RSS
Taking Back "Bohemian"
Subscribe
The Bohemian Beer Hall is on an isolated block off of the main street in northern Astoria (2919 24th Ave to be exact) . The dark green awning and heavy wooden door place it immediately as a place of Central European merriment and as the door shuts firmly behind you, an assurance overtakes you that the good times are being sealed in as are the delightful smells of sauerkraut and shoulder of pork. There are some bad things about the place. For one, as was bound to happen at a traditional space in the midst of a modern city the crowd is not quite homogenous. The biggest group seems to be bands of thirty-something professionals, but even they are split on the basis of why they are there and, perhaps resultantly how loud they have resolved to become in their drunkenness. One table was especially loud, populated by what more callous and judgmental authors might describe as frat boy dum-dums who came in where a brass band was admittedly absent.
The food is good here and the beer comes in pitchers which automatically makes it better. The atmosphere is nice if you sit outside but if you're stuck inside the trouble is that its not the kind of place to go if you want to be the drunk fratboy dum-dum and its also not the place you go to get away from all that because one or two tables will end up being populated with them. Maybe they should start calling themselves a family restaurant or something to keep the clientele and noise-level a little more consistent. Having a loud beer hall isn't just fine, it's more or less necessary. But there is a difference between the kind of merriment you would expect at a beer hall (people relaxing and hyuking it up after work) and the kind you would expect on the set of a bootlegged mixed martial arts video.
All that said the mostly Czech or otherwise Central European selection of beer and food definitely satisfies and as mentioned earlier if you sit outside it is a great place to come and engage in a jovial exchange of jokes and pleasantries. Recommended is the duck with red cabbage and the Staropramen beer, although they have a rotating selection of craft beers that is limited but definitely worth a look at. Have to stress again that the place is basically very good and if you sit outside it is quite a pleasant experience. Just don't plan on eating dinner inside if you aren't prepared to deal with harsh echoes from wooden booths.
Add a Comment
