74 Best Bars in Prague, Czech Republic

With its location just a bit out of the center, this fun club provides an escape from the hassle of downtown. The street-level part is a pleasant functionalist-style café with outdoor seating, and the lower level houses a club with a big dance floor. The name is a bit misleading; there are some '80s nights, but the bulk of the schedule is hip-hop, dance music, and other more contemporary sounds. Friday and Saturday nights only.

Part nightclub, part performance space, the Roxy doubles as a residence for DJs and as a popular venue for electronica and touring cult bands. The large former theater has a comfortable, lived-in feel that borders on warehouse chic. All exits from the club are final, and patrons are encouraged not to hang around the area. Upstairs, the NoD space has all manner of bizarre acts. 

A restaurant and nightclub and music venue in a warehouse in the middle of a market isn't really the place you'd expect to draw Prague's high-heeled glitterati, but SaSaZu often does. The gorgeous restaurant serves delicious and inventive pan-Asian fusion cuisine, and the vast club can be fun, too: it hosts performances by big international names, from Kesha to Public Enemy, and diners get their own doorway to the club, making an evening here—involving dinner and tickets to see a global music star—a pleasingly swanky experience.

The lost elegance of the 1930s, with clean lines on dark wood, is re-created in a bar that serves Manhattans, martinis, and other classic cocktails, sometimes with live jazz in the background. This was a trendsetter in Prague when it first opened for classic cocktails, and it remains a great joint for a sophisticated tipple, although it can feel a bit sleazy depending on the crowd. Make sure to book in advance on weekends.

The last old-fashioned pub in Hradčany, this place has cheap beer and long tables. It's almost impossible to find many seats together at any time, though. Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame, is known to be a fan. The name translates as "At the Black Ox," and while the pretty facade is a little run-down and the ground-floor doors and windows are dark (meaning it can easily be mistaken for being closed), once you're inside you are unlikely to leave in a hurry. The menu is in Czech, but trot out the trusty phrase "Jedno pivo, prosím" (One beer, please) and you'll be fine.

The oldest brewpub in Europe—open since 1499—makes a tasty, if overpriced, dark beer and serves around 2,000 pints of it every day. But the steady stream of tours means it can be hard to find a seat (in the evenings, at least), even though the place is cavernous, spread over eight halls and a garden. There's also a brewery museum and cabaret shows.

Beware of waiters putting unordered shots of liquor on your table.

If you don't insist they remove them right away, they'll be on your bill, and service can be indifferent to rude. But the raucous, beer-swilling, mug-clinking bonhomie makes up for that.

Commonly known as "Little Glen," patrons are willing to cram in to hear solid house jazz and blues bands, as well as a few visiting acts. Get there early to stake out a seat near the stage; the tunnel-shape vault can be crowded but that only adds to the atmosphere. Upstairs they serve food until midnight.

Some people claim that the way the beer is tapped here makes it the best in town, which probably explains the constant crowds. This was one of the first places in the world to offer unpasteurized beer from tanks, rather than kegs. And the place still retains its old-fashioned charm, making it one of the best authentic Czech pubs in a heavily touristed area. Groups should make reservations—a free table is rare.

Hidden in the side streets behind Old Town Square, this basement has been around since the 15th century and has been a cozy club with good music since 2000. The house bands are decent and play jazz, blues, or fusion, depending on the night. Its central location means there's mainly an international crowd, but you can still see some classic Czech sights—a sleeping dachshund perched on a barstool, unaware of and unimpressed by the stage acts, for example.

This modish wine bar offers a wide selection of natural and organic wines by the glass, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern European wine region. You can also order cheeses and cured meats to accompany your drink.

Although Prague is beer territory, this bar is all about wine. A mazelike, multilevel cellar forms the large wine bar in a baroque building, and there's a garden too. Make note of where your traveling companions are or you might never find them again—the interior is that labyrinthine. But this also makes for a cozy drinking hole in the cold winter months, and it's open extremely late.

This is usually one of the first places during the year to crack open burčák, tasty new wine served shortly after harvest.

This popular neighborhood hangout brews a range of traditional and well-regarded Czech pilsners, including unpasteurized and unfiltered versions, as well as an increasing number of IPAs and other ales. You can pop in for a beer or two, or make a whole evening of it with a meal in the restaurant (expect classic Czech pub food at good prices) followed by some live entertainment in the music hall (there's everything from jazz concerts to improv comedy).

The cool kids hang out at this out-of-the-way Žižkov basement bar to drink and chat late into the night. It's cozy, with dim lights, candles, wooden benches, and the bare brick walls. There are DJs and themed music nights, when everyone gets up to dance.

Currently the holder of the unofficial title of Prague's most alternative city-center pub and music venue, Vzorkovna operates a confusing chip system for payment (you get the change back at the end of the night, but don't lose the chip or they'll charge you). It's an acquired taste, with a rough pop-up feel of bars in metropolises like London or New York, plus that uniquely Prague junkyard vibe, with dusty floors, and often a giant dog wandering around. The beers on tap are from the award-winning Únětický Pivovar brewery, and reasonably priced for such a centrally located bar.