas bar La Taberna del Gourmet. Again just a few ingredients and very simple but when you get it right, it really is a joy eating it. This place shows us that eating well needn't be about fancy shmantzy high end food.









Lokál,
Dlouhá 33
Praha 1  Old Town


Lokál Inn
Míšeňská 
12, Praha 1

It cost us very little money, with quite a few beers, incredible value for simple food this good.
Service:  At times confused, it's very busy!
Atmosphere: Noisy, lively, bright.
Food: Simple & hearty
Star dish: Steak
tartare. 
7/10  


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