After 73 days, restaurants and pubs in the Czech Republic were able to open their indoor premises on May 25. According to new data from Storyous, a quarter of restaurants, along with some pubs and cafes, did not re-open after the coronavirus lockdown.

Storyous, a cloud POS system – which supplies cash register systems to 3,000 businesses in the Czech Republic, shows that almost 25 percent of restaurants, bistros, and bars remained closed.

“The number of indoor premises on Monday, June 1, was the same as last week. It is possible that a quarter of the restaurants will not open at all,” said the CEO of Storyous Igor Třeslín.

Stouryous maps individual companies through their cash registers. Restaurants can also create orders for suppliers through the system. “At the moment, 22 percent of companies have EET turned off in the cash registers,” added Třeslín.

“The average restaurant or small pub will have probably about two to three weeks cash flow in reserve, that ran out and we have staff not getting money as businesses have no money to give them. Even if you lock up your building, there are fixed costs, alarms, security, insurance. All of that goes on, people are at their wits’ ends,” says Daniel Kolský from Café Jedna, which has officially closed after six years.

“The current situation is not economically sustainable for us. Our goal will be to find someone to take over the business and continue what we have been trying to build for three years,” stated the official Facebook page of Miska Ramen.

Other bars have turned to technology to help adhere to social distancing.

Lubos Kastner, who runs several bar-restaurants in the Czech Republic, said his outlets have QR codes on the tables that fire up the menu on customers’ smartphones, allowing them to order without a member of staff having to come over.

“We’re operating on a reduced capacity until spring 2021 by which time hopefully they will have a treatment or a vaccine,” adds Kastner.

Yet many of Europe’s breweries and bars might not have that long. They need an antidote to financial ruin, and soon, or the hangover may prove to be fatal.

Levain Bistro is the perfect destination for food lovers, just between Havlíčkovy sady and Krymská, on Kozácká 6. With a quiet and cosy atmosphere, this restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm.

The menu of this bistro, located in a trendy neighbourhood, uses fresh and locally-sourced ingredients for their dishes, that change depending on the season. They offer seasonal menus, cocktails, natural wines and local beers. A wide variety of plates and tapas await you, as well as unique pizzas.

This relaxed but fun place serves amazing artisan pizzas with home-milled flour and unique flavours like the duck pizza with homemade duck sausage, aubergine, tomato and chilli relish. On the menu, you can also find starters, salads or mouth-watering mains such as the Mexican brisket, with roast onion, black garlic, corn puree and pickled onion.

For brunch (served every Saturday and Sunday between 11.00 and 3.00 pm) Irish scones and ploughman’s bread are among the selection of treats you can have. Try their breakfast pizza with ham, cheese and eggs or even their hangover hog: sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, fried potatoes, tomato and toast.

The restaurant has a cosy ambience and friendly staff. The chef and owner, Jason Legear, has been all over the world for the last 20 years (that’s how he gets his inspiration from.) Ireland, Australia, New Zeland, Korea, Toronto, San Francisco, Belgium, Scotland and London are just some of the places he has visited or worked. Now, installed in the Czech Republic, he gives his personal touch to every dish with an exotic flavour and different texture combinations.

Written on the boards, you will find a great variety of tapas, along with the specials of the month, the fish of the day, wine of the week and last but not least, desserts.

The wines are all organic and excellent quality. They also offer beer (Hendrych) and Cider. Plus, don’t forget to ask about their homemade lemonades, made by the chef himself, or order one of their excellent cocktails. They have a considerable variety like ‘Poquito Picante’, with gin, Grand Marnier, coriander, jalapeño and lime, or ‘Ginger Step-Child’ with vodka, falernum, carrot shrub, ginger and egg white.

Also, keep an eye for the second edition of their successful Wine tasting and Food pairing. The 5th of November, for 1190 CZK per person, you get a welcome drink and six delicious seasonal dishes paired with six natural wines carefully selected by Fajnšmekr. The degustation menu includes plates such as cauliflower and apple salad with coconut and ginger dressing or goats cheese, hazelnut crust, pine poached and Jerusalem artichoke. For events like this one check the Levain Facebook page, where they upload all the exciting things to come.

Try creative food with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Levain is a comfortable place to sit and share a meal that looks familiar but has a unique twist. Be ready to expand your flavours and tastes.