119 Best Restaurants in Prague, Czech Republic

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.

This trendy bistro, on the corner of the neighborhood's main square, Karlínské náměstí, is all about light and space, with high ceilings, big windows, and an open kitchen, as well as muted colors throughout. It's also about great food, with particular pride taken in its array of meat dishes—from duck breast to pork loin to sirloin steak—cooked on the charcoal-fueled Josper grill. Come for lunch for a good-value two- or three-course lunch menu (255–325 Kč).

A loungy spot on a well-trafficked stretch of Újezd, NOI delivers on the promise of its Zen interior by cooking excellent Thai classics. Lithe staff are quick to accommodate their hip clientele at low tables surrounded by Buddha statues. The kitchen excels at standards like a citrusy pad Thai and curries, which run from tingly to tear-inducingly hot. There's an excellent selection of wines and special teas.

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. 

The clue is in the name here (although beware of the pronunciation: the diactric above the 'r' here makes it sound more like a 'rzz'). Great pasta and other Italian classics at this family-style Italian restaurant, just over the river from the National Theater, making it a good option for a comfortable pre-show bite. 

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 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. 

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.

With its hip signage and location, you could be forgiven for assuming that Piknik is style over substance. But the lines to the counter would quickly set you right, as customers line up for delicious pastries, cakes, sandwiches, breakfasts, and coffee. There are some tables, too, but as the name suggests, it's a good spot to load up on provisions to take to Letenské sady (Letná Park) just across the river or farther afield. It opens at 7:30, for those who want to get ahead of the tourist hordes.

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. 

Famed for its soft and squishy cinnamon rolls (some of the best in town), this takeout spot also serves perfect pulled-pork sandwiches and lip-smacking vegan wraps.

Locals love this buzzing café that focuses on local ingredients and serves generous brunches, delicious bread, and excellent coffee. Chleba a máslo, next door, is a similarly unpretentious neighborhood bakery that's owned by the same crew.

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.

For Czechs, this traditional bar--restaurant remains one of the most popular spots to take visitors for a taste of local cuisine without the stress of tourist rip-offs. And it's a solid choice. The wood-and-copper decor gives off an appropriate air of a brewery taproom, and you can wash down traditional meals with a mug of unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell. Success has led to the opening of a whole "Kolkovna" chain of restaurants; you'll find branches near Můstek, Na příkopě, and west of Most legií (Legions Bridge).

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.

Since opening in 2011, Zdenek's Oyster Bar has established itself as the city's best seafood bar. Aside from oysters (more than a dozen different varieties), head chef David Vlášek has developed creative entrées around mussels, shrimp, crab, lobster, and various types of fish. The restaurant occupies a quiet corner in the middle of Staré Mĕsto. The interior is classy but relaxed, and while the prices here can be high, you get what you pay for and there's never any pretension or attitude.