Food Friday: Family Fun Meal: Vytopna Restaurant, Prague

Most of the time when Tanya and I feature a restaurant on our Foodie Fridays, it is based on the deliciousness of the food we have eaten.  Today, however, I’m going to tell you about an eatery that me and my whole family fell in love with because of the atmosphere and eating experience.  

ENTRANCE TO VYTOPNA RAILWAY RESTAURANT

During my family’s trip to Prague, this past Spring, we had lunch at Vytopna Restaurant.  Located at Wenceslas Square in Prague, Vytopna’s very unique attraction is its Railroad theme and miniature railway. I read about this restaurant prior to our trip and from the pictures, I thought the kids would really get a kick out of eating here.  The entrance of the restaurant is nothing special, in fact, it’s through a small alcove and the restaurant is up a flight of stairs in a large building. At first glance, the train station theme is unmistakeable from the track bridge running across the the entranceway.  A railroad sign stands at the reception desk, with labeled arrows pointing in various directions instructing visitors which way to go.  

At Vytopna, an entire network of mini train tracks runs throughout the whole restaurant, passing along the counters, beside the tables and through tunnels, drawbridges as well as through natural looking outdoor scenes including  woods, ponds and rocks.  Miniature trains continually ride the full route of the restaurant, which measures 400 meters.  

When we arrived, we were seated quickly.  We were led by the host up a few steps to the seating area and escorted to our booth.  Rows of booths were situated on both sides of a center train track visible from both sides.  At the inner section of each booth, (where the train tracks were located), it resembled a an outdoor train station platform. Now, the unique aspect of this train system was that the trains themselves delivered the drinks to each table!  We sat and watched as these little moving vehicles made their way around the track, loaded up with glasses of beer, soda and other beverages, stopping at the specific table to deliver their drink order. My daughters were completely delighted, as were me and Tedd and we all grabbed our cameras and phones to snap a picture as the orders kept coming.

Knowing our turn would come, we ordered our beverages and meal quickly.  We all waited patiently for the train to arrive with our drinks!  Straining our necks to see what was coming around the corner, we had our cameras ready each time we saw a train coming.  The railway system and the technology employed is obviously quite complex as the trains stop at the appropriate table with the correct order. The kids were amazed at how this little vehicle knew where to stop.  The train traveled past our "stop" several times towards other table destinations and then finally, our order was on its way! We managed to catch this on video.  Once we removed our drinks from the caboose, the train was on its way back to the station (bar). It was absolutely adorable!!

The food here was good, but definitely not your high-end type.  But, as I said, the main reason for our visit to Vytopna was for the miniature railway.  The menu consisted of a mix of salads, pasta and vegetarian dishes as desserts.  The libations were plentiful as well consisting of Czech wines, draught and bottled beers, cocktails and of course soft drinks and juices. There was a kids’ menu as well, making it a great destination for families.  The prices were very reasonable.  They also have several other locations throughout the Czech Republic.  We were sure to make advanced reservations because of its popularity.  Definitely worth a visit!

For Your Reference

Vytopna Restaurant