After your recommendation in 2017, my wife and I went to U Provaznice. Wonderful people, great food and beer. At first, they seemed a little leery of 2 American tourists, but we used Czech polite words, smiled and were respectful, and they became very friendly and helpful to us.
Im currently learning czech and you guys are a big inspiration for me. Because of you i travelled to Prague a couple of months ago and fell in love with the city and the country
At 42 years old I visited europe for the first time. I suscribed to this channel and decided to go and visit Prague, instantly fell in love with the city, I’m still shocked by its beauty. Thank you so much for uploading this videos, whitout them I would have probably made the wrong destination choice❤👍🏻
unsolicited advice (everybody loves that), go back to Czech Republic and get out of the main city. visit the secondary and tertiary cities. rent a car set the option to avoid freeways pick a random city 3 hours away and watch how it takes 7 hours to get there because you stop all the time.
My first visit to Prague was in 1992 and there weren't enough restaurants to cope with demand in the centre of the city. It was still very cheap, especially if you walked more than a kilometre from the centre; I remember stumbling into a darkly lit restaurant that seemed like some sort of workers' club where we got a two course meal and beer for about £1 each.
Had the almost exact same experience in about the same time period. Golden days. Stayed at a private campsite in a suburb (Troya if I recall correctly??) took the tram to the city centre. Such a nice city! All of the country as a matter of fact! Went a lot to a alternative music venue called the "Bunkr".
@@ZerokillerOppel1 Time to revisit with family. I reccomend going down the river Vltava (Moldau) on canoes. 4 day trip, canoes are rented to you, and you get to eat in different pubs along the way. If you take your time, you can visit nearby castles, monastery, nature.
@@Pyrochemik007 Thank you for the cool idea. I will certainly do that in the nearby future. I'm 54 now. I was in Prague when I was in my early 20's so go figure...🤣and was single.
Similarly in Polish! "szczęście" means both "luck" and "happiness", and it really can influence your perception of these words. I don't know if the Czechs have simmilar situation (propably do, so feel free to point it out bellow), but in polish the word "przepraszać" means both "to apologize someone" and "to excuse oneself", soo it can really sound apologetic if you don't know the nuances of the language heh
Happy used to also mean lucky in English, too. "Hap" still does refer to luck in words like hapless (unlucky or luckless), or haphazard (doing something so carelessly that you are leaving it up to chance). Kinda neat two words that appear to ve completely unrelated have both meanings.
@@x_titanshotcz9964 Actually, "prominout" may look similar to the Polish word, but as far as I can tell, it does not have quite the same range of meanings; it _only_ means "to excuse someone else, to forgive"; you can't even use it reflexively about yourself (that is, you can't say "prominout se"). The Czech equivalent in meaning would probably be "omluvit" - "omluvit se" can mean both "to excuse oneself" and "to apologise" and if you leave out the "se" and use it as a transitive verb, it means "to excuse someone, to make apologies for someone". So - if you want to say "excuse me", in Czech you can either say "promiňte" (formal second person, imperative form, basically asking someone for lenience), or "omlouvám se" (first person singular, and it can basically be translated as "I'm sorry", except without covering the "I'm sorry to hear that" meaning it can have in English).
This historical backflash is absolutly wonderful for me as a historian, who is interested in the history of (Middle) Eastern Europe. Thanks you so much, Janek and Honza, for being the Honest time maschine.
@@boriskapchits7727 Eastern bloc? Maybe. But both geographically and, in some capacity, culturally it'd be more accurate to call it Central Europe. + you won't make any Czechs mad by calling it that
I love this video for a few reasons. First, I love learning the history of places and comparing them to how they are today. Second, I stopped into that baguette shop when I was in Prague, though my friend got ice cream. Last, I love that your reference video is from 34 years ago since today is my 34th birthday. I have a fascination with what places were like the year I was born.
I was at Prague in the summer time. And went to eat out some of your mentioned places plus some I picked myself by the google maps. And ALL of the places what you guys recommended were really Super-GOOD, and what I picked were not as great. So advice noted. Research is good. But still, there was only One food place where the servers didn't trick us with a tip. But again the other hand they had the local menu and "touristy English language menu" separately. But its fine.. I already knew they should have the cheaper food available too and then they brought the menu and I used google translate for it. 🙂 Not all tourists come and have endless wallets, so Im glad they still were truthful that they have a local menu too. And I got to have the experience, and a good one, withouth any misleading tip tricks.
@@williamwong8424 Probably the "local menus" are in Czech Language mostly. I used google to translate stuff into English language pretty much everywhere they didn't have English available themselves. I either asked the menu or just took it myself from counter. 🙂
the issue is also people are incompetent, so they are giving high rates to bad restaurants. I am a frequent reviewer but there is only so much I can do ..
I would love for you to show us real "non touristic" restaurants further from the center, somewhere that we can go by bus/train, for example, and have a real Czech meal for the cheapest price you can possible find. I only ask this because, as a tourist, I'd love to get out of the city and visit more rural areas :)
How far will you go? Did you know that there is a Wine Yard in the Center of Prague? What class of Restaurant you like? There are So many in today times.
I have been watching your channel for sometimes. If there is a youtube award, I hope you get the best travel / journalist category. I really like the follow up videos. It show your care for the story. Keep it up guys!
We have a couple of Czech restaurants in Sofia that haven’t changed in over 30 years. You should come and try them. And btw how badass you are with these sunglasses lol
me and some friends were in prague a couple weeks ago and we actually wanted to write to you about the horrible experience we had at "svejk", but apparently you knew about it already! lesson learned tho! always check reviews!!
Love you guys! So sincere and simple.. no mocking around and big words and show. You tell it like it is.. Thanks! I'd love to visit some day- God willing!
I remember driving into East Germany just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Around lunchtime we got a little hungry, and asked the locals where we could eat. it took a lot of asking and driving before we finally found a place. It was actually a sports-facility with a canteen where outsiders could go and eat. There was, of course, only one dish on the menu. "Lunch".
