We arrived around 6pm at the Strahov Monastery brewery and asked if we could make a reservation for 7, because we wanted to walk around and enjoy the view from the fairly large hill we just climbed. The guy working told us that reservations have to be made 3 hours ahead of time but that wouldn't be a problem. We could just come back in an hour and sit where we wanted.
When we came back it was still fairly empty. There was a bar with some seating in a building to the left and a more traditional restaurant area with large tables in a building to the right. There were some smaller tables in the middle courtyard between these two areas. We chose a table in the back of the courtyard and made ourselves comfortable. It was getting a little chilly and the wind was blowing, but the area was keeping the breeze out so we figured we'd be fine for the last couple of hours until the sun went down.
I already knew what I was going to have from reading over the menu online. I wanted the Pork tenderloin in beer and ginger and a St. Norbert IPA. We put in our respective orders, and not to long afterwards I was greeted with a tasty beer. I was fairly impressed with this beer and was excited to see how it would pair with my dinner. Luckily I didn't have to wait much longer before my food showed up. It worked pretty well together, but I was surprised that the ginger was so muted compared to the beer in the sauce. Oddly enough everything I ate in Prague that had ginger in it wasn't very gingery. Despite that it did go well together, and it was one of the better dishes I had during my trip as well as one of the better beers.
I wanted to try some other beers, but I liked my IPA enough that I decided to stick with it. If I had more time I would have gladly sampled one of all four of the drafts that they had available. I'd also be willing to go back and try more of the food if I had the chance. Almost everything on the menu is traditional Czech food and hearty but unfortunately lacking in variety or vegetarian options if you are looking for them. The service was prompt and polite but our server seemed kind of sad. I'd imagine he was just having a long day, and it doesn't bother me, but it seemed a bit odd. During a nice weekend evening in the summer I'd imagine it gets pretty busy here so you'll probably be sharing some space with someone at one of the larger tables if you sit inside. It would also be worth taking public transportation if you don't feel like making a tiring trek up the hill and getting sweaty before you eat. If you're looking for some freshly brewed beer, and Czech food then I'd recommend making the journey up the hill.
Overall: 8/10
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