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Pilsner Urquell on tap close to the best poured in Prague and therefore, Plzen aside, the world. A small selection of wine and Eastern European favoured liqueurs.

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Set on a slope with dramatic backdrop. Inside, a small room with exposed brick and arched ceilings, in a small taproom, simply furnished. Hippo ephemera, simple wooden bench seating, chunky tables. 

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Lively, communal, authentic, genial. Lightning in a bottle.

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Side room occasionally for hire, meals, snacks

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Very Good for the district, purposefully honest and fair.

Few pubs inspire such affection from us as U Hrocha, a long standing drinking hole in Mala Strana, Prague’s ‘little quarter’, first visited back in 2007. 

The interior is the same as always, a very cosy bar room offset at the angle of the slope, the hill running up towards the castle. Inside, the walls slightly yellowed by virtue of the years of smoking are left untouched. There is a second room across the hall sometimes used for evening table reservations, an extension of the pub as a whole.

The tapster that we christened Wolfman is still churning out glasses of pristine Pilsner Urquell with his enigmatic expression that in turns suggests quiet fury and satisfaction all at once.

U Hrocha (The Hippo) is the kind of pub where a slight wrist movement, wiggle of your dying glass of beer, or even just a nod will be enough to secure your next drink. The beauty here is all in the simplicity, cutting back the B.S and letting the true purpose of your visit, socialising and drinking take its course.

There is a true vibrancy to the place that must be experience. Securing a seat is satisfying enough even before the beer arrives. Part of the reason for this is that the locals will not relinquish it to tourists, and make a point of turning up early and indeed reserving seats at the bar. This may be irritating but it serves a core purpose. The pub wants to keep a crowd of locals in there and they have all right to. Don’t be afraid however – a polite few words in Czech will help you secure a free chair, keep the duo on your good side, and they seem just as happy to serve all-comers who want a drink and a chat.

The Pilsner Urquell is served kept and poured exceptionally well, served in the Czech style with about two inches of head, obliging you to dive in nose first to a mound of foam. The ‘mother’s milk’ remains Prague’s stock beer, despite Staropramen ostensibly being Prague’s primary brewery. There is a good reason for that – Pilsner Urquell is in a different league.

The pub is propelled to the point of distinction because it genuinely feels like a Prague institution.

Place it as high as possible on your list of Prague pubs to visit, and if you don’t want to risk being turned away, arrive at opening time. TIP: When entering take a glance around at the reservation times on the tables, then pick a seat at the table with the reservation furthest away from midday!