Where to eat in Prague
Enjoy the Czech cuisine.
Imaginative seafood dishes
Zdenek's Oyster Bar
Prague's best seafood bar doesn't just have oysters from all over the world but crab, lobster, mussels and fish, along with globally-accented imaginative dishes such as octopus tempura with pumpkin and coriander and yuzu in soybean-sake sauce. The chef at this Stare Mesto restaurant once worked at a Michelin-star restaurant in Switzerland.
Cozy bistro environment
Sensa Bistro
If you want to eat really well in a cozy bistro environment, head towards Sensa Bistro, a stone's throw from the old town. Here, under the leadership of head chef Zdeněk Křížek, well-composed dishes from all over the world with a focus on Asian flavors are served. On Thursdays, when the DJ booth is on, the atmosphere becomes more festive.
For the potato lover
Brambory
In 2021 Brambory opened, a restaurant dedicated to the potato. The concept is to show how multifaceted the beloved tuber is, and in its search for the best varieties, the team behind Brambory visited potato farmers around the world. This is the place for you who want to be full, but if you have room in your stomach, potatoes have also found their way onto the dessert menu in the form of potato scones.
Authentic wine bar
Autentista
Escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a while and enjoy the atmosphere at the champagne and wine bar Autentista in the heart of the old town. The venue is architecturally decorated and from the vaulted ceiling of the venue dating back to the 14th century hangs a huge chandelier which adds to the magical atmosphere. Here you enjoy natural wines from the best districts in Europe, and if you don't know what to order, the knowledgeable staff will be happy to help with recommendations. Small, delicate dishes are also served here to match the wine.
The best from the Czech Republic
Lokal Dlouhaaa
Traditional Czech specialties with a modern spin, fresh local ingredients and friendly service make this casual eatery in Stare Mesto in a long, narrow industrial-looking space a standout. The daily changing menu may offer beef goulash with red and green bell peppers (or a mushroom version), chicken breast or minced pork schnitzel and boiled beef neck with dill sauce and bread dumplings. A discount card for students and seniors for dinner can be used at all five Lokal locations in Prague.
Michelin-awarded 10-course menu
Field
This one-Michelin-star restaurant serves modernist cuisine based on seasonal farm ingredients, with surprising twists on traditional recipes in Stare Mesto, near Josefov. Chef Radek Kasparek has starred on cooking shows on Czech TV. Every detail is carefully thought out, from the ceramic serving dishes, the exquisite presentation, to the international wine list. A 10-course tasting dinner menu, five-course tasting lunch menu and à la carte choices are available.
Asian fusion
Sansho
Refined Asian fusion food pairing local Czech pork, lamb and beef with Vietnamese market produce (a big minority in Prague) is served in a plain interior at long communal tables here in Nove Mesto (New Town). Pricy six-course tasting menus offer your choice of meat, fish or vegetables, but affordable lunch. The pork belly with peppercorn sauce in winter, wins rave reviews for its melt-in-the-mouth goodness. Sansho sets the bar higher for Prague restaurants, and became its first nose-to-tail eatery, when British chef-owner Paul Day, an ex-sous chef at Nobu in London, opened it in 2011. Trained as a butcher, Day also owns the butcher shop across the street, the Real Meat Society.
Food inspiration from the 19th century
La Degustation
Only an eight-course menu inspired by a 19th century Czech cookbook, featuring exquisite small plates like trout, almonds and radishes, plus pumpkin, ham and whipped cream, is served at this one-Michelin-star restaurant in Stare Mesto. If this menu strains the wallet, you'll be delighted to hear the same restaurant group owns the more casual Lokal chain, Ambiente.
The celebrity favorite
U Modre kachniky
In a 16th century Baroque house in Mala Strana, a chef who once cooked for the kings of Sweden and Norway specializes in game meats. Besides a tasting menu, dishes like roast duck with apples, raisins and honey or deer in rosehip sauce are available a la carte. The ornate candle-lit interior of the "Blue Duckling" features brocaded chairs, fancy draperies and dark wood. Celebrities such as Sean Connery and Tom Cruise, who starred in movies filmed in Prague, have dined here.
Text by Sharon McDonnell