There was a sushi restaurant in Sushi before the fall of the wall. First the family and the government disapproved of this, but it was too famous to close it. The owner even got permitted a trip to Japan.
Back then you were lucky to earn 3000 crowns a month (often less), paying 50+ crows for a lunch. Nowadays you earn around 1200-2000 (on average) euros and pay for lunch menu under 10 euros.
That was likely a tourist trap. In the original video he posted in Czech many people said they would eat meals in downtown Prague for no more than 15 KC. From my own grandparents who were from a small town though (although I doubt prices varied that much under socialism) they wouldn't pay more than 10 Crowns for a meal. The quality of the service was likely much worse though due to the lack of competition.
I remember the Automat Koruna from a School trip in 1986 . We'd travelled through West Germany from the UK and still had some Deutschmark coins left ,As it was the last day we gave the coins as a tip to the staff in the Koruna, I believe We'd given them the equivalent of a day's pay! . !!! There are still food Automats in The Netherlands They are Called FEBU ,Very Popular after a few Beers or Joints ,Apparently.
1:05 I think the translation "2 Euro" is wrong. She is saying "50 (Czechoslovak) koruna", considering that the video took place in 1988. With regard to the salaries, prices and exchange rates in theses times compared to now, I don't think that 50 Czechoslovaian crowns are equal to today's 50 Czech crowns. You are mentioning that point later in the video.
Before 1989 the official exchange rate was around 5 CS Crowns for 1 West German Mark. And 1 German Mark is 0,50 Euro. The black market exchange rate was around 15 CS Crowns for 1 West German Mark.
@@jj9749 No, exactly not. Fairly no Czech resident in these times had access to US-Dollars or other Western currencies. The black market exchange rate was useless to them since they had no western currency to exchange. It was the same in former GDR or other socialist states. The black market was mainly profitable for Western visitors to CS Republic because everything was quite cheap when getting a exchange rate which exceeds the official one by 3 times. As mentioned in the first comment, the official rate was 5 CS Crowns for 1 West German Mark. That means, 50 CS Crowns would be 10 Mark. If you take today's exchange rate Euro-Mark, 5 Euros would be the most accurate for this example. But yes, you are right, a real transition is impossible.
They typical West German must have felt insanely rich travelling to East Germany or Czechoslovakia in those days, especially in 1989 and the 90s when Czech republic was still poor. Especially if you were from Bavaria living literally right next to the border.
Hey guys, you have subscribers whose first visit in Prague was years before you were born 😅 My first visit was indeed in the last century, literally in 1980. And believe it or not, it seems as if most of the few restaurants were only made for tourists, even though we were just few tourists in your beautiful city. 😉 Love your updates every week, good job!
A fascinating video. I hope at some time there will be some balance between those two extremes. Prague Old Town (and Wenceslas Square) is no fun at all today, and it surely hasn't been back then. There must be something between...
I was a student at Charles University in 2004. It was an interesting time because Prague had definitely ascended to a popular tourist spot, but was nowhere near the level of hordes it has now. You could still go to an hospoda outside of the center and get a beer and a meal for around 80 crowns or less (~4 USD). We refused to drink at bars where beers cost more than 17 crowns each. How times change!
2004 was my first visit to Prague, stayed at the Movenpick Hotel, which is now the NH Prague City just off plzenska. You could get a decent meal with a drink in a nice restaurant for 4 people which cost less than 25 USD for the entire bill and I remember .5l beers costing 12-14 koruna :)
@@Veaseify The last time I was there, a few months before the pandemic, my wife and I stayed in an apartment walking distance from there. I've always liked Andel for some reason (the Carrefour-now-Tesco in the mall there always has great ready-made Czech food in the deli and the Staropramen Brewery was a favorite of mine in my youth). Now I'm in the mood to plan another trip (we were supposed to return in March 2020 for our honeymoon; you can guess how that went)!
@@lelandunruh7896 Congratulations! I was in Prague last April for my birthday. Stayed in Vinohrady, which is super chilled and not touristy. Finally got to visit Vysehrad and the lovely Riegrovy sady park. Now just got the Letna/-Holesovice district left to explore....
OMG I was in Prague 25 years ago and I still remember how me and my friend were waiting 2 hours in a restaurant and still didn't get the food we ordered so we left. I never waited for so long anywhere before and after that crazy restaurant in Prague.
I was in Prague as part of a university tour group in 1993 - don't remember there being too many places to eat then either. We did find a place that sort of resembled Automat (who knows, it might have been it), and the food was filling and super cheap (from our perspective).
I visited Prague in 1990, there was almost nowhere to eat, just a few government shops offering inedible sand which type snacks with beer, the beer was less than 20p a liger and most of the customers were drunks . It was a surreal experience, we stayed with a Czech family as there were no hotels .
Yanek, you really need to publish a map of your recommended restaurants. I would buy at least 3. You could call it "Yanek's Culinary Guide to Prague" and "Ps, where to avoid the scammers"
But in 1988 i got for DeutschMark tons of czech crowns (they had two Rates one official and one normal on street). We had the beer in Prague for about 15 Pfennige (about 8 Euro Cents). It was a price paradise at that time, but with big difficulties at the border. We need nearly one Day from Nuremberg to Prague. Today its 2,5 hours.
@@hereis_Tiff Never been to Beirut. Heard that there are the most beautiful Women in the World. We had real crazy times in the late 80ies and early 90ies in Prague.
Shouted hi to Janek today under the dancing building. It was raining otherwise I would have annoyed him further. Having a good time thanks in part to the information this channel provided. Thanks Janek and Honza!!
Wow that brings back memories. I was there one year later (end of 1989). I remember eating on Wenceslas Square at a sausage bar, it cost 6 crowns and I got a sausage, bread, mustard and a beer. The place was not far from where Bat'a is.
