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Prague generally gets high marks for architectural beauty and decidedly low marks for the quality of the food. But this is an unfair assessment based on impressions from the 1990s, when finding a decent meal really was something of a challenge. Since then, the global slow-food, fresh-food revolution has washed up onto the shores of Bohemia. Everywhere you look, serious restaurants are touting the freshness of their ingredients, and often claiming to source everything locally where possible. Some places are reviving classic Czech recipes that may be more than a century old, while others are liberally borrowing ideas and inspiration from cuisines around the world.
Part of the credit for this dining renaissance goes to the Ambiente chain of restaurants, which through its stable (including La Degustation, Lokál Dlouhááá, and Pizza Nuova) has greatly raised standards. And it’s done wonders for the Czech national pride that excellent food is now easy to find. Other leading chefs have made their mark: Paul Day at Sansho, Roman Paulus at Alcron, and Ji?í Nosek at Zdenek’s Oyster Bar, among others. And Czechs have responded. A few years ago, it was a given the best restaurants were for visitors and businessmen. Now, many Czechs are discovering for themselves the pleasures of truly good food outside their kitchens.
International trends and fads, of course, have had an impact here, too. Every year seems to bring a new dining mania (and with it some great restaurants). The latest crazes for handcrafted burgers made from locally raised beef and for good Vietnamese cooking have brought a fresh crop of contenders. Past years have seen waves of sushi places, steak houses, and Thai noodle bars. We say, keep it coming.
Alas, what still needs an upgrade is service. English is widely spoken, but service can still be brusque or, worse, incompetent. Restaurateurs spend millions on the food, but don't put the same thought into training their staff. This will be surmounted in time, though, and in general the dining scene continues on the upswing.
Classic Czech fare is best sampled in a hospoda, or pub. These local joints have menus that usually include dishes for which Bohemian cuisine is justly (in)famous: pork and sauerkraut with bread dumplings; roast duck; beef in cream sauce; and, for the vegetarian, fried cheese. In recent years Czech brewers like Staropramen and Pilsner Urquell have opened chains of branded pubs (Potrefená Husa and Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurant, respectively). These chains are to the traditional pub what a new Swiss timepiece is to an old watch—light years ahead in terms of the quality. If you're looking to dip a toe into the waters of Czech cuisine, these pubs are an excellent place to begin.
The main restaurant of the Grand Mark Hotel has established itself as one of the best restaurants in the country. Don't expect lots of innovation here, but dishes are skillfully prepared and presented, and the focus is on seasonal ingredients, with a monthly changing menu. Plush velvet chairs, recessed lighting, and neutral textiles make the atmosphere hushed and professional.
Staré Mĕsto can sometimes feel relentlessly "olde-worlde" Czech, and Belgian-styled bistro Les Moules represents part of the appeal of dining in Josefov instead, with a more international, modern vibe. There's a nice open terrace and a fine selection of mussels, as you'd expect from the name. If you're tired of Pilsner Urquell, too (sacrilegious as this may be), there's a variety of Belgian Trappist beers.
The global trend for Nordic cuisine hasn't bypassed Prague, as evidenced by this hip basement restaurant with living plant walls, sounds of nature, and inventive, seasonal cooking delivered via tasting menus that are a blend of Scandinavian and Asian influences. There are only 22 seats, so it's best to book.
If you're visiting Lobkowicz Palace (or even if you aren't), save time for a coffee, pastry, or even lunch at this lovely little café. The menu is full of tasty treats, from Czech classics like goulash and schnitzel to simple fare like soups, salads, and grilled cheese sandwiches. There are also some great desserts; try the Bohemian apple strudel. The prices are a little high for what you get, but it's worth it for the lovely terrace views over Malá Strana.
The same talented team behind Lokál Dlouhááá and Café Savoy refurbished this long-standing Czech pub near Stromovka Park in 2013. Not only did they add a fresh coat of paint to the walls, but, true to form, they refreshed and reintroduced some traditional tavern classics alongside great beer. A solid choice if you are in the area.
Sometimes, only a beer and a burger will do, and until recently, that would have been a difficult ask in this historic part of town. Enter Loki Burgers, with quality patties and a relaxed atmosphere, at the Petřín park end of town rather than up the hill by the castle.
