Eastern Europe
Best and worst restaurants:
Best: Hotel Senator Haz, Eger, Hungary
Why: Outdoor restaurant was quite good and I loved the music in the square.
Christine in Devon, PA USA 07/12/2008
Worst: non-recommended restaurants in castle district in prague
Why: As rick says, do not eat here unless he recommends. We stopped for 2 cappucinos at a simple place and ordered before looking at the menu, which was not posted. The cost was $10 a piece!
mike in tempe, az USA 06/22/2008
Worst: Plzenska Restaurace u Dvou Kocek "By the Two Cats"
Why: Indifferent food at much higher prices noted in your book and much more than night before at nearby Restaurace u Provaznice (also indifferent food but not overpriced). Beer cost 3 times any place else and they were constantly stopping by our table peddling "special drinks."
Gail in Albany, OR USA 01/27/2008
Best: Tabani Terasz Restaurant
Why: The food was amazing - the Goulash Soup is by far the best I've ever had and the service was fantastic. Regarding Mr Herman P. Wu's previous comment about the pricing of wine by the glass.I found that it is standard practice in Budapest (and most countries in Europe) to order the wine by "cl" (that's centilitres). 10cl is a small glass, 20cl is a medium glass, and 30cl is a large glass. When you don't specify which size you want, 20cl is the standard size. There are 70cl in a bottle of wine. Not to worry, Mr. Wu, you were not deceived!
Worst: Art Restaurant
Why: The is a serious tourist trap. The food wasn't edible and it was way too smokey.
Amy Szabados in Toronto, ON Canada 12/06/2007
Best: Budapest - Menza
Why: Franz Liszt square is as charming as can be and this restaurant was one of the highlights of our entire trip. Superb food reasonably priced with very friendly service.
Worst: Krakow - milk bars
Why: Were those pirogues swimming in lard!
Sondra in Portland, OR USA 11/06/2007
Best: Casolgony 26
Why: a new and superb restaurant, with food that rivals some of New York City's best, it is not typical Hungarian, a tip on wine the house wine by the glass is a great deal
Martin in New York, NY USA 10/23/2007
Best: Bohemskaya (sp?) in Budapest
Why: As advertised, unpretentious and bargain-priced dinner entrees. They only would take cash, though.
Worst: Tabani Terasz in Budapest
Why: The food was certainly decent. The thing that left us feeling deceived was the menu pricing for wines by the glass. The menu had prices both by the bottle and for 10 dL (which one would assume to be a glass). Thing was, the waiter claimed to have poured 20 dL for each individual glass, and therefore the price came out to be twice as much as we expected. The waiter did the same thing to the couple seated across from us, who also was there based on Rick Steves's book.
Herman P. Wu in Burlington, WA USA 10/16/2007
Best: Horgasztanya, Budapest
Why: Great food---authentic Hungarian
Worst: Horgasztanya, Budapest
Why: We chose this place because they took credit cards, posted on the door(we were having trouble with the ATM, and had just arrived). They told us the credit card machine was broken and to get cash. When we convinced them they wouldnt' get paid if they didn't take credit, they miraculously found a working machine. Moral, if they say they take credit, they should.
Nancy Williams in Avon, , CT USA 08/05/2007
Best: Arka Noego, Krakow
Why: My husband comes from a Jewish family so we're well exposed to Jewish-American food. In this restaurant, you can find in the menu all the old classics, but cooked in a much tastier way than your usual Jewish meal. Also, the music was fantastic!
Beatriz Costa in Seattle, WA USA 06/29/2007
Worst: Ceska Kuchyne, Prague
Why: We had two very unpleasant experiences in the Ceska Kuchyne restaurant across from the Havelska Market @ Havelska 23. My wife and I spent a week in Prague and both times, at 18:00 and 16:00, they were out of what we wanted. My wife is a Berliner and have had much the same experiences dealing with the same attitudes when there was an East Germany. We were not permitted either time to return outside to choose anything else from the English menu posted outside. We had to take what was recognizable through the steamy windows in the food line. Too much like what used to be Communist Europe.
