Pivovar Marina

Pivovar Marina is a bit off Prague's tourist circuit, in Holesovice, across the river from Prague's old town. I took a taxi from my hotel, and my driver was a little confused by the hard to find spot. Office and apartment buildings are a bit overgrown in the area and hide this charmingly renovated boathouse from street view. The brewpub splits the building with an Italian restaurant owned by the same restaurant group. The menus are separate. The brew pub serves Czech cuisine, and the Italian place doesn't really offer their beers. Eventually, a Prague restauranteur will offer a variety of excellent or house beers and international cuisine. In return, I will empty my expense account at their feet.

The beers here aren't extreme in any remarkable way. Thank god. Czech extreme beer too often veers into the overdone ingredient studies one might expect from a certain homebrew buddy. Here at Pivovar Marina the beers are excellently crafted, subtle and nuanced interpretation of Czech lager styles.

The whole restaurant is incredibly relaxing. It's airy and open. The beer is light and refreshing, and the czech cuisine is the closest I've tasted to being light as well. There's no doubt in my mind that this brewery would be a top 2-3 hit on the Prague beer circuit if it were a half mile from the Charles bridge. But it's not. It's a hidden jewel awaiting the beer traveler who is ready to leave the tourist/expat parts of the city.