132 Best Restaurants in Czech Republic

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.

Traditional Moravian dishes like roast duck with cabbage, chicken breast stuffed with almond butter, roast piglet, or fried Olomouc cheese are served in a rustic interior. The wine cellar, open weekdays, is a bit homier than the street-level restaurant. The staff sometimes wear folk costumes, and live musicians occasionally perform folk music of the region. International wines, including rare vintages, are available alongside a large selection of Moravian wine.

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).

After a visit to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, you can carry on drinking and find some cheap traditional grub at the large Na Spilce beer hall just inside the brewery gates. The pub is open daily from 11 am to 11 pm.

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 loungy spot on a well-trafficked stretch of Újezd, NOI delivers on the promise of its Zen interior by cooking excellent Thai classics. 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.

Although billing itself primarily as a microbrewery and beer bar, this lovely cellar restaurant also serves the city's best burgers. Choose your beer (there are usually eight options on tap: a mix of home brews and beers from other Czech breweries), then dive into the extensive burger menu, including delicious vegetarian and vegan options.

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. 

At the edge of Jarni Park, near Sladkova, is this aptly-named café serving a small array of house-made baked goods like chocolate tart and carrot cake. There's also soft-serve ice cream, juice, coffee and tea, and lunch options that change every couple of days—sub sandwiches on whole grain rolls, small salads, and quiche. This is a lovely place to relax with a book or your computer (they have free Wi-Fi) while the kids play in the sandbox.

A contemporary re-creation of a landmark 1920s coffeehouse (the original was razed by the communists to make way for a theater), this spot is high on flapper flair. Everything from the light fixtures to the furniture was faithfully copied from the original interior. In summer, the windows mechanically retract into the floor. Lofty ceilings provide pleasant, lilting acoustics, and the food lives up to the modern atmosphere. The restaurant now has trendy multicourse tasting menus in the evening and offers gourmet Czech lunches during the day. Reservations can be made online.

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.

Cold beer, hot pizza, and a location right on Peace Square sounds pretty idyllic, but Pizza XXL ups the ante by serving ice cream, too. Next to the Regional Museum/Old Town Hall and with a good view of the square, it has 31 pies, with meat and vegetarian options roughly in balance. Old favorites like the margherita, the mushroom, and the four cheese make appearances, and so too does a delightful white ricotta pie and a couple with prosciutto and pancetta.

If you're too tired to leave your hotel, Pizza XXL delivers.

This traditional hunting lodge–style restaurant is the most rustic and fun of Karlštejn's eateries. To find it, follow the main road uphill out of the village about a third of a mile from town. If you've visited the castle, take the path to your left when you leave; or if walking from Beroun, you'll pass by before reaching the castle. The portions of pork, chicken, beef, and game are generous for the price. A small terrace is popular with cyclists and families in nice weather.

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.

Although it's pricey, Promenáda is unquestionably the best place to eat in Karlovy Vary. The starchy vibe is "'70s French fussy," and meals are on the heavy side. However, the menu is constantly changing as the chef uses fresh, seasonal ingredients. There's also an impressive selection of Moravian wines and a staff who are efficient without hovering.

In the cellar of a baroque building on Peace Square, this restaurant has atmosphere in spades, with a clubby vibe thanks to the cave-like ceiling and the warm glow of the lighting. Its romantic but friendly enough for kids, who have their own menu. The traditional Czech cuisine skews carnivore and fairly heavy, with venison, steak, chicken, pork, and beef dishes—the beef cheeks get high-marks for being tender—alongside lighter fare such as grilled salmon with roasted vegetables. Vegetarian dishes might include baked beet with gratinée potatoes, broccoli and horseradish sauce, or bulgur with grilled vegetables and Parmesan, and, although most salads and pastas come topped with meat, you can get them without. A long wine list offers plenty of options.

Part of a hotel of the same name, the interior of Rango is a mash-up of medieval, baroque, and modern style—think Gothic arched ceilings and '60s modern light fixtures. Similarly, the cuisine ranges from Italy to Greece; in addition to panini, they serve excellent pasta dishes, pizzas, and grilled meat.

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. 

Right on Peace Square, just down the street from the Regional Museum/Old Town Hall, this small restaurant is in a family-owned inn. The present building, often called House of the Black Eagle, dates to 1560, when it was rebuilt in Renaissance style by Italian architect Ambrogio Balli (the original building went up in 1410 as a family home). The traditional cuisine matches the historic surroundings; on the menu are hearty dishes such as pork knee with pickles and sauerkraut or pork roast with rosemary and red onions. There are a few vegetarian dishes, too, like penne with roasted vegetables and basil, and slightly lighter fare along the lines of chicken noodle soup.

The sunny interior here echoes its name, which means "sunflower." This café bills itself as a health restaurant and offers some (but not exclusively) organic and vegetarian menu items in a variety of styles, from Indian to Italian.

After climbing to Spielberg Castle and touring several museums, you can relax at Stopkova pivnice with a cold beer; if you're hungry, try the house guláš. Now part of the Kolkovna chain, there has been a pub on this site since the late 19th century. Its name comes from Jaroslav Stopka, who took over the existing pub in 1910.

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.

The best of the many touristy restaurants in the town proper, this spot is just on the upper edge of the village, not far from where the castle path starts. It also offers a nice big terrace with slight views of the castle. Decent Czech-style food, including some game and fish options, is offered on the menu. The pension can also be a comfortable place to stay if you feel like being outside of Prague for a night but close to the action at Karlštejn.