Review: Cukrkávalimonáda

Despite the number of pubs and restaurants in the tourist-heavy zone between Charles Bridge and the castle, it can be surprisingly difficult to find somewhere for a decent lunch - a light bite that won't cost an arm and a leg. And for locals, the area can be practically a no-go over a weekend, when swarms of guidebook-laden visitors take over every inch of free space. But, for food, just like for finding a normally priced drink in Malá Strana, there are places that do feel decidedly local, and one of these is Cukrkávalimonáda, a café-cum-restaurant tucked away next to Anglo-American University.

Cukrkávalimonáda's space has an intrinsic appeal to it. It's divided into two sections - one with cakes and coffees, the other with a bar and kitchen, although the full menu is available throughout - with bright, picture windows and a swirling fresco on the wooden-beamed ceiling that gives the place a fitting character for the historic neighborhood. The rest of the décor is simple, with wrought-iron chairs, planks of pale wood screwed to the walls and daily specials scrawled on a chalkboard above the bar.

On two recent visits, there seemed to be as much demand for pastas and salads off the café's humble, if slightly overpriced, menu, as there was for coffees and sweets. Most of the menu comprises breakfast options, like varieties of scrambled eggs and omelets and savory crepes. These are available all day, however, making it a picturesque option for slinking out for a late, late breakfast following an especially big night.

There are also several sandwiches, either on croissants or ciabatta, and a soup of the day. The soup, however, was surprisingly disappointing; on a recent visit, it was minestrone that day, and featured the sort of soft, uniform squares of vegetable and tinniness of stock, way oversalted, that haunt a canned variety.  

The prices at Cukrkávalimonáda are also just expensive enough to feel overpriced for what you're getting, although its address may explain the numbers to an extent. A ham and cheese ciabatta sandwich, piled high with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and cream cheese in addition to sliced Burgundy ham and Emmental cheese, was a shock at 149 Kč for what was a very simple, and cheap to make, arrangement.

Wines by the glass start at 59 Kč as well. The 0.125 L serving of Chardonnay available was crisp and cool, and the atmosphere transitioned easily from coffee and newspapers to groups of friends with a few drinks; the place is only open till 7, however, so there's no evening scene save for dark, wintry afternoons that require an earlier tipple.

Waiting for the bill at around 6:30 p.m. can be a bit of a drag, though, as the three waitresses working on a recent weekday evening clearly considered the day done, chatting and laughing behind the counter for more than 10 minutes as people waited for plates to be cleared and orders made. On another, midday visit, the service was efficient enough for tables to be turned over at a clip.

Most of the cakes are 69 Kč a slice, and vary from traditional apple strudel through several Czech-style cheesecakes to squat lemon meringue wedges. There's no list of them, so diners must go through to the glass-fronted counter to pick out what they want, which can take a while as patrons line up to pay their bills at the bar, with little waiting room. The chocolate cheesecake was largely forgettable, a dryish triangle of coconut-flecked cream cheese swirled with bitter chocolate cake that required a hot drink to wash down.

Visiting for a late breakfast, the savory crepes with bacon, egg and onion were satisfying, although there were a few too many grilled onions under each bite. But the fried eggs and lightly salted, smoky bacon - topped with rucola - worked well with the sturdy crepe spread out below.

The entrées were quite good, if nothing groundbreaking. Tagliatelle with smoked salmon had perceptibly freshly made noodles, tossed with a light cream and dill sauce with a smattering of chopped fish. A grilled chicken salad, called "spicy chicken salad" on the menu, wasn't spicy at all but was a refreshingly well-considered meal salad, deconstructed for self-assembly into partitions of chopped iceberg lettuce, covered in a yogurt and dill dressing; grilled pieces of chicken breast; wedges of tomato, red pepper and radishes; rounds of cucumber; and toasted almonds, which tied the whole thing together nicely.  

Cukrkávalimonáda joins the ranks of recommended cafés that have fitting fare for a quick stop as well as good coffees to linger over. And its location in the heart of Malá Strana couldn't get much better, even if its soup certainly could.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com