Prague (Praha) Nové Město

• Zachraňte o2 bar, Karlovo náměstí (☎60 814 4344; www.o2bar.cz), This tiny cabana in the middle of Charles Square Park fits just four cocktail tables. Space is so tight the nightly DJs set their decks on a foosball table in the corner. But it still packs such a huge punch that crowds spill out into the park onto the roof terrace. There's no drink service on the roof, so you'll just have to chill with the punks rolling their own cigarettes and enjoy the surreal view of the New Town Hall lookout tower. Somehow they also fit a kitchen in this place serving cowards a hot dog or some nuts (15-35Kč), while the brave undertake the Delicate Stuffed Cheese with True Story (55Kč). Tell your friends to check the bar's website to see you rocking out on a live web cam. B: Karlovo náměstí. Exit the station on the side closest to New Town Hall and walk 1 block to the north side of the park. Beer 25-40Kč. Mixed drinks 35-80Kč. Open daily 10am-whenever the party stops. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has internet. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
• U Sudu, Vodičkova 677/10 (☎222 23 22 07; www.usudu.cz), From the street, U Sudu seems to be a low key five-table pub with a single bar. But if you take the strangely inviting stairway at the back of the club, you'll encounter a large underground pub space. And if you take the enormous brick tunnel leading out of there, you'll find yet another space. And it kind of keeps going like this—snaking below the street in labyrynthine tunnels. It would be easy to spend a night here and not visit all of the different rooms, each of which has a slightly different vibe. Just hope there isn't a fire. In addition to regular drinks, U Sude has Master 18 proof (38Kč) on tap. B: Karlovo náměstí. From the station, head north towards New Town Tower along the eastern side of the park. Continue past New Town Hall along Vodičkova. The bar will be on your right. Snacks 10-55Kč. Beer 23-55Kč. Open M-Th 9am-4am, F 9am-5am, Sa 10am-5am, Su 10am-3am. Does not take credit cards. Serves alcohol.
• Club Prdel, Žitná 4, 120 00 Praha 2 (☎22 223 0890; www.prdelclub.cz), Like the milk bar of Kubrick's “A Clockwork Orange,” this sweaty young dance club serves wild nectars amid rather accurate busts of women's rumps, hips and etc. Older (lamer) patrons can chill upstairs sucking on the bitter “Cum of Cucumber” (185Kč) or the vanilla vodka-based “Orgasmus” (120Kč), while others can head downtairs for a smoky, steamy romp in the juices of youth. Dress for the occasion: 'cause it's close quarters downstairs and when the second DJ gets spinning, this energetic young crowd makes the temp go up. When 6am rolls around, take five in the “special room” behind the curtains. What you do there is your choice--but there are no chairs, only pillows and bean bags. B: Karlovo náměstí. From the station, head away from the river down Zitna. The club is on your right. No dress code, but you'll feel out of place in shorts. Beer 40-80Kč. Mixed drinks 120-185Kč. M-Sa 5pm-7am, Su 5pm-5am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
• Whiskeria V, Jindřišské Věž (☎22 424 8645; www.whiskeria.cz), Travelers who hate dancing, or who don't have legs, will love this brand new whiskey bar where a night can be spent sampling the fruits of rye's labor. Whiskeria offers over 450 varieties of the liquor at prices that are both student-friendly (100Kč) and billionaire-friendly (10,000Kč). If malts are all Greek to you, fret not. The bartenders have graduated from booze university and are eager to share their knowledge. You can check their website for classes and tastings. If whiskey's not your thing, they also have other drinks. Non-smoking seathing is available. A or B: Můstek. From the station, head away from the river down Jindřišské. It's in the giant tower at the end of the street. Whiskey tastings F. Drinks 100-10000Kč. Open daily 10am-midnight or later. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
