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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.
Literally translated as "A Coffee Shop Looking for a Name," this achingly hip café-cum-gallery serves great coffee, tempting cocktails, and excellent food—including top-notch breakfasts and brunches until midday on weekdays and 3 pm on weekends. The gallery space showcases work by local artists and hosts pop-up events.
The home-baked sourdough bread, the huge selection of delicious pastries, and the lovingly brewed coffee make this café-bakery a local favorite. It's so popular that there are now two other branches in Prague, including a second one in Smíchov (at Štefánikova 31).
It may not look too salubrious from outside, but this tucked-away fine-dining restaurant has a wonderfully warm and welcoming interior, all roughly plastered walls, sturdy wooden furniture, soft golden lighting, and autumnal wall hangings. What's more, the food is great: the seasonal, five-course degustation menu (1,590 Kč) has a mix of influences but really comes to life with main courses built around classic Czech ingredients like rabbit, pork, dumplings, and cabbage. Note that the portions are small, courses are quite spread out, and there are few extras (including no bread), so you may leave feeling not entirely full. Opt for a wine pairing (955 Kč) with dinner or add something a little different to your dining experience with a non-alcoholic pairing (480 Kč) of kombucha-like fermented lemonades. They vary in level of acidity; some are pleasantly subtle, others are more of an acquired taste. As well as dinner, the restaurant serves three-course prix fixe breakfasts (480 Kč).
Tasty, fresh superfoods, smoothies, and bowls sit alongside rather more indulgent desserts at this pleasant café just off Náměstí Republiky. They offer vegan options, and there are plenty of tables as it is housed in a pretty and spacious historic building.
High-quality meals at not-too-high prices are the order of the day at this elegant, Viennese-style café, which dates back to the 19th century. Diners can enjoy everything from cream of green pea soups to crisp seasonal salads and Parisian steak tartare to classic Wiener schnitzel, all complemented by fresh breads from the in-house bakery. The selection of cakes and pastries make for the perfect sweet finish. For the very best of Café Savoy, come for breakfast during the week or for brunch on weekends; you'll need to book ahead.
This popular Vietnamese-Czech coffee shop offers a real mix of Western and Asian coffee culture, from cappuccinos, espresso tonics, and hot chocolates to Vietnamese coffee, matcha lattes, and kombucha. The food is great, too: come for the excellent Western-style breakfasts and brunches (things like granola, scrambled eggs, and banana bread), or the tasty Asian-influenced lunches and dinners (like bun bo nam bo, Penang curry, and bibimbap).
Visitors with a sweet tooth should not miss this historic pastry shop in Nové Mĕsto, where Czech desserts, cakes, sweets, and treats are showcased over two floors. Opened in 1911 by František Myšák, the First Republic feel has been faithfully reconstructed.
An upmarket restaurant with a casual carefree vibe, Eska has been a big hit since opening its doors in 2016. The restaurant is located within a converted fabric factory, and it maintains the original industrial aesthetic through bare brick walls and exposed pipework, while also adding modern touches like Scandi-style furniture and a gleaming open kitchen. The food is also a blend of the old and new, utilizing age-old Czech techniques of fermenting, pickling, and marinating to create modern, minimalist dishes. Many of the dishes are sumptuous—in particular, seek out the to-die-for beef tartare—and even those that don't quite hit the same heights are still fun and innovative. What's more, every dining experience begins with crusty sourdough bread, baked in the downstairs bakery and served with salty, lovage-infused butter. Breakfast and lunch are available à la carte, while dinner is a choice between the five-course "chef's choice" tasting menu (985 Kč) and your own choice of two courses (685 Kč): either way, it's far better value than an equivalent restaurant in the Old Town.
Don't have time for a full meal? Pop into the downstairs bakery for a loaf of the delicious sourdough to go.
A popular café-bistro-bar with a homey feel (per its name), the menu here changes daily, taking inspiration from a mix of the owners' grandmothers and U.K. superchef Gordon Ramsay. There's also a shop for fresh vegetables and pastries. The coffee is great and at night there are often DJs.
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.
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.
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