My sister and I had a bit of time to spare before going for a pizza and we were in the Rive area in Trieste, basically the promenade by the sea in the centre of Trieste. We spotted a new place and decided to go there for a swift drink.

Discovering Mala Strana, a Slice of Prague in Trieste

Mala Strana is a district of Prague, also called the Lesser Town. Mala Strana is also the name of a Bohemian draft beer, which is served in this newly opened bar in Trieste I discovered by chance.

The atmosphere and decor are informal and friendly. We spoke with Rudy, who told us he has several years’ experience as a baker. In fact he bakes some delicious cakes – more on that later.

We had a quick aperitivo with a small beer each and some delicious fried aubergines and courgettes. I had the dark beer, which Rudy described as similar to Guinness – sold!

The location is excellent, as it is a short walk from the sea, and very central.

You can see the food being prepared at the counter and, being winter, popular dishes included sauerkraut and sausages (although that evening a main of beef tongue was very much in demand).

Back to the cakes: we saw some delicious-looking “Carsoline”, which are mille-feuille with thick custard. We were so impressed with how amazing they looked that we came back the following morning to grab some for breakfast.

Mala Strana was a great discovery, a breath of fresh Czech air in the middle of Mitteleuropean Trieste.

Address: Riva Nazario Sauro 18/A, Trieste.