W. L. Walters in Newark, De USA 06/13/2007
Worst: Klub Arkitektu in Prague
Why: Horrendous service for our ETBD tour group. Very poor acoustics. I could not hear a word said by either the person next to me or across from me.
Mike Wavada in Enfield, CT USA 06/11/2007
Best: Restaurance u Provaznice in Prague, Gundel in Budapest
Why: Restaurance u Provaznice - great atmosphere, friendly staff, not just tourists, locals eating here too, good prices, tasty potato pancakes! Gundel - make a reservation for lunch and you can get a lunch special for around $20 that includes a first course, entree, dessert and a glass of wine. Let yourself be pampered by first rate service.
Doreen in Los Angeles, CA USA 05/27/2007
Best: Vienna - Cafe Central
Why: Best Club Sandwich I ever had anywhere.
Mike Williams in http://mikenbondi.blogspot.com, Australia 04/18/2007
Best: Ceska Kuchyne (Prague) and Restauracja Samoobslugowa Polakowski (Krakow)
Why: Ceska Kuchyne in Prague serves great traditional fare at cheap prices. Our family of 5 ate for about $20. The goulash and dumplings were awesome! By the way, you really don't want to lose the paper they give you on the way in - they will charge you 500 Kc for a lost paper.
The Restauracja Samoobslugowa Polakowski (the restaurant is actually called Polskie Smaki Restauracja) in Krakow is also great and inexpensive. Our family of 5 could eat there for under $20. The cabbage rolls with mushroom gravy were great, as were the apple filled pancakes (with sour cream).
I highly recommend both of these restaurants for good traditional food at cheap prices.
David Carter in Stillwater, OK USA 04/18/2007
Worst: Okarina in Bled, Slovenia
Why: Thought the guidebook and the recommendations for restaurants and accomodations were great except for this Indian restaurant where we were ripped off. The host/manager was on the surface very hospitable, spoke English well and steered us to a "special" mushroom dish which he said presented a taste of all three of the different mushroom dishes on the menu. It turned out that the special dish was a full serving of each of the three mushroom dishes and the price was three times the price of any of the individual dishes. We were suprised by this as was the couple opposite us who were sold the same dish. They ended up not paying for the dish and the manager chased them out the door. All together very unpleasant. (We were there the last week of September 2006.) The rest of the meal was not very good - flavors unremarkable, food cold. I should add that he used the Rick Steves name liberally and mentioned that your tour stopped there for dinner.
Richard Mazze in Stanford, CA USA 11/30/2006
Best: Danieli: Vienna 1, Himmelpfortgasse 3
Why: We received outstanding service and a choice of indoor or outdoor dining. Two weeks of traveling Vienna and Slovenia set a high standard, but this was the best food we had.
Worst: The restaurant at Mayer Penzion in Bled, Slovenia
Why: The Penzion itself was very nice, with comfortable rooms. We found the restaurant too stuffy and stand-offish for our tastes, despite hearty food.
Scott B. in St. Petersburg, FL USA 11/17/2006
Best: Cannot pick the best
Why: They were all the best. One of the great things about Poland were the restaurants. From pierogi to mushroom soup I truly enjoyed it all. After ten trips to Europe I believe Poland rates right up there at the top. If anything brings me back it is the food.
Mike Worosz in Griffith, IN USA 11/14/2006
Best: Pod Aniotami, Krakow
Why: It was so much fun with good food and piwo at great prices. Make reservations for the bottom most level.
Anita Slevin in Park City, UT USA 11/01/2006
Best: Gundel, Budapest
Why: Great atmosphere, great food, and amazing desserts. This was the one place I'd say was worth spending the extra money. This was a great suggestion from Rick.
