Editorial
Prague is the world's beer-drinking capital. Czechs drink more beer per capita than any country on earth. The 8 below run from the historic tank-Pilsner halls to the modern craft rooms that pour 30 taps a night. We checked each one against its own channels and recent Prague beer guides, and dropped two names from the older list that no longer belonged.
U Zlatého Tygra has poured tank Pilsner Urquell on Husova street since the 1700s, and the writer Bohumil Hrabal made it his second home. The beer arrives soft and unfiltered before you ask, and the long communal tables fill with regulars who have sat here for decades. Come right at the 3pm opening to land a seat. For drinkers who want the living history of Czech beer, not a novelty.
Beer Geek sits in Vinohrady with around 30 rotating taps that swing from Czech microbrews to hard-to-find imports, plus its own Sibeeria beers. The board changes constantly, so the staff will steer you toward whatever landed fresh that week. Order a flight and let them build it. Best on a weekday evening before the small room fills. For the drinker chasing the new and the experimental over the classic.
Prague Beer Museum is a bar, not a museum, and each of its branches pours around 30 Czech beers on tap from breweries across the country. The tasting paddle of five is the move for first-timers who want a map of Czech brewing in one sitting. The Dlouhá street room runs latest and loudest. For travelers who want range and a crash course in regional styles.
T-Anker crowns the Kotva department store with a 650-square-meter terrace and views over the Old Town rooftops toward the Astronomical Clock. Twelve taps change weekly, leaning on Czech craft with a rotating cast of world specials. Climb up at sunset, order whatever is freshest on the board, and stay for the light. For drinkers who want their beer with one of the best views in the center.
U Medvídků has brewed on Na Perštýně since the Middle Ages, and its cellar still makes X-Beer 33, among the strongest lagers in the country. Downstairs is the brewery taproom; the front hall pours Budvar for the traditionalists. Order a small X-33 to taste what most breweries never dare. Best in the early evening before the tour groups arrive. For drinkers who want strength and centuries in one glass.
Vinohradský Pivovar revived a brewery that first opened in 1893, and today it pours its own unpasteurized lagers in a big hall off Korunní street. The pale lager is the everyday pour locals come back for, fresh from tanks a few meters away. Come hungry, because the kitchen leans into Czech classics built for beer. Best on a Sunday afternoon with family. For drinkers who want a true neighborhood brewery.
U Bansethů has anchored Bratří Synků square for more than a hundred years, long holding Pilsner Urquell's certificate for proper draught keeping. Alongside the old restaurant sits Sousedský pivovar Bašta, a neighborhood brewery pouring five of its own beers. Order the tank Pilsner with the roast duck and potato pancakes. Best at a long weekend lunch. For drinkers who want the real working-class Prague pub away from the center.
Bad Flash runs one of the most carefully built craft rooms in Prague, with 12 taps and more than 450 bottles backing up its own brewery's beers. The Karlín branch draws regulars who take their hops seriously. Tell the bartender what you last loved and trust the pour that follows. Best midweek when the board turns over fastest. For the drinker who treats a tap list like a reading list.
Start at U Zlatého Tygra for the tank Pilsner that built the city's reputation, then cross town to Beer Geek and Bad Flash for the modern board. The neighborhood breweries, Vinohradský Pivovar and U Bansethů, pour their own lagers fresh from the tanks. Most rooms peak between 6 and 9pm.