The decor is bright and eccentric—think cats in fake windows, Picasso-esque murals, and bells hanging from the ceiling—but the ambience is friendly at this pan-Balkan restaurant on a busy stretch of the Malá Strana. Taking cues from Bosnian, Serbian, and Macedonian cuisine, the menu branches out to cover the best of the coasts and hill country plus hearty regional wines from family-run vineyards.
Vegetarians, you're in luck: the Czech Republic's best vegetarian restaurant just happens to be a five-minute walk from Old Town Square. Here, veg food is not viewed as a radical departure from other cuisines; indeed, most of the dishes, a mish-mash of global favorites, look and taste close to the originals, only without the meat. The interior design is attractive but a bit space-agey, with swoopy fabric light fixtures reminiscent of giant white mushrooms, which coincidentally turn up in many of the entrées.
Bamboo, wood, paper, and incense are all part of the decor at this earthy hilltop hideaway near Prague Castle. It's as much about the atmosphere as the food here, which isn't complex but is cooked with heart; expect spring rolls, vegetable stir-fries, and various fish and chicken dishes, all in generous portions. The drinks list is unusual, with plum wine, lychee liqueur, and other exotic alcoholic concoctions. While the ambience is unique, Malý Buddha will be a little dark and fragrant for some.
Top-quality coffee (the founders were inspired to start their business after a trip to Ethiopia) and good grub, too, at this large, light coffee shop and roastery.
This little bakery was set up by a Danish chef in 1999, which means predictably good Danish pastries and brilliant breads, including the house special, rye bread with sunflower seeds.
You don't have to splurge at expensive places like Kampa Park for regal dining vistas over the Charles Bridge or Prague Castle. For the price of a pizza or pasta, you can sit on the deck of this marina, anchored off the Vltava River. And on a warm summer evening, there's almost no better place in town to take in the cityscape. The quality of the food is surprisingly good, especially when the kitchen and the staff aren't too harried by the crowds. Understandably, you'll have to book well in advance to secure one of the coveted deck-top tables, and at busy times, it's best to book in advance to get a spot at all.
For travelers sick of heavy dumplings, rich fare, and dimly lit cellar pubs, Mistral is an oasis: light, bright, and modern, with a short international menu featuring fresh salads, soups, and pastas, with some Czech specials thrown in. Service is always friendly and somehow the place never seems to be too busy, despite its central location. There are fresh flowers on the tables every day and a kids' corner designed by the owners' daughter.
It's almost sacrilegious to describe these U.S.-style dogs as the best sausage in town, but their greatness cannot be denied (make sure you grab a Czech-style klobasa, or sausage, while in Prague, too, though).
Butcher shops are serious business in the Czech Republic and many have barely changed for generations, at least in terms of offerings. This newly updated version, with friendlier service and a handy lunch counter, stocks dozens of sausage varieties, classic smoked meats, and delicate fillets of pork and beef. All are available to take away or to be cooked for you on the spot. Situated on a colorful street full of bars and boutiques, the shop makes for a handy refueling stop that offers an authentic taste of Bohemian tradition. It now offers a quirky dinner with the butchers Monday–Wednesday, too. On a table that's lowered down from the ceiling—it's stored there in the day to save space in this tiny shop—are served a host of meaty Czech specialties with a side of storytelling thrown in. The only negative? It gets absolutely packed.
A Prague original, this combination Czech bookstore and coffeehouse draws a mix of students, intellectuals, and vagabonds. The coffee is very good, as are the homemade daily soups and breakfast specials. The rest of the food is only so-so, but everyone is drawn to the convivial atmosphere. This was the first home of the Globe Bookstore and Café back in the 1990s.
Among the nicest of a little clutch of vegan restaurants that have opened in recent years in this fairly businesslike part of New Town, Palo Verde has a gentle feel, with hanging plants and fairy lights providing the backdrop to fresh plant-based food, including salads and burgers, as well as good coffee and lemonades. There's a vegan hotel, Salvator Verde, next door.
