The Park Café

The Park Café in Riegrovy sady is probably invisible to many who pass it. Directly facing the entrance to the beer garden, the minds of most passers-by are acutely focused on other key issues: how long the lines are for beer, how many tables are available and how they'll find their friends if it's really crowded.

But going into Park Café, you walk into a full-service restaurant where you can still sit outside, and fortunately your dining options aren't limited to either white or red sausages.

Some of you might be thinking there's no need for anything but cold beer, crowded benches and sausages hot off the grill at an outdoor party. Most of the time this is true, but occasionally some get the yen for something a little more balanced, a little more substantial or something with fresh vegetables. Park Café is just such an alternative, and with surprisingly nice service.

Getting a table outside was easier on a recent visit than one would expect on a nice day, especially since the server was nice enough to drag one out from the inside dining room. Drinks came promptly, as servers were actually paying attention to customers, taking orders and clearing dishes at the right moments.

The server was also one of the few in Prague who asked how we wanted our steak cooked, a surprising bit of forethought that made us think we were actually in for a decent meal.

There is little that is surprising on the menu, which is organized by chicken, beef and pork, in addition to vegetarian and specialty dishes that include chicken wings and tortillas.

There are not many appetizers or small dishes beyond the ubiquitous beef carpaccio and Caprese salad, but little details may pique your appetite, like a mint lime sauce that accompanies a smoked salmon appetizer. That sauce was slightly sweet but added a nice tang to the slices of salmon, and went well on warm toasted baguette slices.

The Caprese salad was notable only in that it came on a skewer. But the use of cherry tomatoes was a relief, avoiding the possibility of mushy, out-of-season tomatoes. The salad came with the same soft, chewy fresh bread that was better than expected and was nice to munch on before main courses.

One of Park Café's unexpected dishes was a grilled halloumi dish. The salty Turkish cheese is sliced and set on a grill, getting simultaneously soft and crispy without losing its shape. Unfortunately, the generous amount of halloumi was laid across bland iceberg lettuce, but as a snack, it worked.

The biggest surprise was the steak. As mentioned before, the server pre-emptively asked us how we'd like it cooked. It was requested medium rare and was cooked perfectly to that temperature, a second surprise. Fresh rosemary was chopped up in a creamy garlic sauce that was a great complement to the grilled steak. It was a decent, lean cut that didn't give us any problems with gristle and was altogether quite good.

Eating such a good steak in the creamy rosemary sauce created a bit of cognitive dissonance sitting in earshot of the beer garden. Add to that friendly, smiling and accommodating staff and The Park Café becomes a bit surreal. In a good way.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com