Into the Woods – Koliba Restaurace

by James Gogarty

It is 35 ºC in Prague. Heat is resonating off the cobblestones as the human traffic miserably bustles its sweaty self to and fro. All the while I make my silent coup des temps over a chilled beer under a lush canopy of leaves. The pond in front of me only adds to this overall hushed atmosphere with the occasional carp lips kissing the surface. Time just seems to crawl, which is apparent in the waiter's appropriate unhurried responses. Life is cool, life is slow and all is good just 6 km north of Prague in a town called Roztoky u Prahy, in a restaurant called Koliba.

Koliba is situated at the purlieu of the Tiche Valley – Roztoky Wood Nature Reserve; a forested area of shaded trails, winding brooks, and bold cliffs that shyly reveal their jagged skin under the thick vegetation. Hikers, birdwatchers, bikers, and sprites alike fill their individual delights in the reserve but at the end of the day they all can be found at Koliba. This cottagesque restaurant offers a small interior but the large haphazard beer garden is the real reason to come on those lazy hazy days. With the Staropramen costing only 17czk� and both a full indoor kitchen and an outdoor grill offering your standard Czech fare for a fraction of Prague's prices it's cool on the wallet as well.

The forest and the beer are not the only reason to visit this area. Roztoky has been settled practically uninterupted from the Neolithic up to the arrival of the Slavs which means there are places of historical interest to explore as well. Near the train station you can find the chateau, once a Romanesque stronghold, rebuilt in Renaissance style, it now houses the Central Bohemia Museum. A short trek up the hill and across a few fields the Celtic/Slavic fortified site of Levý Hradec can be found, home to one of the oldest churches in the republic still left standing.

So, when Prague's got you beat jump on a train, jump on a bus and head north into the woods to Koliba.

Getting there by bus: Vitezné nam. (Dejvicka)- buses 340, 350 by train: Masarykovo nad. - train to Kralupy n.Vlt. Get off at Roztoky Nádrazí, walk south on Nádrazní street, right on Tiché údolí street and walk and walk to the end...

Stylová Restaurace Koliba

Tiché údolí 1679
Roztoky u Prahy
420 603 986 666

previously published in the August 2005 print issue of Provokator

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