Café Montmartre

CAFES, PRAGUE Updated : Oct 24, 2016, 02.50 PM IST

Dake Kang

A history and math student at the University of Chicago, Dake has been roaming the world since he was born, moving with his family from the United States to Korea and China as a child and most recently popping up in Oman, the Czech Republic, and India. With an insatiable curiosity about everything and anything - coupled with an unrelenting restlessness - he"s found himself in some pretty unusual situations, from being struck by lighting to interviewing North Koreans to befriending Burmese soldiers on overnight trains. Catch up on his latest journalistic explorations at dakekang.com.

Photo courtesy: Dake Kang

Named after Montmartre, a neighbourhood in Paris, this cosy café in the heart of Prague oozes charm and warmth within the confines of its barrel-like vaulted ceiling. Antiques, including a worn green piano, half-a-dozen eclectic armchairs, leather shade lamps, and wooden chairs and tables furnish the room, and old posters complete the scene. Dimly lit by candlelight, the smoky air and relaxed atmosphere ensure that if you stop by for a date you’ll be unhurried and happily left to linger. Unlike some other cafes on this list, its quaint, idyllic, homely feel obscures its rich history. The only trace of its past is twenty-name list on the menu: Franta Sauer, Artur Longen, Franz Werfel, and of course, Franz Kafka. Famous back then for its dancing scene, Café Montmartre sported a large dance room and became known for its wild nights of tango and revelry, which you can see today memorialised in old photographs hanging on the walls. Strangely, despite being located steps away from the Old Town Square, and despite its history, Café Montmartre is little known to tourists. The evening we went, there was only one table occupied by a group of what looked like art students smoking and sifting through old photographs. The apple strudel was superb, as was the tea and the prices were the cheapest in town. Truly, Café Montmartre is perhaps one of the few remaining remnants of authentic Bohemian café culture, unspoiled by the tourist hordes that have invaded its more famous cousins.
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