Me too... we had very very very much better Rate with DeutschMark. Prague was paradise with beer of about 15 Pfennige (8 Euro Cents). There were two Rates, one official and one on the street.
@@Domihork my bad, I was referring to the conversion at the beginning when they said 50 crowns, somehow I converted it to 25 crowns being 1 euro and then mistyped it in my post.
back from our 3rd visit to Prague, 4days and we did not cross the bridge once this time. Stayed across from koruna where you filmed. Many restaurants knew about your channel. We stay away from the tourist spots and off the main streets, for better food, drinks and service. Please do a video on cocktail bars, or places with live music. I know its not typical, but maybe you could bring a guest. I like beer but wife doesn't, and Prague has some great options. We also wanted to find a loungey area with cocktails and drinks and dancing... but that was not a dance club. We loved meeting people, and gravitate toward places were conversations can be started and we made quite a few friends, including singer guitarist who lives in Prague and plays only 80s rock acoustic. And of course we topped off every night with a late night kabob. We noticed every place asks now if you have a reservation - but will seat you if they have opening for a time period. Eat early or late and you will get seated usually. We also noticed tipping for service is now brought to your attention when the bill - they will say "service charge is not included" - I appreciated this. Thanks for all your work.
Ha, I remember touring Czech in the 90’s sampling beer……and eating goulash……lots of goulash!! When we arrived back in Prague we went to a lovely old school boozer just off Wenceslas Square, the BEST Urquell!! As we were perusing the menu, a geezer leans over and says, “the goulash is very good here….” We ate the goulash……
Thank you, guys! As always - nice and informative. I would like to ask you to consider the video about Prague areas, because for tourists, specially for those who visit Prague for the first time, very hard to choose where to stay. What is Prague 7? What is Prague 10? No idea. Is it safe? Is it close to nature? Or opposite - in the middle of the city with maximum attractions? Is it expensive? Are there many restaurants, shops, or it’s purely residential area? If you could give detailed characteristics to Prague areas, so each of your viewers could make right choice according to their needs and wishes. Regards!
I visited Prague in 1996. It was during the period of 'Prague is the Paris in the 20s of the 90s' - the idea being that you could visit or live there cheaply and have a 'Bohemian' (figuratively and literally) experience. It didn't last - I'd booked a hotel but the following day the travel agent (remember them?) called me back and told me that, since the brochure was published, the hotel had doubled in price! Had to downgrade. But, thanks to the Time Out guide, I found some good places to eat.
Well i first went to Prague in 1989. My fatheers czech friend guided me through the city. We went to the best Restaurant as he said on top of a building. It was cheap for me as a swiss apprentice i treatet the whole Family for 10 Euro! But at the same time Coffee at the Wenzel were more expensive.
Really well done, Thanks Jan! Wherever I go I see more pizzerias and Starbucks than traditional Czech Restaurants. We want more gulas and less pizza capriccciosa.! ( and I am italian...)
Came to Prague in 1998, I vaguely recall a clock, a gothic cathedral, a bridge and a really deep subway but I remember in detail how I got scammed twice in 24 hours.
1:03 I assume that the “2 euro” is a localization, since obviously the euro didn’t exist back in 1988. The ECU existed, but was for accounting and not in circulation.
It's a localization because Czechoslovakian crown had a fixed ration to Soviet ruble and exchanging CSK to USD had some weird rules so there's no easy way to explain the price with proper comparison. We earn roughly 10-12 times what we used to in 1988 but the price rose "only" cca 5 times so it's technically cheaper for Czech folks to eat in similar Prague restaurant than it used to be.
I was in Prague in 1989 and had the the best Burger of my life ever since! It was from a small booth on some major square and really cheap (0,23 DM in German currency). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find it again on my later visits. It was a simple no bullshit burger, simple old school bun, good chunk of a patty, but most importantly, a delicious sauce that I never had before or after and that I still crave. Every time I was in Prague after, I was sad I didn't find that place again. I wish I could find a recipe of that sauce!
We are coming at the end of November and its my 50th birthday while there, we are looking for a place that does amazing goulash as I really want a traditional meal on my birthday.
I've been to U Provaznice last week and I got scammed. They told us that the VAT is not included. He added the VAT as his TIP without telling us. The invoice has VAT already included.
I remember my first visit to Prague when it was still Czechoslovakia. We had a 6 course meal for $2.50 US in a hotel ... I think it was called the Hotel Paris. I was there again in 2016 and it's definitely not the same. I do miss the old days...before selfie sticks and Western influences.
you compare a time before the fall of the iron curtain. So travel as western to there was very hard and its very logic that the only tourist that were there are native. I would be nice if you fund a video from 1995 then I think the difference will be a lot smaller.
As a kid visiting Prague in 1988 I remember Arbat a Russian Fast Food pre-existing Mcdonald's. Yo could eat your French fries with a little plastic fork, it was fun ;-)
Great video on pragues history. I found your channel just before I visited and went to many spots you had mentioned. Really enjoyed the city, one of my favourite places I've visited
I live right at the border to Czechia near Liberec in Lusatia, Germany and my friends and I always walk to Sluknov because the restaurants are so cheap there :D.
@@martintuma9974 We had to learn Czech and Sorbian at kindergarden (there are also schools that teach it obligatorily), but to be honest, I didn't really learn one of them properly, everyone here can speak German too and in the end, it are the Czechs who have to learn German 😂.
Aurus I book there for 3 days very good beside charles bridge, can't believe honest guide is standing the same place I've been. Gotta come back next time
I was in Prague last week and I am absolutely thrilled with the city. I wonder what it is about all the CBD stores that try to have a Bob Marley stoner image. What is the regulation regarding canabis or CBD in the Czech Republic?
