During the pandemic, reporting assignments meant I was traveling more than most people. And when I was on the road, pandemic restrictions and common sense made my meals, by definition, takeaway.
As the pandemic continues, I have cautiously started eating in restaurants again. And, in particular, I’ve started looking again for restaurants that are both local institutions and places to grab a bite to eat.
Most, if not all, will never catch the attention of critics of the Michelin Guide. Their decor is usually modest, as are their prices. But they have all found a magical combination of distinctive food, great service and a friendly atmosphere that has given them longevity in a company known for its short lifespan.
A few years ago I wrote about a defining example: the Hoito, in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
[Read: Finnish Pancakes With a Side of Canada’s Labor History]
However, late last year fire razed the Finnish Labor Stamp to the groundwho housed it. rebuild is now underway.
I am currently in Edmonton on my second trip here in just a few weeks. It’s a city I reported on quite regularly – at least before the pandemic. So I’m ashamed to admit that I only came to attend Pope Francis’ visit at the end of last month that I discovered one of the local institutions: Bistro Praha. It’s doubly embarrassing as Bistro Praha is close to both hotels where I usually stay in the city.
The most recently opened location, just off Jasper Avenue, is not favorable. It is located on the ground floor of an office building, sandwiched between a pizzeria, the entrance to a transit station, and an empty storefront that housed a Starbucks before the pandemic.
The menu is perhaps best described as Central European?, with dishes such as schnitzel, smoked pork shoulder and roast duck. Sauerkraut and dumplings also feature prominently. On the three times I’ve been there, many of the customers seemed to be regulars who knew each other. It was always busy.
At the end of a long Thursday night watch shift, Milan Svajgr, who now owns Bistro Praha with Alena Bacorsky, his life and business partner, sat down with me to discuss the history.
Frantisek Cikanek, the founder, had no real restaurant experience when he started Bistro Praha in 1977. But he was stunned that he couldn’t find the kind of cafe in Edmonton that he had frequented in his native Czechoslovakia (as it was then known), so he opened one. Within a few years it became a full-fledged restaurant, with much the same menu it has now.
Mr. Cikanek was involved in the city’s music scene and from the beginning Bistro Praha was a meeting place for musicians, actors and performers. For most of its early years it stayed open until 2am to accommodate their late hours. Mr Svajgr said that once, when he was locking, he was startled to see Joni Mitchell running for the door; it was unlocked and the restaurant stayed open until 5am
That celebrity association has led to a curious practice at the restaurant: Starting with Kirk Douglas many years ago, celebrities from the arts and sports world began signing the undersides of the bentwood chairs. Mrs. Mitchell was sitting by the front window the other day.
After Mr. Cikanek’s death, Mr. Svajgr and his sister Sharka, who both started working in the bistro after emigrating from Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, bought the restaurant from his estate.
There have been setbacks. Ms Svajgr died in 2019, at the age of 53. Thirteen years ago, a fire at another business above the bistro’s original location forced it to close for two years before moving to its current location. However, Mr. Svajgr was able to save the furniture, including the signed chairs. And a customer donated a second copy of the huge photographic mural of a mountain landscape that dominated both locations. (It’s in Switzerland, not Central Europe.)
Like many restaurant owners, Mr. Svajgr has used up his savings to keep the restaurant open during the pandemic. But he told me he never considered quitting.
“It’s a lifestyle to run this place,” he said with a laugh. “It’s very interesting, I like it a lot. The restaurant business in general will not make you rich. You’ve got to love it.”
Does your community have a restaurant that is a local institution? I’d love to hear it, both for my own travel planning and for a future newsletter. Please tell me by email and include your full name and where you live so I can name you properly should we name your favorite place.
Trans Canada
Born in Windsor, Ontario, Ian Austen was educated in Toronto, lives in Ottawa and has reported on Canada for The New York Times for the past 16 years. Follow him on Twitter at @ianrausten.
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