Whether Pepenero serves some of the best pizza in Prague is the source of constant debate among locals, but one thing is for sure: it has the city's best mozzarella. Tangy and creamy, the cheese is as authentic as can be. It tops the panoply of pizzas here, including pepperoni, mushroom, and red-pepper pies. For the carb-phobic, the mozzarella also appears in the Caprese and Vesuviana salads, both large enough for two, and several of the pasta dishes. The modern white interior bustles with Italians engaged in friendly banter with the staff—a sure sign of authenticity.
Prague's large and long-established Vietnamese community means the city is littered with cheap Southeast Asian dining options, but this cellar restaurant is one of the very best. While it's certainly no-frills—order at the counter and then find a table; in a few minutes someone brings around your food—the dishes are unfailingly fresh and delicious. The most popular order remains pho bo, a flavorful tureen of noodles and sliced beef (or its chicken-flavored cousin pho ga) that you spice up at the table with a squeeze of lemon and shot of hot sauce. The fresh spring rolls, nem sai gon, make for a delicious accompaniment.
Prague has long had reliable Vietnamese food (thanks in part to a program between the "brother" communist nations in the 1980s, which brought thousands of Vietnamese people to then-Czechoslovakia for training or study). But this newish joint is not a bad option in the city center, particularly for the eponymous dish. It's often busy but things rattle along at almost a fast-food-restaurant pace.
Turning out tasty pies in true Neapolitan style, Pizza Nuova serves chewy pizzas that tend to get a bit soggy in the center—they're 100% authentic, if not the easiest to eat. The huge bilevel space, decked out in light and dark wood, also boasts a small outdoor eating area on Námĕstí Republiky. During the day it fills with businessmen having lunch and families with kids; at night the ambience turns a bit more swanky. All the pies come with authentic ingredients: San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, Grana Padano cheese. Overall, an affordable spot for when you just need some pizza.
The "Wounded Goose" is a casual restaurant and sports bar, serving up bar staples such as chicken wings as well as Czech classics, soups, pastas, and salads. If you like meat-heavy dishes and big portions, this is a solid bet for dinner.
Rub shoulders with locals at this pub that serves up fantastic, authentic local cuisine. Expect rib-sticking Czech favorites—there's a large selection of dumplings—that are perfect on cold days, and perfect cold draft beers. And because it isn't in the city center, the tourist kitsch element is absent---along with the inflated prices.
Craft beer and cake is a great refueling combination in this cute, family-run café in a historic building (check out the mini-exhibition on the way in).
Residential, semirural-seeming Troja is hardly a dining hot spot, but this vineyard restaurant with rooms is a real treat if you are in the area or looking for something a bit different for a special-occasion lunch or dinner. High-end dining, a stylish setting, and delicious wines combine to make visitors forget, or maybe remember, that they are in the bustling Czech capital. A taxi from the city center, probably the easiest way to arrive, should take around 15 minutes.
This narrow little room across the river from the Narodní divadlo (National Theater) is home to some of the city's best sushi. It was the first sushi place to open in Prague, back in 1999, and the selection remains first-rate by Central European standards. Though prices for individual maki pieces start relatively low, the bill can rise quickly, depending on how many you order.
With no-frills, well-priced, hearty Czech cooking in an atmospheric cellar, this is the kind of restaurant where tourists and locals happily intermingle. The menu boasts the big hitters of Czech cuisine at non-rip-off prices and hosts many happy patrons chowing down—with large mugs of pilsner, of course.
Yami is sushi without the pretension that often accompanies a sushi place in Prague, and while the prices have crept up in recent years, the sushi sets and rolls are still cheaper than much of the competition (without any compromise in quality). The soups and appetizers are excellent, too. Try to reserve in advance around mealtimes, because the quality hasn't gone unnoticed and this place can get crowded.
Near the Hradčanská Metro station, this restaurant is a hit with families, and it's easy to see why. The menu covers comfort-food classics—like excellent burgers and some of the city's best pizza—an easy sell for kids, but parents in the mood for something more refined can order entrées like duck risotto. Plus, 500 has a surprisingly good wine list, including decent vintages available by the glass (still a rarity in Prague). The daily luncheon specials are popular and reasonably priced. The final winning touch? In summer, an expansive terrace opens into one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods.
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