Some friends and I were visiting Prague and looking into places to meet up for dinner. They suggested this place, which they found on a travel site.
My friends tried to make an online reservation for the three of us, but the site did not allow for same day reservations. Oh well. We decided to try to get a table without a reservation anyway.
I showed up before my friends, and I went inside to see if I could grab a table for the three of us. In the few seconds while I was trying to discern who the host was, a group of 3 tourists (Asian family with older daughter) wandered ahead of me and asked for a table. I watched their exchange with the host (30-something Asian male with birthmark/scar on his face), who, in English, was asking how many were in their party. I watched the tourist-family's older daughter explain that there was one, and then correct herself and the host to say three of them, who wanted a table. The host hesitated for a minute, looked around the restaurant, pointed them to one of the open tables and sat them. I noticed there was no "reservace" sign for him to remove on their table, as there were on many of the tables outside. Then, prior to them sitting, I watched the tourist girl try to ask the host for directions to some site for which she had a brochure that she pulled out and kept pointing to. In watching all of this, it was clear to me that these customers were tourists and probably not organized enough to have made a table reservation. But, since they were seated so easily, I figured I should have no problem getting a table for our party. I thought wrong.
After greeting him in Czech, I approached the same host and asked for a table for three, in English. He took one look and me (30-something mixed/black male), and immediately told me that he didn't have any tables, since they were for reservations only. I immediately understood what was happening. I went outside to wait for my friends and tell them what happened.
When they showed up, I explained what I saw and how I was then refused a table. While I would usually move on, content to NOT give that kind of service my money, I thought it would be interesting to see if my friends (two young white women) would have better luck. I told them to try their luck and ask for a table while I waited outside. I watched them descend into the depths of the restaurant, and less than a minute later one of them peeked around the corner and beckoned for me to come inside. THEY GOT A TABLE. No reservation. No problem.
As it turned out, we were seated (or rather, they were seated and I then joined them) at a table with a reservation sign on it. When the host who refused me later saw me join the two he just sat, he came over and tried to say that we had to order and eat fast because our table was reserved for a party that was expected later that night. Whatever dude. We all know what you were doing.
As we ate, I watched two smaller (English-speaking) parties of two sit at the other end of our large table throughout the night. The large party expecting our large table never showed up. What a bunch of BS.
Although the food was pretty good (not spectacular), and the waiter was pleasant, I have two warnings for anyone wanting to visiting this restaurant:
1) This restaurant falsely uses 'reserved' table signs, especially on their outdoor tables, to appear as though they are a highly sought after and in-demand restaurant. DON'T BE FOOLED. This is simply a marketing strategy to look more important or popular than they actually are. If they WANT to seat you, they will.
2) This restaurant host (30-something Asian male with birthmark/scar on face), clearly practices racist bigotry and may refuse you service based on your skin color or language. BEWARE! read more