A Restaurant Review: Restaurace U Bulinu in Prague, Czech Republic

If you're in Prague, and you're looking for an authentic Czech dining experience at real Czech prices, in a conveniently located area, and free from the throng of tourists, you really can't go wrong with Restaurace U Bulinu in the Vinohrady section of Prague. (See below for directions.)

Like all truly Czech restaurants, finding the dining areas is the task of an explorer. When one first walks in, one gets the impression that U Bulinu is merely a small pub with a bar counter that seats a half dozen patrons accompanied by a half dozen tables that seats maybe two and half dozen. But if you walk past the bar you'll find a dining room, and if you walk past that, you'll find yet another dining room. If you walk through the corridor where the public toilets are located, you'll find yet another dining area, this one an open-air garden. All of this is traditionally Czech.

The tables are made of wood, the benches (there are no chairs) are made of wood, and the exposed beams are made of wood. But this is no affectation. This is authentic.

The decor, however, is a bit faux-authentic. It includes a lot of pub signage that is clearly a collection of replicas of 19^th Century advertising.

The service is about as good as it gets in the Czech Republic. Which means that it's lacking, at least by American standards. The servers are more attentive when it's busy, but when it becomes very busy, they become easily overwhelmed. Their English language skills seem good enough, but I usually speak Czech when I go there, so I cannot really say how good their English is.

U Bulinu provides customers with menus in either Czech or English. If you want an English language menu, simply say Anglicky (pronounced AN-glits-kee), and you'll get an English language menu. All of the menu items are numbered, so you can get the dish you want by simply pointing to the number in the menu.

U Bulinu in the Czech language means At the Bowline, but it's nick-named the "Potato Place" because it serves up the most unique and most delicious potato dishes at prices that any working man can afford.

Check out this menu:

"French potatoes with cream and smoked cheese 59,-kc ($2.80 usd)

"French potatoes with spinach and blue cheese 79,-kc ($3.76 usd)

"Fried potatoes with bacon and cabbage 55,-kc ($2.61 usd)

"Vinohrady fried potatoes with bacon, garlic and poached eggs 55,-kc (2.61 usd)

I've had them all, and I love them all, but the last one, "Vinohrady Fried Potatoes" is a specialty of the chef, which I can most highly recommend. By the way, these potato dishes are not appetizers. They are full meals!

In regards to the rest of the menu:

The only appetizer I can recommend is the Asparagus with ham and cheese au gratin for 75,-kc. ($3.57 usd)

There is a vegetarian menu, but I do not recommend it. Other than the Fried cheese 85,-kc. ($4.05 usd) The problem with it, however, is that it's not a meal, but merely a snack. Really, the whole vegetarian menu is made up of snacks.

I would also stay completely away from the Pasta menu. First of all, for Czechs, pasta is pasta, whether it's spaghetti, rotini, penne, or farfalle. You get whatever they give you. Plus, they'll put whatever they've got in the kitchen into a pasta.

Under Traditional Czech cuisine, I have always left this section for traditional Czechs. Items like Baked Duck and Baked Pork Knuckle pretty much gives a diner an idea of what kinds of platters are offered here. If you're brave enough to order from this section, let me know how it was.

Like most Czech restaurants, there is a Game menu. I have no experience in this section, but if "Boar steak from the royal forest with mushrooms and bacon 180,-kc" ($8.57 usd) sounds tempting, I think you might get a pretty plate from this restaurant.

From the Skewers menu, the "Pork skewer layered with bacon, onion and red peppers 110,-kc" ($5.23 usd) can be good, but too often, the pork is a bit tough.

From the Beef and Chicken menus, the "Fried Jizery dragon (sirloin with garlic and mustard) 99,-kc" ($4.71 usd) and the Ondras chicken steak (chicken steak in potato pancake batter) 95,-kc" ($4.52 usd) are surprising treats.

U Bulinu serves two types of beer, Gambrinus 21,-kc ($1.00 usd) and Plzensky Prazdroj 27,-kc ($1.29 usd). Most locals drink the Gambrinus; that's what I drink, and that's what I would recommend. Plzensky Prazdroj is a very good beer, but it's also expensive. For value, Gambrinus is the best beer in the Czech Republic. (Plzensky Prazdroj, by the way, translates to the better known Pilsner Urquell.)

U Bulinu is conveniently located in the Vinohrady section of Prague, at the corner of Budecska and Francouska. If you are not already in Vinohrady, U Bulinu is three blocks from the Namesti Miru metro station. There are several exits at this station; just look for the one that will take you to Francouska. Follow the tram tracks up the street for three blocks, and you will find U Bulinu on the left. It has a green Pilsner Urquell sign.