Just as you never plan to go to a Denny’s at 2 AM in the morning, but end up there anyway, you will at some point end up at Siva. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, and is often where I take my friends when they come to Prague for the first time. Your friends, your tea-craving body, and your bank account will thank you….Siva is a hookah bar/tea room with wonderful Arabian ambiance. Boasting over 100 kinds of tea hailing from all parts of the globe, Siva really delivers an international flavor. Below the main level is downstairs room with wonderful alcoves, cushioned rooms, hookah pipes, and over 30 different flavors of tobacco called Mu’assel.

As a cultural experience, environment to relax, and a dim place to take a girl with hippie propensities you just can’t do better than a hookah lounge and tea room.

But drinking holes, like people, can only be truly loved when they drop the pretense of pretending to profundity and experienced for pure enjoyment and relaxation from the fast paced outside world.

The trippy atmosphere, dim, incense-tinged spaces for sipping, beatnik servers, quality and selection of teas have come together to truly create a Zen atmosphere. It’s also given the rest of us a dark, warm place in winter in which to sit on the floor and share a water pipe, or hookah with girls named Sun Child and Moon Unit.Tea at Siva is pleasant and quite agreeable with my style of hookah lounge, planted in a typical Prague rock-walled cellar hidden so far beneath the streets of Old Town you may need to bring your own oxygen.

The staff are quite entertaining, each with their own unique style, and are more than happy to help you pair your choice of tea with one of their many flavors of Mu’assel, a half tobacco, half syrup (usually honey or molasses) mixture smoked in a Hookah.

My favorite rooms in Siva, is a particularly dark back room down in the catacombs which comes complete with a pillow-padded floor. Chambers like these often lead interesting situations if you happen to be on a date, some of which have been quite enjoyable.

Staré Mesto, P1

Tel. 222 315 983

www.siva.cajiky.cz

Open noon-midnight daily

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Hipsters, dipsters, long-legged women and every tourist imaginable pour into Prague every weekend to check out its rich history as well as indulge in some amazing, yet cheap beer. If it’s not the capital for English bachelor parties, I don’t know what is.

I’ve lived here for six months and I am still not sure when the bars close.  I have yet to be told to leave; coming home before 3 a.m. means you’ve got to work the next day.

Here are just a few of my favorite watering holes:
Chapeau Rouge, known as a “dusk till dawn” establishment, is a unique three level bar and club located just outside Prague’s Old Town Square whose crowd is just as eclectic. The ground level is a traditional bar setup with tables and bar seating. Going one level down towards the renovated wine cellar you find another bar as well as a dance floor with both domestic and outlandish top dance DJ’s skillfully spinning on stage, and is open to all with free entrance.  Going down yet further to the rock bed basement, you find another bar and a stage which focuses mostly on live concerts by indie bands.  If you need a little incentive to make it all the way down, maybe cheaper beer prices is the answer, the price drops the farther below sea level you go. Located: Jakubská 2, Praha 1

Zlaty Strom or “Golden Tree” in English, is a bar and club about a stone’s throw from the famous Charles Bridge.  Five bars and an illuminated dance floor offer you a comfortable environment with some of Prague’s best looking men and women — and yes, people in Prague are just more beautiful. A bit more expensive than some of the clubs, but is well worth it. Ranging from “chill out rooms” to all out dance floor playing the latest dance pop mash up till sunrise, you’ll definitely find what you want.  Expect to pay 150 Kc (about $7) cover charge, which is not uncommon for nicer establishments with good DJ’s.  Located: Karlova 6, Praha 1

If you’re looking for a bar off the beaten path and frequented by locals then U Sudu is your Huckleberry.  This bar is a maze of dimly lit tunnels that lead to a wonderful wine cellar style bar.  If you enjoy playing some fooseball, there are four tables for you to zone out on, while enjoying some great beer.  In addition to great  prices for suds offers a comfortable environment for you to relax and converse with friends. Located: Vodichova 10, Praha 1

For those searching for a chain type restaurant/bar, the Czech Republic has that to.  Potrefena HUSA is a Czech wwned chain that offers great food and beer at a reasonable price.  Some locations are better than others and I would personally suggest the Dlážděná 1003 location in Prague 1 because I prefer to sit at a bar, other locations only offer tables.  Potrefena HUSA offers good service (which is not as common as you would think), great food, and even better beer!  Located: Several Locations

Last I have a hidden gem for you, Patro. 2 which simply means Floor 2.  It is a great little private club and bar that I was shown by a local and even being a local does not mean you’ll know about this place.  Walking through a courtyard entrance and then up two floors of very dimly lit staircases (lit often only with candlelight) you will find a door with a buzzer on it.  Push the button and the door will open to a beautifully arranged bar and club.  The walls are adorned with various local artists and changes every month.  The high ceilings, all couch seating, and disco ball overhead really create a comfortable environment for you and whomever you might be enjoying the evening with.  Located: Dlouha 37, Praha 1

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With a long standing tradition of brewing some of the most delightfully smooth beers, they are definitely giving their neighbors to the west a run for their Deutsch Mark.

The Czech Republic produces quite a few locally brewed beers, called “pivo” in Czech, and even stakes claim on the origin of “Budweiser” name — take that St. Louis !

The town of Ceské Budejovice, Budweis in German, claims that they were producing Budweiser Budvar before Anheuser-Busch stole the name in 1876. Regrettably the city didn’t register or copyright the name and despite numerous court battles with Anheuser-Busch, it is only legally allowed to block Anheuser-Busch from using the name in the Czech Republic.

Not forgotten or forgiven, the Czech Republic has bottled up the whole bad experience and still produces some of the best beer in the world. They may not have Clydsdales pulling their wagons, but Czechs know two things: Brewing and Drinking. Here are a few favorites.

Pilsner Urquell: The flagship beer of the Czech Republic made in the city of Plzen.

Gambrinus, another tasty pilsner, with the name of the legendary king of Flanders. (He is also the unofficial patron saint of brewing.)

Staropramen, brewed in Smíchov for over a hundred and forty years, is the second largest brew in the Czech Republic.

Krušovice, established by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (1576-1612) and is so big, it even has a fan page on Facebook.

Velkopopovický Kozel made just outside Prague in Velké Popovice, is dark and delicious and well worth a couple of rounds.

Really, it doesn’t matter which Czech brew you pour into your glass — all of them go down smooth. Whether sitting at cafe during the summer, measuring time by empty glasses or pulling up a chair at that basement local in the Old Town, sipping suds in Czech Republic is a tradition passed along from generation to generation.

Drink, enjoy and drink a little more. Cheers.

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