One of the establishments perfectly fitting into the puzzle of boutiques, stores and cafés of this street is Spižírna 1902, the coffee place with the most instagrammable interior (step away, colorful wall in Místo!). Spižírna is also a place about which you can find very controversial reviews. We are trying to visit places unbiased and not really get influenced by reviews, but while you're looking for cafés serving chai which are open after 6 p.m., reviews might pop up in front of your eyes. And sometimes, you just read stuff out of curiosity.
I was intrigued. Some people thought the service was slow and the coffee amazing. Some people loved the interior, others found the place sterile and soulless. Some thought the café is a perfect spot for an evening cup of coffee, others will never get back to that hipster cave.
Words, words, words. And what is better than reading other people's words? Experiencing on your own!
ALBA
The Chai: For me this was definitely the most beautiful chai so far: both cups served on a nice wooden tray, the foam sparkled with chocolate and nutty chips on top, I couldn't wait to try it when I first saw it. Pretty warm and tasty, quite spicy, I must say it's one of my favorites. :) 8.5/10
The Overall Experience: Cool hipstery café in Korunní street with a nicely decorated interior and one of the most beautiful wall papers I have ever seen! From the lovely flowery wall to the gorgeous hanging lamps and the nice wooden wall at the bar, it's clear that they have put a lot of effort into creating this space that could maybe feel a bit...cold? when first entering. It quickly changes to feeling cozy and welcoming once you take a seat, make yourself comfortable and the nice background music starts to play. If you feel hungry after the chai, read these three words carefully: pivo, nachos, guacamole. Well done, Spižírna! 9/10
MARGITA
The Foam: Shock. Surprise. Incomprehension.
There were nuts on the foam.
I'm allergic to some nuts.
It was quite unexpected, as nuts usually don't belong on chai-foam. I'm a bit perplexed having to evaluate a foam whose significant share I spooned over to Alba's cup. I didn't know if it was walnuts, a mix of various nuts or not that dangerous hazelnuts. But I took it as an opportunity to test if my nut-allergy also applies to what looked like cut hazelnuts.
I was carefully trying the chai which was freed of some nuts (but not all of them). In case of an emergency, I had my first aid kit in my bag and Alba to the rescue.
Now about the foam. Soft and silky foam on a spicy side of the spectrum. A classic which you cannot do anything wrong with and it represented a very decent portion of the chai. (Alba got to enjoy more of it.) 7/10
The Chai: Finally some change! The chai didn't come in a white simplistic mug or in a vintage cup. This glass reminded me of the thermo-cups you get when joining a company. It was just not... you know, plain ugly. This one was in the shape of a normal glass, having space between the inner and outer layer, isolating the beverage and keeping it warmer for a longer time (I guess). The chai was served in a very aesthetic way, on a wooden plate. Even the little sugar-packages matched the coolness of the plate.
I enjoyed the taste of the chai, it was not too sweet and was even warm (enough). Because I didn't succeed in removing the nuts completely, this became the first chai I was not able to finish. Or didn't dare finishing. To my bad, as it was really tasty and a bit different than the other chais we have tried. (Maybe due to the nutty ingredients, LOL.) 8.5/10
The Overall Experience: What do people have against the personnel of this café? The waitresses were just the smiliest and nicest, very attentive (especially when I was out of wine during a very emotional part of our conversation).
What I need to talk about again are - you're guessing right - the nuts.
I'm thinking that I handled the situation quite unwell and that I should have confronted the waitress instead of freezing. But... How should I have done that? Uhm, sorry, do you really make your chais with nuts? Can I give this one back to you then? This whole situation seemed just weird to my un-confrontational self.
This is why I'm not going to consider the nuts in the different parts of the review, because, you know - it was also my decision to keep the chai and test my allergies this non-standard way. What I for sure want to consider is the fact the allergens are not indicated on the menu. Dear cafés, in case you include non-standard ingredients in well-known normal beverages, you should indicate all those nuts, poppy seed milk, sesame paste and other stuff atypical for a chai on the menu! I know the numbers representing allergens or words in brackets don't look too nice on your cool-fonted menus, but do you want people to return their drinks when you put them in front of them? Or even better - call ambulances when someone gets an allergic reaction?
The place itself is mindblowingly beautiful, photogenic and original. Carefully selected details, all in harmony in their simplicity. The walls are covered in artsy wallpaper, which gives the places a jungly vibe. Even the nachos with guacamole, which Alba ordered, were looking better than any dish I've had for lunch in the last month.
The real celebrities of this place were the cakes and the buchty, real hardcore sourdough Czech pastry positioned on a simple, yet impressive counter with little reflectors putting the pastry in the spotlight.
Our evening there had a pleasant atmosphere. At one point, there were only girls in the place and more than one gift-giving was happening. This I found really lovely and it made me instantly miss my far-away (girl-)friends and thankful for the one I had sitting in front of me.
I'd definitely recommend the place just for the sake of seeing the interior. The good wine, the lovely staff and the hypnotizingly beautiful food are a huge bonus. But make sure you ask about the ingredients in case you have food allergies. 8/10
Price of the chai: 70 CZK / 2.80 EUR
Total score:
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