They are doing these fake cannabis shops all over the United States it's literally just hemp / cbd or ridiculously low it THC (0.3%) which doesn't break any laws and doesn't even get you high, There are States where it's legal and you can get the real thing
Epic Sunglasses, real Janek Leonid Breshenev Style. Fits perfect with old eastern europe too small black plastic leather jacket. By the way, where were the traditional Tredelnik in 1988 😀😇 And, if you make Video of 1882, you have to ask the people in german language to get a good information, because everyone who knows Restaurants in the Prague Center spoke german there, maybe you will meet Franz Kafka/ Frantisek Kafka.
Back there in 1882 speaking german and refusing to speak czech was a bit sensitive point. The Skoda factoris started from an outraged czech mechanic who was refused service in his language and choose to open real czech speaking bycicle shop.
@@boriskapchits7727 You are absolutly right. Its a kind of fact: nearly 100% of all inhabitants of prague spoke german (and most of them czech) esp in the gastronomic sector. Have you ever seen some old Black and White Fotos in Restaurants with the old signs of the Pubs and Restaurants in the center of prague. Yes it is sensible, but a historical fact, and very sad that the times changed that hard.
I actualy tried the kebab in the house “U Zlaté studny” and I must say it is realy delicious! 😋And the staff there is also friendly. ☺️😊The only other place, where I've eaten such a tasty kebab in Prague is then in the Ječná street, namely “Can Bey” kebab☺️.
I find Czech food is generally incompatible with cuisine from other countries outside the West Slavic realm. I struggled to find grilled chicken about 4 hours ago. My luck was that at the office cantina the chef was Indian and he cooked something more to my liking (European food though). Now beer... well... that's a whole different story. :))) Btw, I had the same food problem in Warsaw, so it must be West Slavic food that is not exactly up my alley.
Grilled chicken leg with rice on the side plus pickled cucumber and/or canned fruit is a classic West Slavic food. But it is a cheap one and it has a bad “canteen” reputation here. You can also get grilled chicken breast variations but mostly with salad as a “girl” food. Also you can ask the waiter and often they can prepare something more simplefor you, just be prepared to pay “higher” paid food (e.g. no refund for no cheese etc.)
We eas literally the same as in Germany or Austria, it's vice versa, most of our restaurant food is incompatible with other slavic nation's food. 😀 I had problem even in Poland, they have everything with sauerkraut, so I was eating only pizza and KFC to be sure there will not be any sauerkraut. 😀 More north you are, more fermented things they eat, when I was in Croatia, I was surprised that I can order pretty much anything and it's always fresh and good. BTW: you can buy grilled chicken in almost every bigger supermarket or butcher shop
After your recommendation in 2017, my wife and I went to U Provaznice. Wonderful people, great food and beer. At first, they seemed a little leery of 2 American tourists, but we used Czech polite words, smiled and were respectful, and they became very friendly and helpful to us.
Im currently learning czech and you guys are a big inspiration for me. Because of you i travelled to Prague a couple of months ago and fell in love with the city and the country
At 42 years old I visited europe for the first time. I suscribed to this channel and decided to go and visit Prague, instantly fell in love with the city, I’m still shocked by its beauty. Thank you so much for uploading this videos, whitout them I would have probably made the wrong destination choice❤👍🏻
unsolicited advice (everybody loves that), go back to Czech Republic and get out of the main city. visit the secondary and tertiary cities. rent a car set the option to avoid freeways pick a random city 3 hours away and watch how it takes 7 hours to get there because you stop all the time.
My first visit to Prague was in 1992 and there weren't enough restaurants to cope with demand in the centre of the city. It was still very cheap, especially if you walked more than a kilometre from the centre; I remember stumbling into a darkly lit restaurant that seemed like some sort of workers' club where we got a two course meal and beer for about £1 each.
Had the almost exact same experience in about the same time period. Golden days. Stayed at a private campsite in a suburb (Troya if I recall correctly??) took the tram to the city centre. Such a nice city! All of the country as a matter of fact! Went a lot to a alternative music venue called the "Bunkr".
@@ZerokillerOppel1 Time to revisit with family. I reccomend going down the river Vltava (Moldau) on canoes. 4 day trip, canoes are rented to you, and you get to eat in different pubs along the way. If you take your time, you can visit nearby castles, monastery, nature.
@@Pyrochemik007 Thank you for the cool idea. I will certainly do that in the nearby future. I'm 54 now. I was in Prague when I was in my early 20's so go figure...🤣and was single.
Štěstí is both "happiness" and "luck"! So if you wish someone "Hodně štěstí" in Czech, it can be both "Good luck" and wishing them much happiness. :-)
Similarly in Polish!
"szczęście" means both "luck" and "happiness", and it really can influence your perception of these words.
I don't know if the Czechs have simmilar situation (propably do, so feel free to point it out bellow), but in polish the word "przepraszać" means both "to apologize someone" and "to excuse oneself", soo it can really sound apologetic if you don't know the nuances of the language heh
@@KaszaKaszel Yes we have "promiňte" and Slovaks have little bit more similar "prepačte".
Happy used to also mean lucky in English, too. "Hap" still does refer to luck in words like hapless (unlucky or luckless), or haphazard (doing something so carelessly that you are leaving it up to chance).
Kinda neat two words that appear to ve completely unrelated have both meanings.
@yanik we will visit prague november 19 from vienna you mentionrd svetozor and cervenetto pava? Hope we can see you there from the philippines
@@x_titanshotcz9964 Actually, "prominout" may look similar to the Polish word, but as far as I can tell, it does not have quite the same range of meanings; it _only_ means "to excuse someone else, to forgive"; you can't even use it reflexively about yourself (that is, you can't say "prominout se"). The Czech equivalent in meaning would probably be "omluvit" - "omluvit se" can mean both "to excuse oneself" and "to apologise" and if you leave out the "se" and use it as a transitive verb, it means "to excuse someone, to make apologies for someone".
