By Nicole Torres

Sit on a brightly patterned cushion in the middle of the floor. Wait for Micha, a Czech college student, to bring out a tray of home-cooked and all-vegetarian meals, along with a few enormous cookies. Get a drink too—a printout coupon will bring the price of a half-liter Kozel 11º to 25 CZK. Watch a movie, play some board games, listen to a live jazz/alternative band. It sounds like anything is possible and everything is accessible.

Skeptical?
Don’t be.

This is U Kníra on a Monday night. U Kníra, translated to “the mustache,” is the pub just down the stairs from Sir Toby’s Hostel located at Dělnická 24, Praha 7, around the corner from the Osadni dorm. But it’s not really just a pub, it’s a gathering place for travelers to get cozy, eat meat-free home cookin’, gather round for group discussions, and catch free live music and films. One Monday night early in the semester, people in their late teens to people possibly in their early 30’s, filled up the hip underground level to see the eclectic jazz band, Fan Fán Tulipán. They started playing around 8 p.m., but most of the audience had been sitting around, enjoying their happy hour specials that started an hour and a half before.

The place really was cozy, if even a little too cozy. Arriving at 8:15 does not increase the chance of finding a comfortable cushion to watch the band play. If there’s an event at U Kníra, get there in plenty of time. All the cushions were taken, as well as the benches, the chairs and the tables against the back wall. But those who had to stand in front of the doorways did not seem to mind, and the large crowd served as a good audience. Feet tapped, heads nodded and a lot of laughter and applause went around.

Past the “theater” room, there was the bar/kitchen, where a menu displayed chips and homemade salsa, an egg and potato tortilla with bean soup, and Czech onion stuffing with mashed potatoes (which was only 50 CZK). No meat, no splurge, no problem. One group of NYU students from Osadni spilled in after another— they kept coming in, sitting down and recommending the amazing food U Kníra had to offer.

“Usually they only have one or two things on the menu, but they’re always so good, so you’re never disappointed,” said NYU junior, Samantha Fox. The food was amazing (particularly the stuffing and potatoes), and the wait was not bad either; Micha, a Jaurisova R.A., who works behind the counter, pointed to a rather large antique sofa just through the rusticated archway opposite of the bar. That was where to wait. She offered some board games to play also— they had everything from Monopoly to Apples to Apples to Scrabble.

Travelers from everywhere sat around the large table that could easily accommodate 10 people, perhaps more, and the artistic atmosphere and dim lights and gathered furniture brought everyone into friendly conversation.
U Kníra is a place to meet people and hear their stories, all while feeling like this is some hip friend’s hip apartment. Several students living in Osadni have already deemed themselves “regulars” to Sir Toby’s and U Kníra. “We come here almost everyday. Why wouldn’t we? We live right around the corner and the food is so good and so cheap,” said Kevin Tran, junior NYU film student living in Osadni.

Other regulars have also contributed to the inviting and friendly vibes that newcomers feel when visiting U Kníra for the first time. Matt, a 30-something year old Australian, had been living in Sir Toby’s for about three weeks hoping to find a job teaching English. “I feel like I know Prague pretty well, I go all over during the day, but I come down here almost every night,” Matt said, “I think U Kníra is one of the best artsy bars I’ve spent time in, I like meeting all the travelers and all the NYU kids, and everything is great about this place, the atmosphere, the people. Definitely the best vegetarian food in Prague.”

So get comfortable on an antique armchair. Try some inexpensive-but-ridiculously-good vegetarian cuisine. Play Pictionary with a couple that just got to Prague from Hong Kong. Break the circle of Kozel 11º bottles and have a glass of white wine. It may be crowded in front of the band, but the music makes up for the standing— dancing is allowed. And from the kitchen to the room with the big sofa and big table, it’s hard to go wrong. U Kníra should be top-of-the-list of pubs to visit in Prague, especially if great food, good tunes and interesting people make up a good night.