Worst: Gerbeaud, Budapest
Why: This is a very touristy cafe, not frequented by locals. The building is beautiful and the cakes were good, but I found rude service here and the food was overly expensive.
Erin in Cottage Grove, MN USA 10/22/2006
Best: Danube River dinner cruise (Budapest)
Why: Very good food (buffet style) & friendly service. A lively band. Budapest is spectacular at night. Bargain price: about $24 a person. Get tickets during the day at the little riverside ticket hut, just south of the chain bridge on the Pest side. Boat departs at 7:30 PM. A very fun evening!
Tom Duffy in Northbrook, IL USA 10/14/2006
Best: Geraurd Cafe, Vienna
Why: Pastries to die for and photograph. Good people watching if sitting outside in the square.
Worst: Klezmer Hois, Jewish Quarter, Krakow
Why: The food was excellent; however, the ambiance was awful. We went at 6 PM to reserve a place for the 8 PM Klezmer Concerts and Jewish Food. The banquet room was filled with an existing group at that time and would be for the entire evening. We could eat, however, in the smaller dining room. We ordered our food and the noise began and never subsided. The smaller dining room, about 6-8 tables, consisted of us two. It was being used as a service center for the banquet in the larger room. Coffee grinding, latte preparation, cups clanging, dishes bused to this site and cleaned off, servers talking. It was so disruptive that it was jarring and difficult to enjoy the food. Our server was not available the entire time we ate the meal. We did tell them it would be better to close the small dining room when they hosted a banquet since the room couldn't absorb the sound of the servicing. They apologized but offered no adjustment in the bill.
Colleen Naughton in Minneapolis, MN USA 10/08/2006
Best: Plachutta in Vienna
Why: Ate outside on covered terrace. Great atmosphere. Delicious Viennese beef dishes and great desserts.
jerry bergstein in Indianapolis, IN USA 10/03/2006
Best: Chadjoski Jadlo Krakow Poland
Why: Delicious food, moderate prices and a real taste of Poland
Cathy Stone in Albany, NY USA 09/10/2006
Best: Central Kavehaz
Why: Great food (we loved the paprika chicken), great atmosphere
Lauren in New York, NY USA 09/06/2006
Best: restaurant in Hotel Bolkow in Bolkow, Poland
Why: see above
Linda Beck in Souderton, PA USA 09/06/2006
Best: Restaurant and Club Des Vins, Prague
Why: Food was really top notch and setting was very casual but service was attentive. Our only regret was that we had tickets to the Black Light Theater and had to rush to finish our meal.
Worst: Casa Bar and Restaurant, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Why: Location was great as described. Food was average. What was bad was the service. So slow, it was almost funny. It was explained that there had been a bad rain storm in the afternoon (there had been) and the waiters did not think they would be working that night so only a few showed up. Hope this was a one time occurrence. We made the best of it.
Gary Newton in Newport Beach, CA USA 08/23/2006
Best: Siedem Grzechow-Warsaw, Poland
Why: This was our best meal in Warsaw. We have a great dinner by candlelight and live piano and it was very reasonable. My dad wanted "polish sausage" and it was not on the menu. Our waiter went to the kitchen and came back to our table saying that the chef would prepare the polish sausage for us. Our meal ended with a shot of Polish vodka. There was also a couple having dinner there with their Rick Steves' book in hand!
Valerie in Rocklin, CA USA 08/17/2006
Best: The resturant by the river in Cesky Krumlov
Why: The food was excellent and inexpensive - we had the combo plate and then blueberry soup for dessert - Yum!
Caroline Rausch in Tucson, AZ USA 07/23/2006
Best: Okarina in Bled
Why: I had the best meal of my trip! The food was so good! The service was also fast.
Worst: Restaurant Poljana at Plitvice
Why: Food was only so-so, prices were expensive, and the service was poor.
