Friends has run from a Bartolomějská cellar in the Old Town since the mid-1990s, with three floors, a small dance floor and a weekly rotation of karaoke, drag, oldies and themed nights. The crowd reads queer-leaning but cross-tourist.
Tip: Tuesday karaoke and Thursday drag are the packed nights. Cash easier than card; ATM on site.
Address: Bartolomějská 291/11, 110 00 Praha 1, Prague
Vzorkovna runs as Prague's reference underground dive, a labyrinth of low-vaulted rooms under Národní with mismatched furniture, a foosball table, a small live music room and several resident dogs roaming between the bars. Payment is loaded onto a bracelet at the door.
Tip: Load the bracelet with what you plan to spend; unused credit is non-refundable. The room peaks 23:00 onward.
The Saints runs a small Vinohrady bar a block from Termix, with multilingual bartenders, gay-press magazines on the counter and a regular rotation of drinks specials. It functions as the start-of-night meeting spot for the surrounding Vinohrady queer scene.
Tip: The bar shares ownership with Prague Saints travel; staff English-speaking and helpful on directions onward to other clubs.
Cult runs the Czech Republic's reference Japanese-style listening bar from the basement of Café Tvaroh on Šmeralova in Holešovice, with Klipsch La Scala and Heresy speakers, an Isonoe rotary mixer and a Reloop turntable rig. Programming runs vinyl-only across jazz, ambient and electronic selectors.
Tip: Red neon outside indicates the door is open; conversation is kept low between sides. Only Thursday through Saturday.
Vzorkovna runs as Prague's reference underground dive, a labyrinth of low-vaulted rooms under Národní with mismatched furniture, a foosball table, a small live music room and several resident dogs roaming between the bars. Payment is loaded onto a bracelet at the door.
Tip: Load the bracelet with what you plan to spend; unused credit is non-refundable. The room peaks 23:00 onward.
U Vystřelenýho oka has run on the slope below the Žižkov hill since the 1990s, named after the one-eyed Hussite commander Jan Žižka. Pilsner Urquell from the tap, a fish tank built into the bar counter, a courtyard beer garden in summer and occasional punk and acoustic live sets in the back room.
Tip: Closed Sunday. The beer garden out back is the summer seat; cash only, smoking inside is part of the deal.
Bukowski's has run on Bořivojova since 2008, named after Charles Bukowski with smoke-fogged candles, cocktails and cigars across a small wood-panelled room. The bar trades on a downbeat-but-friendly Žižkov atmosphere and a cocktail list cheaper than the Old Town options.
Tip: Cash only at the door; the room fills after 22:00. Smoking inside; the back room is quieter.
U Hrocha pours Pilsner Urquell from gold taps in a vaulted Malá Strana room a five-minute walk below the Castle, with exposed brick arches and a regulars-first culture that holds the room against the surrounding tourist trade. One beer on tap, traditional Czech bar snacks.
Tip: Arrive at opening for a seat; tables fill with locals by 17:00. Cash only.