So - if you want to say "excuse me", in Czech you can either say "promiňte" (formal second person, imperative form, basically asking someone for lenience), or "omlouvám se" (first person singular, and it can basically be translated as "I'm sorry", except without covering the "I'm sorry to hear that" meaning it can have in English).
This historical backflash is absolutly wonderful for me as a historian, who is interested in the history of (Middle) Eastern Europe. Thanks you so much, Janek and Honza, for being the Honest time maschine.
I recommend you not calling Czech Republic Easter Europe
If you knew anything about history you wouldn’t call the Czech Republic Eastern Europe.
@@bobmarley1137 to be sure, it was eastern europe back there in 1988
@@boriskapchits7727 Eastern bloc? Maybe. But both geographically and, in some capacity, culturally it'd be more accurate to call it Central Europe. + you won't make any Czechs mad by calling it that
@@bobmarley1137 Typo or lost typing: Originally there was a Middle in brackets in front of Eastern Europa - I've restored it now.
3:59 over Janek’s left shoulder that baby swiped a hat!! 😂😂
I love this video for a few reasons. First, I love learning the history of places and comparing them to how they are today. Second, I stopped into that baguette shop when I was in Prague, though my friend got ice cream. Last, I love that your reference video is from 34 years ago since today is my 34th birthday. I have a fascination with what places were like the year I was born.
Every year or so, I remember this channel, and it's an absolute delight binging their videos until I'm all caught up, and forgetting again.
I was at Prague in the summer time. And went to eat out some of your mentioned places plus some I picked myself by the google maps. And ALL of the places what you guys recommended were really Super-GOOD, and what I picked were not as great. So advice noted. Research is good.
But still, there was only One food place where the servers didn't trick us with a tip. But again the other hand they had the local menu and "touristy English language menu" separately. But its fine.. I already knew they should have the cheaper food available too and then they brought the menu and I used google translate for it. 🙂
Not all tourists come and have endless wallets, so Im glad they still were truthful that they have a local menu too. And I got to have the experience, and a good one, withouth any misleading tip tricks.
so translated menu is more expensive? and u asked for the local menu?
@@williamwong8424 Probably the "local menus" are in Czech Language mostly. I used google to translate stuff into English language pretty much everywhere they didn't have English available themselves. I either asked the menu or just took it myself from counter. 🙂
@@marekkelin1181 Yes 🙂
@@marekkelin1181 That's nice.And kohuke is indeed one of the most loved treats one could have here. 🤤❤
the issue is also people are incompetent, so they are giving high rates to bad restaurants. I am a frequent reviewer but there is only so much I can do ..
I would love for you to show us real "non touristic" restaurants further from the center, somewhere that we can go by bus/train, for example, and have a real Czech meal for the cheapest price you can possible find. I only ask this because, as a tourist, I'd love to get out of the city and visit more rural areas :)
Student prices for beer and food žižkov Prague 3
How far will you go? Did you know that there is a Wine Yard in the Center of Prague? What class of Restaurant you like? There are So many in today times.
@Luís they showed different restaurants/cafés that are not touristy places. Check their previous videos.
it is so great you found that old video
I'm currently planning my trip to Prague based on the book and videos, so each new video helps :D thanks a lot!
I have been watching your channel for sometimes. If there is a youtube award, I hope you get the best travel / journalist category. I really like the follow up videos. It show your care for the story. Keep it up guys!
I'm finally visiting Prague this week and thank you for all of the videos that have helped me learn about the city!
We have a couple of Czech restaurants in Sofia that haven’t changed in over 30 years. You should come and try them. And btw how badass you are with these sunglasses lol
wow 30 years! Greetings from Tricity in Poland :-)
me and some friends were in prague a couple weeks ago and we actually wanted to write to you about the horrible experience we had at "svejk", but apparently you knew about it already!
lesson learned tho! always check reviews!!
I love Prague and I was born in 1988 so im even more excited than usual to see this episode ☺️
Love you guys! So sincere and simple.. no mocking around and big words and show. You tell it like it is..
Thanks!
I'd love to visit some day- God willing!
I remember driving into East Germany just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Around lunchtime we got a little hungry, and asked the locals where we could eat. it took a lot of asking and driving before we finally found a place. It was actually a sports-facility with a canteen where outsiders could go and eat. There was, of course, only one dish on the menu. "Lunch".
Yep....been there too!!😅
There was a sushi restaurant in Sushi before the fall of the wall. First the family and the government disapproved of this, but it was too famous to close it. The owner even got permitted a trip to Japan.
my uncle visited Prague in around 1988. I should certainly ask him, how he managed the foraging..
Back then you were lucky to earn 3000 crowns a month (often less), paying 50+ crows for a lunch. Nowadays you earn around 1200-2000 (on average) euros and pay for lunch menu under 10 euros.
That was likely a tourist trap. In the original video he posted in Czech many people said they would eat meals in downtown Prague for no more than 15 KC. From my own grandparents who were from a small town though (although I doubt prices varied that much under socialism) they wouldn't pay more than 10 Crowns for a meal. The quality of the service was likely much worse though due to the lack of competition.
I remember the Automat Koruna from a School trip in 1986 . We'd travelled through West Germany from the UK and still had some Deutschmark coins left ,As it was the last day we gave the coins as a tip to the staff in the Koruna, I believe We'd given them the equivalent of a day's pay! . !!! There are still food Automats in The Netherlands
They are Called FEBU ,Very Popular after a few Beers or Joints ,Apparently.
how times have changed.. nowadays the same tip you gave is probably equivalent of 5 minutes of work lol
1:05 I think the translation "2 Euro" is wrong. She is saying "50 (Czechoslovak) koruna", considering that the video took place in 1988. With regard to the salaries, prices and exchange rates in theses times compared to now, I don't think that 50 Czechoslovaian crowns are equal to today's 50 Czech crowns. You are mentioning that point later in the video.
