Prague medieval tavern – A dinner review of U Pavouka

In Prague I had dinner in a Medieval Tavern called U Pavouka. 

In this review, I will tell you more about the food, drinks and the medieval entertainment.

Was it worth the price?

And most importantly, should you really book a medieval dinner in Prague or it is just a touristy show that you can well avoid?

Let me be very straightforward with you: it was one of the best experiences I had during my brief holiday in the Czech capital and I will tell you why.

Here below you will find a full description of the night as well as the uncomplicated way to book your medieval dining experience.

And this is probably the most important tip. Book well in advance, because this is probably the most popular attraction in Prague, more than often booked out.

The review of the dinner at the medieval tavern U Pavouka in Prague

How was the booking process?

Let me start by describing my experience from the booking process, which has been super easy.

You just need to say how many adults and children, the set menu that you want (3-course or 5-course meal) and the type of menu (pork, poultry, fish, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free).

There is no need to specify any drink because beers, wine, and soft drinks are complimentary and without restrictions, basically unlimited drinks.

In our case, I have booked for two adults and a child. Children up to 12 years old have a discount on the price of the adults.

We all went for a different choice, and we decided on pork, poultry and fish. Which worked so well because I could taste all three mains.

Considering that the traditional Czech food is mostly based on meat dishes, I really appreciated how wide was the choice on menus, including not only for vegetarian but also for vegan and gluten-free diet.

How to get there?

We made our way to the medieval tavern U Pavouka which is situated in the Prague city centre, right off Celetná Street, one of the most popular and beautiful street of the city, between the Powder Tower, the City gate built over 600 years ago, and the Old Town Square.

If you stay in the Old City, then the restaurant is most probably within walking distance of your accommodation.

Otherwise, you can book an Uber (cheaper than a taxi to get around the city) or just take the Subway B to the Náměstí Republiky Station (it’s a short walk from there).

If you stay in Malá Strana (Lesser Town – the Prague Castle area), you can catch the direct tram 194 from Malostranské náměstí that will take you very close to the U Pavouka tavern.

We arrived there around 7:45pm for an 8pm start.

The queue at the entrance was actually quite long, which made me worried, but in no time we were inside. The two guys at the door were really quick.

We headed straight away to the underground tavern, where the organised dinner with the show is located.

There is a restaurant also at the ground level, but it is more for a casual meal.

By the way, this is one of the oldest pubs in Prague, great for a beer as well.

My second tip here: try to get there by 7:30pm, so you can enter and relax at your table with your drink of choice, all included. 

How was the medieval tavern?

The decor in the two underground rooms dedicated to the medieval dining experience was just stunning.

I felt like suddenly catapulted into the Game of Thrones series.

There are two rooms. The first one is right under the entrance stairs and that is what you are going to see as a first impact, again astonishing.

Long wooden tables are organised on the left and right side of the room, with old lights in cages hanging from the ceiling. 

The middle ages decor all around the room definitely highlights a labour of love and many years of refinement in the details.

You do feel like having a medieval banquet.

The central space between the tables is used for the show that starts later in the dinner.

The second room has a very similar interior design, but it is much bigger, with tables also in the centre. Enough space is left between the three rows of tables for the show.

Now an important info to remember. The toilette is just beside the stairs that take you down to the first room.

You may need it more than you think with all those unlimited drinks 😉

Free drinks, but how was the choice and quality?

Beer was excellent, as were most of the beers I tried in the Czech Republic. I never had a bad one, to be honest with you.

They serve it into ceramic beer steins which makes it so middle ages 🙂

My wife had red wine. Now, do not expect anything memorable, but it was drinkable and surely you are not in a medieval tavern in Prague for the wine. 

There is a wide choice of soft drinks that you can choose from. I tasted the apple juice of my child and, again, was a good one, not too sugary or watery.

My suggestion here is to order beers over wine., unless you are, of course, for a soft drink.

Water is provided on the table in a 1L pitcher.

Again, the price includes unlimited drinks, so order as much as you like, without, of course, going overboard.

How was the dinner, including the medieval entertainment?

We approached our table, a wide one with plenty of space for the food and drinks.

The boy had a 3-course dinner, meanwhile we had a 5-course dinner.

They took us a cold starter based on smoked duck and turkey breast, which were quickly followed by a traditional Czech soup (potato or chicken broth).

