Pleasent Prague Coffee Shop

Jericho Cafe

In 2008 Starbucks arrived in Prague. Large coffees, comfortable chairs, and easy listening music. I admit when I first came to Prague I missed Starbucks. But now that is has arrived I rarely go there. It is expensive and crowded. And since the few Starbucks that are here are in tourist spots, they are swarming with tourists – one of my pet peeves.

So now when I want to sit down, have a coffee, read or write, I go to a coffee shop called Jericho Cafe. It is what Starbucks is not. Old furniture, dim lighting, and the only language you hear spoken is Czech. The coffee shop caters mostly to locals of the artistically inclined. Customers are either reading something, writing something, or talking amongst themselves about anything but their day jobs. Local artists, get the honor of having their work displayed. Every couple of weeks the art on the wall gets replaced.

There are nice big windows onto a narrow street. Taking sips of coffee you are entertained by the people sitting around you and those lazily walking down the street.

You can sit here all day without getting a un-approving eye from the server. They are relaxed – you are relaxed. Around 7 pm the evening crowd starts to fill the coffee shop and it slowly turns into a pub. The books are closed, the pens are put away and the chatter volume increases. Most of the patrons look like they have been asleep all day. They arrive in the evening ready for breakfast and a beer. A couple of beers later they are discussing their latest painting or spout of heavenly inspired poetry. I do not understand any of it, not because I can not hear the words, I just do not understand the people. They are artists – they live lives that someone not in the club could never understand. Their enthusiasm seeps into the walls and air of this coffee shop. That is why I come here.

The only problem, as with most Czech coffee shops, is that they do not serve brewed coffee. Only espresso. If you want a big cup of brewed coffee you need to go to Starbucks.