What I can say that hasn’t already been said about Ambiente? The Ambiente Group is a powerhouse: 10 restaurants in Prague, one in Liberec, and they’re even opening their first stateside restaurant in New York City, a Czech-style pub appropriately named “Hospoda”. They’re a chain that’s not really a chain at all. Each of their restaurants has a different style, theme, atmosphere, and menu.
But for now, let’s focus on an old favorite: Ambiente Brasileiro.
There are two locations in Prague, Slovanský Dům and U Radnice. I usually frequent the one at Slovanský Dům, and I’ve probably been there at least a dozen times. Sometimes I go just for the salad buffet, but on special occasions (such as my boyfriend’s birthday) we go all out and get the churrasco buffet as well.
This was the case last weekend, when on Saturday night we went to celebrate with some friends. Making a reservation is always recommended (maybe not by the restaurant but definitely by me). We went a bit earlier, so we would have lots of time to sit and enjoy the countless rounds of beef, chicken, pork, and seafood passed around.
The interior of the restaurant is bright and cheerful, in true Brazilian fashion, with stained glass walls in a myriad of colors.
The inside is quite large, and they have separate smoking and non-smoking sections.
While you may not leave smelling of cigarette smoke, you will leave smelling of churrasco, because the meats are prepared in an open spit sectioned off in a part of the dining room.
The salad buffet is in the first room, which means if you’re sitting the back room you’ve got to work for your food, but the fact that the cooks/servers bring the meat right to your plate more than makes up for it.
Drinks
This is probably the only time when my boyfriend doesn’t order beer with his meal. “I don’t want to fill up, need to save room for the meat!”, he says. I also forgo drinking wine, only because in this type of atmosphere, where the meal goes on for hours (4 in this instance), I need something that will keep me refreshed.
I ordered a Vodka Fizz (125 CZK), and the boy had a Fassbind La Vieille Poire (vyzrálá hruškovice) (118 CZK), a pear liquer . The drinks are a bit on the expensive side here, but they are prepared well. I always say the most expensive part of doing an “Ambiente night” are the drinks, not the meal. We also ordered a bottle of still water for the table. Unfortunately, the only 1l bottles they offer are San Benedetto (158 CZK). Again, quite pricey for water, but you have to assume that they are making up for the flat price of the meal.
Food
Of the four of us, three ordered the Churrasco Rodizio e Salada Buffe (645 CZK) and one ordered just the Salada Buffe (295 CZK). The buffet alone has an astounding amount of food, and if you like sushi, as my friend does, you could eat your weight in that alone. It has a wonderful mix of salads, soups, fruits, antipasti, sushi, oysters, and other delicious things.
When you order the full buffet, they also bring homemade fries and fried bananas to your table as a side. This is where it gets tricky, because they are delicious, but also a way to fill you up so that you don’t eat as much meat! Try to resist as much as possible, and decline any refills so as not to get distracted.
Meats
A similar approach is used with the meats. The “churrasqueros”, the cooks who prepare and also serve the meats, will start by bringing you the chicken and pork meats first. Try a small piece of each, because they are delicious (especially the bacon-wrapped chicken), but make sure you save room for the more delectable meats that come later.
Also, concerning the meats and how they bring them. Ambiente has a nice system which involves a paper circle given to each customer, red on one side and green on the other. Flip the green side up if you’re hungry and want some food, flip the red side up if you’re full or taking a “timeout” as I like to call it.
Now, on to the steaks (because that’s what you’re here for, right?). If you’re a first-timer, try a bit of everything. Different people have different tastes for what flavors and textures they enjoy. I’m not here to tell you that one meat is better than the other. Once you’ve been a few times, you’ll know what you like, and can avoid those other meats you may not find as tasty. One of my favorites is the Alcatra com queij, Rumpsteak with parmesan cheese.
Fish & Seafood
Again, this selection can vary from day to day, but they usually offer salmon, carp, and trout for fish, and octopus and shrimp for seafood. The seafood does not circulate all that often, so there are two ways to ensure you will get some: one, catch a server that has some and take it, or two, befriend a cook who prepares it and ask him (we usually do the latter). This works better if you have a Czech person at your table, but it’s not necessary. One of the cooks who prepares the fish came to our table several times with fish, and after turning downing it down my boyfriend slyly said to him in Czech, “But we would like some of those shrimps if you can.” So the server replied no problem, and I kid you not, left the dining room floor, went to the kitchen, and about 20 minutes later returned with a HUGE platter of shrimp.
The Brasileiro is not necessarily the place to go if you’re looking for dinner on a budget. But it does make a great place for special occasions, group dinners, or any other time you’re looking for a little something extra. The service is impeccable, the foods delicious, and the long, slow dinner makes for a wonderful time to converse with friends and family.
Photos courtesy of the Ambiente WebsiteBrasileiro Slovanský dům
Na Příkopě 22, 110 00 Praha 1
tel.: +420 221 451 200
fax: +420 221 451 201
e-mail: slovanskydum@ambi.cz
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