Eat Like A Local In… Prague

Let’s face it — Prague’s culinary reputation probably isn’t the best. When you think of Czech food, it’s easy for meat, potatoes, and beer to spring to mind, and while this isn’t incorrect, there’s so much more to dining out in the capital city. Post-Velvet Revolution has seen the country’s borders open up, bringing with it a delicious fusion of flavours from around the globe to make Prague an international melting pot of cuisines. From vegan and vegetarian eateries to a community of Vietnamese pho bars, you’re guaranteed to wander through the cobbled streets and stumble across several of Prague’s culinary wonders that, as an added bonus, won’t break the bank. 

Best For a Meal With a View — Ginger and Fred at The Dancing House

While eating at tourist hotspots are typically underwhelming and overpriced, the same can’t be said for the Ginger and Fred restaurant at the Dancing House. Head up to the seventh floor of this incredible glass building for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a view, beautifully looking out over Hradčany while you dine on a diverse European menu that will certainly tantalise your tastebuds. The menu is changed seasonally four times a year as well as offering daily specials and a broad selection of ice creams and sorbets in the summer months. A tasting menu is a popular choice if you want to sample the chef’s highlights, and there are also vegetarian options and a designated section for traditional Czech cuisine.

Best For a Sweet Treat — Černá Madona

Prague’s architectural beauty is something to be marvelled at, and Černá Madona boasts a location in one of the city’s most beautiful areas, as well as incredible interiors that rival what you see when looking out the window. The restaurant itself is situated within The House of the Black Madonna; a cubist building designed by Josef Gočár in 1911. While Černá Madona offers a full menu with the likes of salads, soups, sandwiches and more, the appeal comes from the colourful cakes and pastries gloriously displayed in the window. Fruit tarts, traditional Czech cakes, lemon meringue pies… you name it, they’ve got it. Stop in for a sweet treat or two, and there are plenty of teas, coffees, and soft drinks on the menu to accompany your cake.

Best For Czech and Slovak Cuisine — Czech Slovak Restaurant

For those who aren’t in the know, up until 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were combined into a sovereign state known as Czechoslovakia, which was created in 1918 when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. Since its peaceful parting to become two separate territories, each have gained its own identities, but that past unification can still be seen in areas of both countries. Czech Slovak Restaurant is an excellent example of this, an eatery that does exactly what it says on the tin and celebrates the merging of the two territories by serving Czech and Slovak cuisine in a modern, family-friendly restaurant. With locally sourced ingredients and creative dishes, not to mention a resident sommelier to suggest the best wines to accompany your meal, dining here is an elegant affair and guarantees a night to remember on holiday in Prague. 

Best For Pizza — Pizza Nuova

For a taste of Italy in Czech capital, there’s no better place than Pizza Nuova. Traditional, thin curst, Naples-style pizzas are at your beck and call, using the best San Marzano and Pienolo tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and olive oil for a flavour explosion like no other. The contemporary eatery is in Staré Město (Old Town) and boasts an extensive menu comprising of antipasti and salads to start, pizzas including the classic margherita, the decadent quattro formaggi and the spicy diavola, and plenty of pasta dishes that will make you feel as if you’ve stepped foot in the streets of Naples. Gluten-free pasta is also available, and there’s a tasting menu for those who simply can’t choose between a single pizza or pasta.

Best For Classic Czech Dishes and Beer — Lokál

When in Rome, right? And yes, all the rumours are true — a pint of beer is typically similarly priced to a bottle of water in Prague. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a traditional Czech restaurant that doesn’t serve either Pilsner Urquell or Staropramen Lager, the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Find these and so much more at Lokál, a delightful establishment with five locations scattered across the city. The beer is served straight from the monumental tanks in the restaurant, where it is cold, crisp and fresh down to the very last drop. As for the food, expect nothing less than classic Czech dishes using the freshest of ingredients and spices sourced from stellar regional suppliers. The menu includes the likes of potato dumplings, goulash soup, beef steak with mushroom sauce and more. 

Best For Cocktails — Hemingway Bar 

If you know anything about Ernest Hemingway, you know that he liked a drink or two. The innovator of well-known cocktail recipes, Prague’s Hemingway Bar pays homage to the literary great with several drinks on the menu dedicated to its namesake in a refined and contemporary setting with décor that looks like it emerged straight out of 1920s America. The bar provides itself on providing first-class cocktails that are prepared with expert mixology and only premium products and fresh ingredients. The classic Death in the Afternoon, also known as the Hemingway Daiquiri, is a popular ordered beverage, but certainly sample the Old Man and the Sea which includes aged rum, red vermouth, salt, almonds, herbal liqueur, and rise puffed chips. Oh, and for those with a sweet tooth, the Eton Mess is a must — gin, strawberry, lemon, sugar, yoghurt and meringue… delicious!