Although the main dining room seems quite small, it has space for around 40 diners, thanks to cleverly constructed booths along each wall. The seating is made up of long benches, rather than individual chairs, so that also allows a few extra people to squeeze in. The booths are constructed of dark paneled wood, and the panels are decorated with historic prints and photographs of the Jewish quarter. The tables are the same dark wood and the wall space above the booths is also thickly decorated with framed prints and pictures, along with a collection of antique bottles and other odds and ends. It’s quite a pleasant effect, which is good; because both times I was there it took a long time to be served and the photographs provided a welcome diversion. There’s also a small courtyard at the rear of the restaurant with enough space for about another 20 diners.

The menu features the usual range of meat and potatoes dishes, but also includes a section entitled ‘Inspiration from the Jewish kitchen’. One of the dishes in the section was a chicken fillet with orange, raisins, and almonds for 105Kc. Another was the Židovský řížek/Jewish schnitzel which was a beef fillet with garlic and onions, again for 105Kc. I chose the beef fillet with egg, and had chips (French fries) as a side order and a large glass of kofola which came to 128Kc/4.5 euros/$5.5 U.S. in total. The menu is available only in Czech and German.

There are five types of beer on tap, but the most interesting to try might be one of the Černohorska brews from the local area. Both the dark Granat and the lighter lager were available, each for 17Kc for a half-litre glass. Uncle Su-Su had the Granat and pronounced it excellent while Young Tom had the lager and enjoyed it enough to have a second glass during the long wait for our meals. When the meals eventually arrived everybody thought that they were worth the wait. The portions were generous, the beef dishes were well cooked and Veverka’s fried cheese flowed as smoothly as the nearby river Bělá.

Restaurant Makkabi is open Monday through Thursday from 11am to 11pm, on Friday and Saturday from 11am until midnight and on Sunday from 11am to 10pm.

Highly recommended for anyone who has up to 90 minutes to devote to their meal.