Of all the times I have strolled down Bartolomějská Street in Old Town I have never, not once, noticed Al Capone's. Shame on me.
The cheapest cocktails in town?
By Jennifer Rigby
Cocktails are a classy drink, as a rule. And with a classy drink often comes a classy atmosphere, classy music – and equally “classy” prices.
Not so in a little joint called Al Capone’s in the Old Town. And when I say little, I mean little – with 25 people in there, it could feel cramped. It’s dark, possibly a little scruffy (hard to tell because of the lighting), and packed to the rafters with different kinds of alcohol.
But most importantly, the cocktails are pretty good, and they are extremely reasonably priced – 65 Kč for the main list. That amounts to a real bargain, when you are in the mood for the high life – but not the high price.
Cheap cocktail bars can be truly unpleasant, with syrups and sugars replacing real fruit and watered down liquor replacing the real deal. But at Al Capone’s it all seems pretty authentic.
Late on a Saturday night, there was a free tiny table (in the back, there are bigger tables, but on the way in past the bar, there are only tiny two-person perches, each with their own lamp) and a pleasant hum of conversation.
All in all, a pretty cool bar, nice drinks, nice atmosphere, nice prices. The only thing holding me back from wholehearted, full-throated recommendation are the frankly terrifying pictures on their website – including naked women and passed out blokes with their heads on the bar. Slightly inexplicable to me – for a start I’m not sure how they fitted in the naked ladies alongside all the regular drinkers – but on my two visits that kind of stag party debauchery seemed totally off the agenda.
I certainly hope so – because it would be a shame if this chilled out bar with such brilliant prices was taken over by the “drink until you’re sick” crowd.
Well, Jennifer's article intrigued me enough to add Al Capone's to my list of "should try"- I'll let you know what I thought. Hopefully my night will be free of "naked women and passed out blokes with their heads on the bar...". See for yourself at Al Capone's
Address: Bartolomějská 305/3
Praha 1, Old Town