Kyla Gurganus in Ypsilanti, MI USA 07/16/2006
Worst: Restaurant u Prince Terrace in Prague
Why: We were overcharged. They insisted we had more drinks than we did. I know I had only one glass of wine, for instance, but when we disputed the bill, they all claimed not to speak English. We spent a lot more there than it was worth.
Marlene Ruff in El Dorado Hills, CA USA 07/12/2006
Best: Lokanda Peskarija in Dubrovnik
Why: We enjoyed dinner here twice while in Dubrovnik. The food is inexpensive and delicious, but it is well discovered and not "peaceful"! They are very busy and you will wait for a table, but it is worth the wait. My only complaint was with my seafood risotto, while delicious, the shrimp still had the shells on, so I had to remove them as I ate!
Lorrie in Cincinnati, Oh USA 07/09/2006
Best: U Provaznice Prague
Why: This was a fun, authentic pub just off old town square that was recommened by our guide Jana Reichlova. Packed with locals. Active with people watching world cup soccer. service was good, food cheap with good flavor and good portion size. good beer too. If you want to get away from the tourists this was a way to do it.
Terri Eggeman in valrico, FL USA 06/20/2006
Best: Pink Cadillac, Raday Utca, Budapest
Why: Yummy pizzas and caesar salads.
Worst: Shalimar, Budapest
Why: Merely pedestrian Indian food.
Alan Sheptin in Goldens Bridge, NY USA 06/15/2006
Best: Restauracja redolfi
Why: We ate here because it was recommended. I would totally agree with the book that the service was good. But I would only say the food was okay. I thought the onion soup was excellent. The service much different from the US norm in that it was slow; they weren't trying to herd you out. So, once we relaxed we had a nice time.
Jeannie Fiser in Cincinnati, OH USA 06/12/2006
Best: Konoba Kamenice and Lokanda Peskarija
Why: Very good food and a good value.
Amy MacNaughton in Edmonds, WA USA 06/08/2006
Best: Stantofer Vendeglo and Elefanto restaurants in Eger, Hungary
Why: Excellent food--goulash, venison, veal. Menues in English were available, and we had helpful staff at both restaurants.
Marlene Eaton in Greenhills, OH USA 04/23/2006
Best: Bagel Mama
Why: The bagels and soup we had were great. The prices were reasonable and the people who worked there were very kind. I didn't realize how much I was missing bagels until a wonderful toasted one was laid before me.
Zoe Trieff in Austin, TX USA 03/16/2006
Best: Restauracja Samoobslugowa Polakowski in Krakow
Why: The best meal (and the cheapest) we had in Poland. All of the food looked great, and we had a tough time choosing what to get. The girls who helped us were cute and giggly, so it was altogether a nice experience.
Zoe Trieff in Austin, TX USA 03/16/2006
Best: Central Kavehaz
Why: It was wonderful! The staff was so friendly, the food tasted great, and I've never had such great coffee.
Zoe Trieff in Austin, TX USA 03/16/2006
Best: Bagolyvar (Owl's Castle)
Why: One of the best meals we had in two weeks of travelling. The food was so elegant and comforting. The service was excellent. The night we went, a man played live music.
Worst: Menza
Why: not really that good, that memorable, or that interesting of a design - we were bored by the place
Zoe Trieff in Austin, TX USA 03/16/2006
Best: Restaurant u Prince Terrace on roof above U Prince Hotel and Krema u Dwau Maryi in Cesky Krumlov
Why: Just after a rainstorm, the restaurant on the roof wiped down the tables, turned on the heaters and offered us good food and a wonderful view of Prague lights. It was magical. Sitting along the river in an old cafe eating excellent authentic Czech food and drinking the local beer while watching the kayaks go by was a wonderful experience.
Worst: Eating way too much squid and mussels along the Dalmatian coast and islands
Why: The menus along the Croatian coast were identical no matter where you ate. Squid, mussels, fish, etc. Just got tiring after one week.
Daryl Hartnett in Colorado Springs, CO USA 01/26/2006
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