EBG Rating: 7.6/10

Choice/Quality of Drinks:
❤️❤️❤️
Kozel beer and typical Czech back bar livened up by the presence of the local legend that is Kadovánek, a rare herbal liqueur this pub is specifically known for.

Style/Décor:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Set off from the road through Kadov, but very much the village’s centre piece. Inside, an unreconstructed, genteel pub room right down to the framed image of the Emperor Franz Jozef to the floral print wallpaper.

Atmosphere/Character:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Local village life augmented by day-trippers passing by, savoured in a lost-in-time hospoda.

Amenities/Events:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Food, snacks, shop, outdoor seating, occasional events.

Value For Money:
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Very good value for money.

Description:
A lovely unspoilt village pub with homely genteel, “worn-in” decor that offers a personal touch. Friendly staff including possibly the oldest member of staff I’ve ever seen in a pub. Very endearing. The sort of operation that could have been going for centuries.

Famous for a local liqueur – this is from Koruna Vysociny about the pub and the drink:

“The specialty herbal liqueur Kadovánek is available at the U Janečků pub in Kadov and continues the tradition of the once famous Samotínský bánek served in the now defunct pub in Samotín. The production of this schnapps ceased with the death of the innkeeper Emil Tlustoš in 1988. The innkeeper from the U Janečků pub and the grandmother of the current owner Vilemín Janečková responded to the subsequent public demand for a specific liqueur. In 1992, she came up with her own recipe for herbal liqueur, and so Kadovánek liqueur was created in the U Janečků pub in Kadov. Since then, a commemorative plaque has hung on the front of the pub with verses celebrating the local specialty with the words: ‘It blows into the head, sharpens the mind, blows away worries, cleans the capsule.’ The original herbal liqueur is served to guests in an equally original rural pub.

The building was built in the mid-17th century, probably in connection with the establishment of ironworks and the subsequent development of the village, and underwent major reconstruction at the beginning of the 19th century. The pub there apparently began operating at the end of the first half of the 19th century and then survived the world wars and changes of regimes.

The traditional pub still remains, even with its old-world furnishings, so the interior is not missing a spinning wheel, mortars, samorosts, old paintings including a depiction of Emperor Franz Joseph I, but also catchy slogans such as Who wants to live a hundred years, must drink Kadovánek. And this is undoubtedly what its visitors follow – whether they are locals or weekend cottagers, cyclists, mushroom pickers or skiers in winter. Customers drink a glass of fragrant Kadovánek just as a precaution as a great tasting local specialty that they are not served elsewhere”

On our visit we found this a faithful description. The tapster was a shy but willing and friendly guy, meanwhile the locals on a hot day sat in their string vests enjoying a beer while I held the cool glass to my head for respite from the heat.

The pub and its village location is a stop off between routes going many different directions, which ensures custom from day-trippers, particularly on weekends.

It’s a quirky operation with elderly server, Kofola priced by the 0.1, and setup that has stared into the face of modernity and resolutely replied “No thanks.”

You’ll feel far, far away from Prague.

(Added July 2025)