Before 1989 the official exchange rate was around 5 CS Crowns for 1 West German Mark. And 1 German Mark is 0,50 Euro.
The black market exchange rate was around 15 CS Crowns for 1 West German Mark.
Pretty sure they did that to avoid confusion.
1 Euro would be more accurate based on the black market dollar rate, but since there was no Euro then, it can't really be translated.
@@jj9749 No, exactly not. Fairly no Czech resident in these times had access to US-Dollars or other Western currencies. The black market exchange rate was useless to them since they had no western currency to exchange. It was the same in former GDR or other socialist states. The black market was mainly profitable for Western visitors to CS Republic because everything was quite cheap when getting a exchange rate which exceeds the official one by 3 times. As mentioned in the first comment, the official rate was 5 CS Crowns for 1 West German Mark. That means, 50 CS Crowns would be 10 Mark. If you take today's exchange rate Euro-Mark, 5 Euros would be the most accurate for this example. But yes, you are right, a real transition is impossible.
They typical West German must have felt insanely rich travelling to East Germany or Czechoslovakia in those days, especially in 1989 and the 90s when Czech republic was still poor.
Especially if you were from Bavaria living literally right next to the border.
I remember my first visit in 1989 or 90 - the city was pretty much shut and dark by 9pm
We need to see more of Honest Dad😁
Hey guys, you have subscribers whose first visit in Prague was years before you were born 😅 My first visit was indeed in the last century, literally in 1980. And believe it or not, it seems as if most of the few restaurants were only made for tourists, even though we were just few tourists in your beautiful city. 😉
Love your updates every week, good job!
I loved Honest Dad
Czech gulas was the first thing I ate in prague, and it is top class gulas! I absolutely love it
More of this content, please!
A fascinating video. I hope at some time there will be some balance between those two extremes. Prague Old Town (and Wenceslas Square) is no fun at all today, and it surely hasn't been back then. There must be something between...
I was a student at Charles University in 2004. It was an interesting time because Prague had definitely ascended to a popular tourist spot, but was nowhere near the level of hordes it has now. You could still go to an hospoda outside of the center and get a beer and a meal for around 80 crowns or less (~4 USD). We refused to drink at bars where beers cost more than 17 crowns each. How times change!
2004 was my first visit to Prague, stayed at the Movenpick Hotel, which is now the NH Prague City just off plzenska. You could get a decent meal with a drink in a nice restaurant for 4 people which cost less than 25 USD for the entire bill and I remember .5l beers costing 12-14 koruna :)
@@Veaseify The last time I was there, a few months before the pandemic, my wife and I stayed in an apartment walking distance from there. I've always liked Andel for some reason (the Carrefour-now-Tesco in the mall there always has great ready-made Czech food in the deli and the Staropramen Brewery was a favorite of mine in my youth). Now I'm in the mood to plan another trip (we were supposed to return in March 2020 for our honeymoon; you can guess how that went)!
@@lelandunruh7896 Congratulations! I was in Prague last April for my birthday. Stayed in Vinohrady, which is super chilled and not touristy. Finally got to visit Vysehrad and the lovely Riegrovy sady park. Now just got the Letna/-Holesovice district left to explore....
OMG I was in Prague 25 years ago and I still remember how me and my friend were waiting 2 hours in a restaurant and still didn't get the food we ordered so we left. I never waited for so long anywhere before and after that crazy restaurant in Prague.
I was in Prague as part of a university tour group in 1993 - don't remember there being too many places to eat then either. We did find a place that sort of resembled Automat (who knows, it might have been it), and the food was filling and super cheap (from our perspective).
It’s not that we were unable to travel then, we were not allowed to travel freely.
I really love those videos with hints of Ostalgie and stuff back when the country was Czechoslovakia.
I visited Prague in 1990, there was almost nowhere to eat, just a few government shops offering inedible sand which type snacks with beer, the beer was less than 20p a liger and most of the customers were drunks .
It was a surreal experience, we stayed with a Czech family as there were no hotels .
Yanek, you really need to publish a map of your recommended restaurants. I would buy at least 3. You could call it "Yanek's Culinary Guide to Prague" and "Ps, where to avoid the scammers"
Basically google maps with red and green squares, sounds great.
The hardest thing about traveling is finding good inexpensive restaurants
Thanks - I love content that brings past and present together - awesome as always 😍
50 Czechoslovak crowns in 1988 are actually equivalent to EUR 13 in today's money.
But in 1988 i got for DeutschMark tons of czech crowns (they had two Rates one official and one normal on street). We had the beer in Prague for about 15 Pfennige (about 8 Euro Cents). It was a price paradise at that time, but with big difficulties at the border. We need nearly one Day from Nuremberg to Prague. Today its 2,5 hours.
@@wernerleinberger9847 Seems like the same things happening in Lebanon: you got the original currency exchange rate, and the street/ market value
@@hereis_Tiff Never been to Beirut. Heard that there are the most beautiful Women in the World. We had real crazy times in the late 80ies and early 90ies in Prague.
Last I looked 1 us dollar was 22 crown
@@robertwilliams450 offical exchange rate. Rate on street 5x to 10x
Shouted hi to Janek today under the dancing building. It was raining otherwise I would have annoyed him further. Having a good time thanks in part to the information this channel provided. Thanks Janek and Honza!!
Wow this vid made me feel old I was born in 1988 😢
Wow that brings back memories. I was there one year later (end of 1989). I remember eating on Wenceslas Square at a sausage bar, it cost 6 crowns and I got a sausage, bread, mustard and a beer. The place was not far from where Bat'a is.
I am not sure about the conversion of 50 Kčs in 1988 being 2 EUR...
It says 45, not 25 ;)
Me too... we had very very very much better Rate with DeutschMark. Prague was paradise with beer of about 15 Pfennige (8 Euro Cents). There were two Rates, one official and one on the street.