• Kara OK!, Legerova 78, 120 00 Praha 2 (☎222 240 035; www.bekaraok.cz), Like controlled substances in your bloodstream, cultures get more interesting when mixed. This principle makes a night at Kara OK!—Prague's first and only karaoke bar—a confusing, though provoking and generally hilarious concept. Night here starts with your crew renting an elegant private room (800Kč per hr.) and finishing after 12 shots of Jack and a couple carafes of Brittney. It doesn't hurt the fun that drinks and snacks are ordered on a touch screen menu and delivered to your room. Sushi service and sake tastings can be arranged with two days prior notice. Otherwise, just enjoy the bottles of sparkling sake in stock and groove to the song lists in Russian, German, Czech, Swedish, English, Japanese, and Chinese. C: I.P. Pavlova. From the station, head north on Legerova. The club is on your right. Reservations needed for weekends. Bills must be paid for as a group. 800Kč per hr. Half-price rooms 6pm-8pm. Does not take credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
• Club Střelec, Žitná 51, Praha 2 (☎60 694 7673), This low-key GLBT hangout is so happy with the small set of locals it serves, it almost refused to be listed. A night at this ace hole-in-the-wall where students mix with septuagenarians could end over beers and traded stories or on top of the tables with an impromptu elderly strip tease. Ask the one bartender who speaks English for authentic Czech drinks like the Bloody Back, a combo of cherry liqueur and vodka drunk simultaneously from two separate shot glasses. But be warned, this pub does cater to seniors as well as students, so don't go looking for too wild a time. C: I.P. Pavlova. From the station, head north on Legerova and make a left on Žitná. The club is on your right. Beer 17-31Kč. Mixed drinks 25-50Kč. Happy hour daily 5-8pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. GLBT
• Rocky O'Reillys, Štěpánská 32/620 Praha 1 (☎22 223 1060), Included more as a warning than as a recomendation, this “Irish” pub pegs itself as, and often ends up being, an obligatory stop for British and American tourists. It need not be so. While Rocky's does blast Prague's half liters for actual English “pints,” the charm comes with a hefty price tag. Food, like nachos (145Kč) or ribs (295Kč) is solid enough, and the beer (30-65Kč) tastes like beer, but the best things about Rocky's happen on its walls. Sports events get projected onto a big screen, and a hanging poster, “Rockey's 10 Commandments of Travelers,” delivers some very wise Prague-specific advice for staying safe and financially responsible while in the city. A and C: Muzeum. From the station, walk down Václavské náměstí and take a left on Štěpánská. The pub will be on your left. Entrees 155-300Kč. Bar open daily 10am-1am. Kitchen open 10am-11pm. Happy hour M-F 5pm-8pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
• Rock Café, Národní 20, Praha 1 (☎22 493 3947; www.rockcafe.cz), Loud and raw, with as much beer in the plastic cups as there is on the floor, Rock Café will, ahem, rock you. Have a beer (27-45Kč) beneath the oval wall that's painted like fire, or take your wine (32-220Kč) to the tunnel-like dance floor where nightly DJs and occasional live acts rock the jams. No dress code; you could probably wear a burlap sack and it'd be fine, especially during happy hour (M-F 10am-6pm), when beer and espresso are a hobo-priced 19Kč. Tu is “Free Zone,” which means a free concert and 15min. of free Internet. B: Národní třída. From the station, walk north on Spálená and then turn left on Národní. Beer 27-45Kč. Mixed drinks 40-100Kč M-F 10am-3am, Sa 5pm-3am, Su 5pm-1am. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has internet. Serves alcohol.
• Reduta Jazz Club, Národní 20 Praha 1 (☎22 493 3487; www.redutajazzclub.cz), Serving up swings and sings since 1958, the Reduta Jazz Club has a different combo act every night of the month. Whether it's a local artist or an international jazz legend, visitors to the club pack sardine style into this one level club for a smoky intimate night of music that's the stuff of legend in the States. While an occasional waitress might show up for a drink order, count on getting them yourself. B: Národní třída. From the station, walk north on Spálená and then turn left on Národní. Mixed drinks 40-150Kč. Ticket prices vary, 100-500Kč. Open 9pm-midnight, music starts at 9:30pm. Does not take credit cards. No wheelchair access.