I noticed that other people had a selection of Czech cheese, which I guess it was the vegetarian option.

And then the fun began, with the unique medieval programme started with two duellers having sword fights between the dark wooden tables, with great middle ages music in the background.

It was a short fight, but so intense and well acted. My kid was already standing on the bench, open mouth looking at it! Definitely a great show for the kids.

Then a warm appetiser made of the traditional Czech pancakes, with spinach and garlic, arrived on the table. We quickly devoured, also because the next performance was starting.

A couple of bagpipes players, with other medieval musicians, entered the room, with dancers following behind. Again, same kind of Game of Thrones music, and lots of fun.

We were seating on a table in the big room, on the side, and I could see almost everything happening there. 

The performers moved around the space quickly so that everyone had great visibility at some point.

Most of the people in the room were already clapping their hands, giving more rhythm and energy to the performance.

Absolutely a great vibe which lasted around 20 minutes.

The main course arrived just after the end of the great show.

The 12 hours roasted pork dish of my wife was massive, probably too big for her, which she loved but could not finish it.

On my side, I had actually an entire fish, medium size. I expected more of a fillet and I was actually happy to see a real fish, a baked trout, which was delicious.

The boy was able to eat most of the chicken breast. It was another big portion.

I had a taste of his dish and it would have been another good choice.

Overall, I felt like I had the best choice of the three, but we all like different things, isn’t it?

Now, as we were finishing off our mains, a pub fight started between the previous two swordsmen.

Another 10 minutes of fun performance, with again some medieval music in the background.

It reminded me a bit of the Pirates of the Caribbean fight at the tavern. Again a great fun.

The medieval feast ended with a homemade cake for dessert, but the show kept going, it actually increased in intensity with more music performed by the bagpipes players, and then belly dancers, jugglers, fire show and so much more.

The great atmosphere in the room was just terrific, with more customers taking part in the dancing, clapping hands, and of course drinking (which helped with the atmosphere I feel LOL)

That was the final part of the medieval show, which was similar in style to a firework display, starting slowly, moving faster in the middle, and speeding up so fast towards the end.

U Pavouka Medieval Tavern – How to contact

• Address: Celetná 597/17, Prague 1 – Staré Město (in heart of the old town)
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday for dinner
• Phone number/WhatsApp: +420 702 154 432
• Book your night at the U Pavouka Medieval Tavern here

Book the Medieval Dinner

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Conclusion – HIT or MISS?

If you follow my website and socials, you probably already know that I like to come to the point, without spending too many words.

And right from the start of this post, I already told you that the medieval tavern dinner in Prague was a great experience, one of the best I had in the Czech capital.

To me, it was a total HIT, something that you should add to your must-do list, a great place to spend a night in Prague.

We had lots of food, which was excellent, drinks were perfect for the night, however, the icing of the cake was most definitely the medieval show.

And let me answer the two original questions.

Was it worth the price?

Totally, it is actually a good deal, even more so if you are with a group of friends looking for some fun, without thinking too much about the number of the ordered drinks.

Should you really book a medieval dinner in Prague or it is just a touristy show that you can well avoid?

For sure, do not expect locals at the dinner. Nevertheless, I would not consider it a touristy trap to avoid. It’s actually a good spot to meet other travellers, besides having fun, of course.

Of course, as with any experience, the dinner did not come with a few misses.

Drinks may not come to the first order, especially later in the night. The service is excellent in the early stage but then they tend to delay the delivery of the drinks, and you may have to ask a couple of times for them.

It’s totally understandable. Honestly, the great staff gets a hard time, with lots of drinks requests (a few people tend to exaggerate with free drinks 😉 )

So, wait for your drinks, but if they do not come within 4-5 minutes, don’t be afraid to ask again.

It’s not a Michelin dinner, and for that you should check out the best restaurants in the city for unique food and wine, with a much higher budget too, in a few words, it’s a different experience.

In Australia, we would call it pub food, well in this case medieval pub food, or just honest food.

There is no ala carte menu, but the six choices of set menu, give enough variety I think.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. The show is pretty unique and you do feel like you are in the medieval times throughout the great night.

And I want to finish saying that the U Pavouka Medieval Tavern was a totally fun place for our 8 years old boy, so I would definitely consider taking kids to this unique experience.

More photos of the Prague medieval tavern U Pavouka – what you should expect