Prague has many places that you can visit, but also those that you just have to see. And among those places, without which a visit to Prague would not be complete, is (of course, apart from the Charles Bridge or St. Vitus Cathedral) the bistro of Vopička family.
Their ancestor, the stonemason Jan Vopička, came to Prague in 1620, and since 1904 the family has lived in Kampa. And since 1990 they have been running the Bruncvík Bistro. It’s easy to find – it’s on Kampa, right next to the arch of Charles Bridge.
It’s a tiny space, exactly 7 square meters (the traditional craft in the family was a room painter, and originally the paints were stored here) and they have a completely ordinary range of goods. Hot-dog, coffee, tea, biscuits, mulled wine in the winter, grilled sausages at the weekend – they just sell what you’d expect at any other street food stall.
Even so, this bistro has its own charm. Including the fact that it hasn’t succumbed to the feeling that it has to get as much money as possible from people. A cup of mulled wine here costs 50 crowns, a hot dog 40 crowns. That’s why regulars, individuals and entire families gather here. In the winter, there is a metal basket in front of the bistro, with logs of wood burning in it. The bistro doesn’t pretend to be posh, it’s for the neighbours and those who walk by. That’s why it’s “crowded like at the fair”, as a Czech proverb says. It means you’ll never be there alone. You can just come, stand by the fire for a while with a cup of wine in your hand, there’s always someone to talk to.
So come…
P.S .: The monkeys on the shelves are no coincidence. Vopička is a colloquial term of the word “opička”, and it means “monkey”.
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