6 Kingsland Road,
Shoreditch,
London,
E2 8DA
(020) 7739 9110
The ViewLondon Review
A vibrant bar in Shoreditch, Prague Bar impresses with its vast selection of cocktails and intimate atmosphere.
The Venue
Located on Kingsland Road, the all-red exterior of Prague Bar and large windows at street level give way to a small, intimate main room with white walls and hints of exposed brick, a wooden floor and cosy mood lighting. The supporting pillars have been decorated with graffiti, stencil designs and all manner of eye-catching posters, whilst the walls are adorned with everything from menus, mirrors and prints to suspended wooden chairs, lending the bar a superficially subversive edge.
Scattered around the small space are leather sofas, wooden chairs and tables with candles and drink menus stuffed into glass bottles. The bar, made of bricks and wood, can be found towards the back of the room, with almost half of the left hand wall given over to wooden alcoves holding every kind of alcohol imaginable – an impressive spread rounded off with wine racks, fridges of bottled beer and a fruit display.
The Atmosphere
Working to its strengths, Prague Bar extends an intimate, snug and (very) warm welcome to the few customers who can get in – it gets particularly crowded and heated at weekends, but if you can find a seat then it's a great place to spend an evening. The customers are usually young and trendy but generally sympathetic and laid back, and the same can be said of the staff - no matter how busy it gets, the small capacity ensures that the bar is never understaffed, and their choice in groove-led music is generally unsurpassed. Despite its slogans and scrawled decorations, the bar doesn't come off as subversive or standoffish, instead offering a relaxed, urbane setting to catch up over a drink.
The Drink
Prague Bar has a great selection of cocktails. They are dispensed either as shooters or regular highball glasses, for £3.50 and £5.95 respectively. There are around 30 different selections on the menu, most of which are original creations or derivatives of a classic. For example, the Pomegranate Margarita blends pomegranate juice with triple sec, vodka and squeezed lime whilst the Mad Monk Milkshake updates the already excellent White Russian with Frangelico liqueur and Baileys. The Muffin, made from biscuit vodka, lime juice, berries and ginger beer, is practically a meal in itself and the Grape Cooler blends fresh grapes, white wine, apple juice and lemon for a deliciously icy blast.
Wine is also an option, with reds and whites available from £3.10-£3.90 a glass, and £11.50-£16 a bottle. Cava (£14) and Champagne (£25-£39) are also on offer. The beers link to the bar's name, being predominantly Czech-based: Budvar and the ever-excellent Staropramen are the only available draught lagers, but there is a great choice of bottled beer and cider, including Zatec, Pilsner Urquell and Bohemia Regent. Of course, absinthe is popular here and they serve it authentically.
The Last Word
Affordable, comfortable and instantly likable, Prague Bar stands out from Shoreditch's roster of drinking holes by virtue of a sensational line in cocktails and a very intimate atmosphere. It's easy to see why it's such a local favourite.
Prague Bar has been reviewed by 4 users