Restaurant Suggestion, Prague
 

Toward the end of the month, I am taking my girlfriend on a surprise trip to Prague where I intend to propose to her. Surprise #3 is that my parents will be meeting us after the proposal for dinner (her parents can't make it). I am looking for a restaurant that is nive to very nice but also very casual, as she and I will likely be dressed very casually to keep the subterfuge going as long as possible. We will be staying near the Charles Bridge and my parents will be at the Savoy if that helps with recommendations. Thank you in advance.

ttt.Somebody, help this young man out.

What do you mean by "nice?" One of the best restaurants in Prague is Le Perle, which is in the Fred $ Ginger Building along the Vlatava, not too far from the Charles Bridge. When I dined there in July, a Japanese man sitting across from me was dressed in shorts and a baseball cap. Although I would never dress so horridly to dine in such a restaurant, you will find that there is really no dress code in Czech restaurants.

The view from Le Perle is amazing. You can gaze out over the Vlatava, with the spires of St. Vitus in the background. The food is French. Two can dine for about $100, including a bottle of wine.

My favourite restaurant in Prague is David, however. The food is world class. It is not nearly as romantic as Le Perle, though, and it is hard to find (an alley in Mala Strana). It is also more expensive than Le Perle.

Another top restaurant in Prague is U Modre Kachnicky in Old Town. 16 Michalska.

My husband had dinner at a wonderful place in prague that I think the name (translated literally) was Blue Duck. he said it was great food.

The czech name is U Modre Kranischy.

sorry - bad typos: U Modré kachnièky

http://www.squaremeal.cz/

here are a couple places you might want to consider:

http://www.upetrskeveze.cz

http://www.svataklara.cz/

http://www.uzlatehrusky.cz

http://www.uvladare.cz/

http://www.obecnidum.cz

hope this helps....

Dear bocephus71,
I'm just back from Prague. I was there for a trip of 4 days with a group of my colleagues, so you 'll have an opinion of about 10 Dutchmen of the age from 21 to 65 years.
Don't go to La Perle. It's in an interesting building, it's a 'chic'restaurant, beautiful food on beautiful plates, it has a magnific vieuw, BUT...if you don't like to be formal, it's not a place for you. I/we didn't like it. It was (almost very) expensive, the waiters were polite, but not nice, it's a show and they count the profit, really. Such a pace when they are pouring out. And they pretend to be of a better level if you put your knife in a wrong direction on your plate. It's actually rubbish...
We were on Nebozizek, it'a nice, very nice restaurant on Petrin hill, just by the funicular station. It's not such an exlusive restaurant like La Perle, but the food was excellent there and we had a few special wishes, they understood me immediately (I was as a guide, because I am a Czech). The food is authentic. To have a French diner in Prague it's strange, don't you think? I thought it, too, when we went to our hotel from La Perle. Sorry, I'm stil a bit excited about that.
In Nebozízek you have a magnificent view, too, and Václav Havel (the former president took Bill and Hilary there a few years ago. You must make a reservation, I think, because the funicular wil work from, I think, 25 March and they say, it wil mean a full restaurant. We sat on a closed terrace. Only the toilets weren't perfectly clean, I'm sorry to say.
David restaurant on Trziste street on Lesser Town (Malá Strana) was excellent, too, with an authentic food and a perfect waiter. If you want to hear more, let me know.
Bye, bye.

I didn't see the staff at Le Perle as "snooty." I saw some young, inexperienced waiters who spoke little English come across as "stiff." Some "green" waiters may have been miffed about where you put your knife on your plate because where you place it can be a cue as to whether or not you are finished with your dish. I am sure that with that level of service, an inexperience waiter may have been confused, and even overwhelmed, for fear of having a superior watch him make a faux pas by removing your plate before you were finished.

I was surprised how nice the waiters were to the Japanese man sitting across from my mother and me. The man was wearing shorts and a basebal cap. No one showed him the slightest condescension, except for my mother, who couldn't believe this "slob" was seated across from us. Her eyes spoke volumes. :)

Hello ThinGorjus,
I didn't mean to criticise your advice. You were lucky to have an excellent diner in La Perle a few months ago and I took advantage from your meaning about the Prague restaurants when I had to prepare our trip. But...I/we found La Perle mainly a business. Most waiters were French and experienced, I think. I speak in Prague Czech, also in restaurants in spite of all my colleagues who spoke English. Some of these waiters in La Perle obviously didn't like it and they spoke Czech poorly. Never mind. But I don't like to be ordered as a 'lower species' when I ask if they have a traditional Czech strong drink (to be tasted ) Borovicka. My (young) boss was reading another page in the menu than we were recommended to read for dessert and the main(!) waiter took the menu from his hand and turned a page over. We had to laugh not to be angry...It's such a pose and pretence there. We had good food really but it wasn't extraordinary for that money.
We had better food in Zahrada v Opere and for sure in David. However without any frills and whatever...

I am sorry you had a bad experience at Le Perle. I, too, had better food a David and Zahrhada v Opere. However, I was recommending Le Perle because I thought it would be a nice place for a man to propose marriage to a woman. The views of Prague make for wonderful romance. You probably didn't see that being with a table full of men.

Also, I heard no waiters speaking French at Le Perle, only Czech, with some rough English. In fact, there was a Czech family near us and the waiters were speaking to them constantly. They were obviously regular guests.

Cheers,
JohnG

You are right, if you'd propose a woman, then you'd pay an attention to some other things. The view in La Perle is magnificent really and when you get a nice table, then it (almost!)doesn't matter what do you have on your plate in such a situation. Nevertheless, I tried 'to analyse' every restautant we were. In Zahrada v Opere we had a little problem (the vegetarian dish, gnocchi, was not such a succes), but they solved it so smoothly. And they worried if we leave on time to catch the beginning of the performance in Laterna Magika, so everything went very nimble and so. I considered them more professional than those elated people in La Perle.
Anyway, the restaurant 'Ozivle drevo'on Strahov klooster has a magnificent view, too, but it's more 'normal'. On the other hand the surroundings there is so romantic. I know there small streets that you think the time stopped there a few centuries ago...

I would recommend Blue Duck, but the second one in old town which is called in Czech "Blue Duck 2". It has a romantic intimate country house atmosphere with antique furniture and decor and wonderful service without being stuffy.

From their website:

"RESTAURANT U MODRÉ KACHNIÈKY 2

open daily
11.30 - 24.00

Michalská 16, Praha 1
T: 224 21 34 18

e-mail [email protected]"

(www.umodrekachnicky.cz. When you see the photo of the "retro" restaurant, we had the table next to the bar with the cushy upholstered chairs. The menu is on the website too, updated Czech classics.)

Enjoy your trip!