Prague is a city overflowing with delicious restaurants, cafés, and bars. With its stunning architecture, rich culture, and vibrant nightlife, it’s no wonder Prague is one of the top destinations for travellers around the world.
When you’re in town, it can be hard to decide where to eat. You want to make sure you get the most out of your visit with the best food and drink Prague has to offer. So if you’re looking for something truly unique and authentic, here are some of our favourite spots to eat in the city.
Prague’s best restaurants
If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Prague, here are five incredible options, from traditional Czech fare to modern European cuisine.
1. Lokál: This chain of restaurants specialises in traditional Czech dishes and, crucially, a perfectly poured Pilsner Urquell. The Dlouhá location in the Old Town is the most accessible for visitors. Be sure to try svíčková na smetaně (beef sirloin in cream sauce), it’s simply delicious.
2. La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise: If you’re after fine dining, this Michelin-starred restaurant in the Old Town offers an unforgettable tasting menu built on updated classic Czech dishes.
3. Field: For something contemporary, this Old Town restaurant uses Czech and Bohemian ingredients in serious modern European cooking; it also holds a Michelin star.
4. Celnice: Located in a converted 19th-century customs house near Náměstí Republiky, this is one of the more atmospheric restaurants in Prague. The menu features both traditional Czech dishes and modern European cuisine.
5. Aromi: A long-standing favourite for anyone who loves good Italian food, consistently ranked among Prague’s best for pasta and seafood.
Prague’s best bars
There are many great bars in Prague to choose from; here are five worth seeking out.
1. U Fleků: A traditional beer hall that has been brewing its own dark lager since 1499, one of the oldest breweries in the world. Touristy and priced accordingly, but genuinely historic.
2. Hergetova Cihelna: Set in a former brick kiln on the riverbank in Malá Strana, with a wide selection of Czech and international beers and one of the best terrace views of the Charles Bridge and Old Town.
3. Náplavka riverbank: Less a single bar than a stretch of the Vltava embankment, lined with houseboats, bars, and a Saturday farmers’ market; a favourite spot for locals on a warm evening.
4. Vinohradský Pivovar: A microbrewery and restaurant in Vinohrady serving its own beers alongside solid Czech pub food, well away from the tourist circuit.
5. Pivovarský Klub: Housed in a 19th-century brewing building, with one of the widest selections of Czech regional and microbrewery beers available anywhere in Prague, alongside a solid Czech food menu.
Prague’s best cafés
There are countless cafés in Prague vying for the title of best in the city; here are a few consistently worth a visit.
1. Café Louvre: A Prague institution since 1902, famous for its Art Nouveau interior and excellent coffee, in the New Town.
2. Espresso Library: A modern specialty coffee shop with great coffee, tasty food, and a relaxed atmosphere.
3. Můj šálek kávy: A no-frills café in Karlín beloved by locals for its simple but excellent coffee.
4. EMA Espresso Bar: A chic New Town café with reliable wifi, good for both a coffee stop and a longer work session.
5. Kavárna Místo: A relaxed Vinohrady café with generous opening hours, popular for mornings of focused work or a slow breakfast.
How to find the best food in Prague
Prague is a food lover’s paradise, with something to suit every taste and budget. Here are our top tips for finding the best of it:
1. Sample the local specialties. Czech cuisine is hearty and filling, and often includes dishes such as roast pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut. For a quick, cheap, and genuinely good meal, look for the denní menu (daily lunch menu) offered by ordinary Czech restaurants and pubs Monday to Friday, and order goulash or svíčková na smetaně.
2. Try the contemporary scene. Prague’s restaurant scene has developed substantially since 2010. For a special occasion, book one of the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants, such as La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise or Field.
3. Explore international flavours. If you’re after something other than Czech fare, Prague has a strong Vietnamese food scene in particular, a legacy of the guest worker programmes of the communist era, alongside plenty of Italian, French, and other international restaurants.
4. Indulge in Czech sweets. Try a koláč (a Czech yeast pastry with poppy seed, sweet curd, or plum filling) from a proper bakery rather than the trdelník sold on Old Town Square, which is a tourist product with no real Czech tradition behind it.
5. Shop at the markets. For fresh, local produce, head to the Náplavka riverside farmers’ market on Saturday mornings, or the smaller market at Jiřího z Poděbrad square in Vinohrady.
Tips for eating out in Prague
If you’re planning on eating out in Prague, keep a few things in mind. First, Czech food is typically quite heavy, so if you’re not used to dishes like goulash or svíčková na smetaně, you might want something lighter for at least one meal a day; Prague’s international restaurant scene makes this easy.
Second, tipping is customary in the Czech Republic, though more modest than in the US: around 10 percent for a sit-down meal is standard. The easiest method is to round up the total when you pay, rather than calculating a precise percentage.
Finally, many popular restaurants in Prague don’t take walk-ins without a wait on weekend evenings, so if you’re set on a particular place, book ahead or arrive early.
Conclusion
Prague is a food lover’s paradise, and deciding where to eat doesn’t have to be hard. With its blend of traditional Czech cuisine, strong international options, and a genuinely good contemporary dining scene, you’re sure to find something to satisfy you. Whether it’s authentic goulash at a local pub or a tasting menu at one of the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants, Prague has plenty of options. The full Prague restaurants guide and the traditional Czech food guide go into more depth. Bon appétit!
I’m Jan, a Czech writer, hiker and travel guide born in Bohemia and based in Prague. I’ve been writing about my home country for 9 years, and I know it the way you only do when you’ve grown up here: the trail signs that locals actually follow, the pubs that aren’t in any guidebook, the castles that get overlooked because they’re not on a tour bus route.
Over 9 years I’ve covered every corner of the Czech Republic, from the Krkonoše ridges and Šumava forests to the wine cellars of South Moravia and the spa towns of West Bohemia. I’ve taken 40+ solo trips across Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Austria and I write in Czech and English, which means I can read the local hiking forums, regional news and municipal information that never gets translated.
My writing covers three areas: practical solo travel in Czechia (getting around by train and bus, hiking safely, visiting castles and landmarks without the crowds), expat and long-term living (the cultural surprises, the bureaucracy, what it actually costs, how the healthcare and transport systems work), and off-the-radar Czech Republic, the places most visitors never reach because they spend all their time in Prague.
Prague is extraordinary, but it’s maybe 10% of what this country has to offer. The rest is what I’m here to write about.