@@Domihork my bad, I was referring to the conversion at the beginning when they said 50 crowns, somehow I converted it to 25 crowns being 1 euro and then mistyped it in my post.
3:30 to se děje i v dnešní době. Restaurace které přetrvaly a budou prodány zvýší své marže
The 1980s glasses suit you alot Janek.
back from our 3rd visit to Prague, 4days and we did not cross the bridge once this time. Stayed across from koruna where you filmed. Many restaurants knew about your channel. We stay away from the tourist spots and off the main streets, for better food, drinks and service. Please do a video on cocktail bars, or places with live music. I know its not typical, but maybe you could bring a guest. I like beer but wife doesn't, and Prague has some great options. We also wanted to find a loungey area with cocktails and drinks and dancing... but that was not a dance club. We loved meeting people, and gravitate toward places were conversations can be started and we made quite a few friends, including singer guitarist who lives in Prague and plays only 80s rock acoustic. And of course we topped off every night with a late night kabob. We noticed every place asks now if you have a reservation - but will seat you if they have opening for a time period. Eat early or late and you will get seated usually. We also noticed tipping for service is now brought to your attention when the bill - they will say "service charge is not included" - I appreciated this. Thanks for all your work.
Awee i love the progression of this channel and the history notes... very surreal stuff!! thanks!
I really love Prague, so much. I miss it everyday. It was so cute and beautiful. I need to go back there again.
Ha, I remember touring Czech in the 90’s sampling beer……and eating goulash……lots of goulash!! When we arrived back in Prague we went to a lovely old school boozer just off Wenceslas Square, the BEST Urquell!! As we were perusing the menu, a geezer leans over and says, “the goulash is very good here….” We ate the goulash……
Thank you, guys! As always - nice and informative. I would like to ask you to consider the video about Prague areas, because for tourists, specially for those who visit Prague for the first time, very hard to choose where to stay. What is Prague 7? What is Prague 10? No idea. Is it safe? Is it close to nature? Or opposite - in the middle of the city with maximum attractions? Is it expensive? Are there many restaurants, shops, or it’s purely residential area? If you could give detailed characteristics to Prague areas, so each of your viewers could make right choice according to their needs and wishes. Regards!
Janek and Honza have tons of Videos. Just watch them and you will be very well informed.
It’s hispanic heritage month, im a young mexican from the hood that gets high on my TH-cam channel & i do food vlogs💯😂😂
I visited Prague in 1996. It was during the period of 'Prague is the Paris in the 20s of the 90s' - the idea being that you could visit or live there cheaply and have a 'Bohemian' (figuratively and literally) experience. It didn't last - I'd booked a hotel but the following day the travel agent (remember them?) called me back and told me that, since the brochure was published, the hotel had doubled in price! Had to downgrade. But, thanks to the Time Out guide, I found some good places to eat.
Well i first went to Prague in 1989. My fatheers czech friend guided me through the city. We went to the best Restaurant as he said on top of a building. It was cheap for me as a swiss apprentice i treatet the whole Family for 10 Euro! But at the same time Coffee at the Wenzel were more expensive.
Really well done, Thanks Jan! Wherever I go I see more pizzerias and Starbucks than traditional Czech Restaurants. We want more gulas and less pizza capriccciosa.! ( and I am italian...)
My friend, could you do a video on antique stores in prague?
Came to Prague in 1998, I vaguely recall a clock, a gothic cathedral, a bridge and a really deep subway but I remember in detail how I got scammed twice in 24 hours.
1:03 I assume that the “2 euro” is a localization, since obviously the euro didn’t exist back in 1988. The ECU existed, but was for accounting and not in circulation.
It's a localization because Czechoslovakian crown had a fixed ration to Soviet ruble and exchanging CSK to USD had some weird rules so there's no easy way to explain the price with proper comparison.
We earn roughly 10-12 times what we used to in 1988 but the price rose "only" cca 5 times so it's technically cheaper for Czech folks to eat in similar Prague restaurant than it used to be.
"Honest Dad" is kinda cute. 🙂 He needs to be in more videos!
I remember the fish restaurant "Rekyavik" on the corner of Liliova. Sorry to see it is now an Irish pub, when we came last Christmas.
If it was a successful business, they would still be there. A fish restaurant is too niche and a horrible idea.
I was in Prague in '88 and then again many years later. It was much better in '88.
i was suspecting you at my 88' class, something about the vibe haha 😁 great video guys
Another short documentary by the Honest Guide!
I was in Prague in 1989 and had the the best Burger of my life ever since! It was from a small booth on some major square and really cheap (0,23 DM in German currency). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find it again on my later visits. It was a simple no bullshit burger, simple old school bun, good chunk of a patty, but most importantly, a delicious sauce that I never had before or after and that I still crave. Every time I was in Prague after, I was sad I didn't find that place again. I wish I could find a recipe of that sauce!
I got a decent pork knuckle just around the corner from the clock for 550 czecharooni’s
We are coming at the end of November and its my 50th birthday while there, we are looking for a place that does amazing goulash as I really want a traditional meal on my birthday.
I wish I had a little pub under the open sky too. Sadly I only have a balcony.
I've been to U Provaznice last week and I got scammed. They told us that the VAT is not included. He added the VAT as his TIP without telling us. The invoice has VAT already included.
I am a little bit disappointed the phone call to honest dad was not in the video ;-(
I remember my first visit to Prague when it was still Czechoslovakia. We had a 6 course meal for $2.50 US in a hotel ... I think it was called the Hotel Paris. I was there again in 2016 and it's definitely not the same. I do miss the old days...before selfie sticks and Western influences.
Such a shame the city centre has been turned into a tourist trap. It really puts me off to be honest.
Just watch the videos on this channel and "pin" all the spots to your Google Maps map
Valid for basically every European Capital, worth more IMO to visit the 3rd/4th/5th largest city.
