Where to Find the Fruits of Prague’s Food Revolution
Since it emerged from communist rule in the late 1980s, Prague, the captivating capital city of the Czech Republic, has become one of Europe’s hottest holiday destinations. But while 40 years of oppressive command helped preserve the picturesque city and its mix of Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance structures, it entirely destroyed traditional Czech cuisine, surrendering hearty, locally sourced cooking to cans and concentrates.
Today, thankfully, the culinary tide is turning. Over the last five or so years, Prague’s culinary scene has broadened and diversified. While many restaurants celebrate traditional Czech cuisine remade with thoughtfully-sourced ingredients, others derive inspiration from elsewhere in Europe. There’s banh mi and matcha lattes, great Neapolitan pizza, fermentation labs, fine dining tasting menus, and some of Europe’s best cocktails. Young chefs are staging abroad and returning home to open inspired establishments that celebrate the heart of Czech cookery, elevating the cuisine to Michelin recognition.
(The city owes much thanks to one local restaurant group, Ambiente, and its founder Tomas Karpisek, who, beginning in 1995, reintroduced the city to fresh, quality-driven dishes served in sleek spaces. Today, Ambiente is responsible for many of Prague’s most progressive dining concepts.)
Along with an influx of worldly dining options has come a spate of luxury hotels. Major brands like Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons lead the way, each contributing to Prague’s international restaurant scene with Asian and Italian concepts of their own.
Below, exactly where to experience the best food and drink of the City of a Hundred Spires:
Fine Dining
When La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise debuted 12 years ago, it became Prague’s first restaurant worthy of the global stage. Under the Ambiente umbrella, and commanded by chef Oldřich Sahajdák, La Degustation is currently one of only two restaurants in Prague that carries a Michelin star. Within an intimate, 35-seat dining room across from an open kitchen, guests embark on eight courses, which present a modern interpretation of classic Czech flavors, using prime seasonal ingredients collected from nearby producers. It’s also here that patrons can partake in a pairing of natural wines, most of which are sourced from tiny local producers. For those ready to drop over $150 on a meal (or about $250 with the pairing), this is unquestionably the place to do it.
Casual Dining
Prague’s nouveau dining culture excels in its chef-driven cafes and bistro, of which Ambiente has contributed many. Breakfast staple Café Savoy—an elegant eatery set within a grand building—consistently counts long lines for apple strudel and unfussy eggs, but it’s at newer addition Eska, a spacious, white-washed multi-purpose restaurant, bakery, and retail space where you’ll find some of the city’s most excellent sourdough bread. In addition to functioning as a bakery-commissary for the group’s restaurants, here, chef Martin Štangl likewise reinvents rustic Czech plates like beef tartare and anchovy-laced cauliflower with seasonal and locally-grown ingredients.
While many Czech restaurants don’t require reservations, it’s best to book ex-Nobu London chef Paul Day’s Bib Gourmand-winning Sansho a week in advance. Locals will tell you Day cooks some of the best Asian cuisine in town, with dishes that cross countries, from salmon sashimi to ocra tofu sambal. Day also operates tiny protein-positioned bistro Maso a Kobliha (make sure to try a donut), and lauded free-range, nitrate-free butcher shop The Real Meat Society.
Fans of La Degustation will want to explore Milada, a more casual bistro which chef Sahajdák, along with his wife Šárka Sahajdáková, launched about a year ago. Within a colorful, minimalist space, Milada offers globally-inspired set menus ranging from three to eight courses served on beautiful vintage dishes: think pork belly dressed with wasabi and anointed with cubes of rhubarb, and raw scallops drizzled with ponzu, dressed with tapioca pearls.
During warmer months, an alfresco meal at the Mandarin Oriental is a must. The former 14th century monastery is stunningly renovated, and its pan-Asian eatery Spices offers plush outdoor lounge seating and a zen-like ambiance, protected from street sounds thanks to tall abbey walls.
Drinks
Prague’s bar scene has followed the pace of its culinary revolution. Tiny, dimly-lit Hemingway Bar, named after the American author with an affinity for rum, celebrates the sugarcane-based distillate with over 200 bottles. Meanwhile, Parisian-inspired L’Fleur excels in expert tipples flavored with ingredients from around the world, alongside a smart list of small-production Champagnes. But what’s most ubiquitous in the city is pilsner-style beer. It’s exported around the world, but the product of Prague’s most famous brewery, Pilsner Urquell, tastes best in its home country. Since its debut in 2009, Lokal, a contemporary take on Czech pubs from the past, has become one of city’s top haunts for the beer on tap. But for a true taste of history, visit U Fleků, Prague’s oldest brewery, and get the classic house-made 13° dark lager.
