U Sta Ran Boudoir Cafe & Bar, Vinohrady, Praha
| Name: | Boudoir U Sta Ran |
| Location: | Francouzská 50, Vinohrady, Prague |
| English friendly: | Yes |
| Hours: | 4 pm til late (midnight officially but open later) |
Adjectives: dark, full, enchanting, romantic, cosy, bohemian, wooden
Nouns: candles, unorthodox hairstyles, chiaroscuro, olives, artwork, magazines, board games, cheeses, a dog
A place to: take a date, get drunk, eat food, brood, reflect
A place not to: bring a huge group, expect a seat, dance, park a bicycle
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Note: all shitty/blurry/dark photos courtesy of me
My Love-hate Relationship with Boudoir
I used to pass this cafe/bar frequently on my way up Francouzska to Vinohrady. Beckoned by the cosy candlelit inside, my girlfriend and I would enter only to be turned away, unable to find a seat. The boudoir has a main room (seats about 18) with a mezzanine area (7), a backroom (18) and a garden with patio in the back for summer. However, its popularity means you'll often be unable to sit and there isn't much standing room.
My personal record: I've attempted to stop in there about 12 times, and found a seat maybe five times. I was able to sit both times I went there last week (at around 11:30pm), hence the positive shift in my attitude towards the place and the decision to finally write this review.
Reservations
The joint doesn't have an official phone number, or website (just a facebook page). You can only make reservations by e-mailing kavarna.francouzska (at) centrum (dot) cz or in person.
Food & Drink
(01/01/2012)
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Beer Svijany 11 .5L = 35kr Svijany 13 dark .5l = 38kr |
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Wine Local Moravian wines white .2L = 36kr rose .2L = 38kr |
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Menu
They have a great 'toast' dish (pictured below) which is actually grilled cheese sandwich served with vegetables and a chili dip. 59/89kr for one/two sandwiches.
Food is served late. I've eaten there at 12:30am (on a weekend). Menus contain English translations.
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Advice
You really need a back up plan for these small'ish pubs. If the Boudoir is full, I recommend strolling down the hill (3 minutes) to Cafe v Lese or Cafe Sladkovsky.
Here are some great photos of the Boudoir taken from their FB page courtesy of VítÄ›zslav Oscar VojtÄ›chovský:
Bottom line: if you can secure a seat, it's a great place.
Dobrý den,
mohli bychom si u vás na zÃtÅ™ek 17. 2. zamluvit 6 mÃst na 18:30?
Kamarád, co k vám chodà řÃkal, že mám zamluvit celý vrÅ¡ek, tak tedy ano.
Děkuju a budeme se těšit.
marketa: to to neni officialni web boudoir. pardon. have fun!
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Horribly rude, slow and incompetent staff. Cigarette smoke is so thick you almost can’t see the person next to you! My eyes were literally watering up after 5 minutes, not to mention the carcinogenic assault on my lungs.
We simply and politely asked the waitress what kind of rum cocktails they have, and she scolded us with rude and abrupt “Well, here’s a menu, you have a look and then tell me what you like. How about that?” And she smashed one menu in front of us (we were two, btw) and walked away very proudly! She also looked at me in a very arrogant and condescending way when she was telling me this, as if I have just annoyed her by my question to the extreme. How rude of me to ask a bar staff what cocktails they make, right? Next time I will be more polite and avoid annoying questions to the staff. Oh, wait, there’ll be no “next time” for this horrible dump where they treat customers like an annoying insect! That’s for sure!
We spent just 5 minutes, then I threw the menu in her face (as she deserved) and we walked away (also proudly), never to return again. This bar is a No Go zone for anyone with dignity and self-esteem who like themselves and like to be treated politely as customer. I am one of those people. And I will never ever set foot into this horrid establishment and will advise all of my friends to do the same!
The owner or manager of Boudoir clearly doesn’t care what kind of rude and ignorant staff he or she hires. I prefer non-smoking places anyway, so this Boudoir smelly smoky dump was a mistake I will never make again!
It sounds like a typical Czech dining experience. You’ll either have to get used to it, or avoid eating out.