Get up super early and you’ll basically have the sights to yourself before everyone else gets up
thankfuly, Prague is much more than 5 square kilometers full of drunken Germans in center
you compare a time before the fall of the iron curtain. So travel as western to there was very hard and its very logic that the only tourist that were there are native. I would be nice if you fund a video from 1995 then I think the difference will be a lot smaller.
As a kid visiting Prague in 1988 I remember Arbat a Russian Fast Food pre-existing Mcdonald's. Yo could eat your French fries with a little plastic fork, it was fun ;-)
Great video on pragues history. I found your channel just before I visited and went to many spots you had mentioned. Really enjoyed the city, one of my favourite places I've visited
I live right at the border to Czechia near Liberec in Lusatia, Germany and my friends and I always walk to Sluknov because the restaurants are so cheap there :D.
Can you speak Sorbian?
@@martintuma9974 We had to learn Czech and Sorbian at kindergarden (there are also schools that teach it obligatorily), but to be honest, I didn't really learn one of them properly, everyone here can speak German too and in the end, it are the Czechs who have to learn German 😂.
Aurus I book there for 3 days very good beside charles bridge, can't believe honest guide is standing the same place I've been. Gotta come back next time
3:17 I know a place. The Arcade on old town square is used for storage ATM
Guys, tell please why pedestrian traffic lights should be turned on manually in Prague???
Your videos make me want to visit Czech Republic
I was in Prague last week and I am absolutely thrilled with the city. I wonder what it is about all the CBD stores that try to have a Bob Marley stoner image. What is the regulation regarding canabis or CBD in the Czech Republic?
They are doing these fake cannabis shops all over the United States it's literally just hemp / cbd or ridiculously low it THC (0.3%) which doesn't break any laws and doesn't even get you high, There are States where it's legal and you can get the real thing
Congratulations on your new happiness Honza. What is her name?
I loved places for eating conneted with grocery shops back in 90s. Some which I remember are gone unfortunately. This is what I miss in Praha.
they still have it in Croatia, almost every grocery store or even bigger supermarket has some eating place outside
@@Pidalin Good to know, thanks! :)
That old video is so interesting!
In my 1992 trip to Prague I ate like a king at the Restaurace Stará Kotelna restaurant.
Epic Sunglasses, real Janek Leonid Breshenev Style. Fits perfect with old eastern europe too small black plastic leather jacket.
By the way, where were the traditional Tredelnik in 1988 😀😇
And, if you make Video of 1882, you have to ask the people in german language to get a good information, because everyone who knows Restaurants in the Prague Center spoke german there, maybe you will meet Franz Kafka/ Frantisek Kafka.
Back there in 1882 speaking german and refusing to speak czech was a bit sensitive point. The Skoda factoris started from an outraged czech mechanic who was refused service in his language and choose to open real czech speaking bycicle shop.
@@boriskapchits7727 You are absolutly right. Its a kind of fact: nearly 100% of all inhabitants of prague spoke german (and most of them czech) esp in the gastronomic sector. Have you ever seen some old Black and White Fotos in Restaurants with the old signs of the Pubs and Restaurants in the center of prague. Yes it is sensible, but a historical fact, and very sad that the times changed that hard.
I actualy tried the kebab in the house “U Zlaté studny” and I must say it is realy delicious! 😋And the staff there is also friendly. ☺️😊The only other place, where I've eaten such a tasty kebab in Prague is then in the Ječná street, namely “Can Bey” kebab☺️.
It's 1988 and it feels like 1958 seeing as it's filmed in black and white. I guess behind the Iron Curtain colour film wasn't yet an everyday thing.
Wait a minute !
Dud that baby at 4:02 actually stole his Lil bros hat and wear it instead 😳😳
Depressing that there's no locals.
love your videos! But I just noticed a random Vietnamese lady with traditional hat at 1:36 ! Such a cool place.
Good video, i think it would attract more attention if viewers can tell that youre gonna be showing an old video of old vs new prague
This Vintage Perspective of Wonderful Prague is Amazingness, go for more
Hello, what was the name of the terrace place you were sitting on during the surfshark mention? thanks
love this channel!
Perhaps we could talk about the rise of aggressivety and crime, theft, in Prague?
OMG YOUR KILLING ME!! I was 21 in 1988 so Why the Black and White T.V pictures?🇬🇧😭
Prague is one city that sold its soul a long time ago, so many generic stores, scams and bad food, the diamonds are hard to find amongst all that
Hey 2 € in 1988 is worth only about 4 € today. You can check it in euro calculators.
I find Czech food is generally incompatible with cuisine from other countries outside the West Slavic realm. I struggled to find grilled chicken about 4 hours ago. My luck was that at the office cantina the chef was Indian and he cooked something more to my liking (European food though). Now beer... well... that's a whole different story. :))) Btw, I had the same food problem in Warsaw, so it must be West Slavic food that is not exactly up my alley.
Czech food is closer to German food than any other Slavic food though
Grilled chicken leg with rice on the side plus pickled cucumber and/or canned fruit is a classic West Slavic food. But it is a cheap one and it has a bad “canteen” reputation here.
You can also get grilled chicken breast variations but mostly with salad as a “girl” food. Also you can ask the waiter and often they can prepare something more simplefor you, just be prepared to pay “higher” paid food (e.g. no refund for no cheese etc.)
We eas literally the same as in Germany or Austria, it's vice versa, most of our restaurant food is incompatible with other slavic nation's food. 😀 I had problem even in Poland, they have everything with sauerkraut, so I was eating only pizza and KFC to be sure there will not be any sauerkraut. 😀 More north you are, more fermented things they eat, when I was in Croatia, I was surprised that I can order pretty much anything and it's always fresh and good.
BTW: you can buy grilled chicken in almost every bigger supermarket or butcher shop
When I visiting some new city I try to open Google maps and serch fir local recommendations and of course lonly planet