Restaurants serving traditional Czech food are plentiful in Prague, but finding those that combine quality food with pleasant service and a good value for money can be a bit tricky. Below are some of our suggestions for Czech restaurants.
Klášterní pivovar Strahov (Strahov Monastery Brewery)
This is a large brew pub and restaurant, beautifully located across from the Strahov Monastery near the Prague Castle. The brew pub and St. Norbert Restaurant are divided into separate buildings with a pleasant outdoor area in between. The brewery dates back to the 17th century and brews St. Norbert beer (IPA, amber, dark, and seasonal varieties). Good food, good service, reservations are recommended.
Address: Strahovské nádvoří 301, Prague 1
Getting there: Tram 22 to Pohořelec
Website: www.klasterni-pivovar.cz
Lokál (The Pub)
Lokál was opened in 2009 to expand the Ambiente group of restaurants by a modern incarnation of an old-style Czech pub. Simple Czech specialties are carefully cooked from fresh, local ingredients to offer honest, home-made Czech food. Lokál is one of the best places in Prague to experience traditional Czech cuisine from starters to top notch fried cheese and other classic Czech staples, to comforting, old-fashioned desserts. All that to be washed down by fresh local beer, wine or liquor, or by home-made soda. Prices are very reasonable. There are several locations in Prague. We list two below. Visit ambi.cz to see the rest.
Lokál Dlouhá
Address: Dlouhá 33, Prague 1
Getting there: Tram 5, 8, 24, 26 to Dlouhá třída or metro B to Náměstí Republiky
Website: lokal-dlouha.ambi.cz
Lokál U Bílé kuželky
Address: Míšeňská 12, Prague 1
Getting there: Tram 12, 20, 22 to Malostranské náměstí or metro A or tram 12, 18, 20, 22 to Malostranská
Website: lokal-ubilekuzelky.ambi.cz
Lokál Korunní
Address: Korunní 984/39, Prague 2
Getting there: Tram 10 or 16 to Šumavská
Website: korunni.lokal.cz
Nota Bene
Daily specials are not a part of Nota Bene’s menu. They ARE the menu. You’ll need about 15 seconds to mull over the handful of lunch menu items that usually consist of soup, two or three meat dishes and a vegetarian option. The dinner menu is slightly expanded. Nota Bene is not your typical Czech restaurant. Contemporary Czech cuisine made from fresh, local ingredients meets select microbrews and is served in a modern, clean interior of wood and brick. The menu changes daily based on the availability of ingredients. Nota Bene gives you a distinct feeling that food (and beer, and wine) is what it’s all about, and that freshness, originality and food preparation really matters.
Address: Mikovcova 4, Prague 2
Getting there: Metro C or tram 4, 10, 11, 13, 16, 22, 23 to I. P. Pavlova
Website: www.notabeneprague.cz
Pivovarský dům
A popular Czech brew pub opened in 1998, frequented by locals on their lunch break and tourists on their quest for good Czech cooking. If you feel adventurous, you can order flavored beer from banana to coffee to blueberry, or specialty champagne beer that comes in a bottle and with a champagne flute. The restaurant also serves light and dark Czech lager and good unfiltered wheat beer.
Address: Ječná/Lípová 15, Prague 2
Getting there: Tram 4, 6, 10, 16, 22, 23 to Štěpánská or Metro C to I. P. Pavlova or B to Karlovo náměstí
Website: www.pivovarskydum.com
U Bulínů (At the Bulíns)
U Bulínů is a pleasant Czech restaurant in Prague’s Vinohrady district. If you are staying in the area or find yourself nearby, we highly recommend stopping by for lunch or dinner to enjoy some good Czech food in a warm and casual environment. Service is attentive, sometimes smiley, and always polite. A good number of daily lunch specials are on offer on week days and they are usually brought out at a seemingly lightning speed, so you can be in and out in half an hour. The restaurant also has a garden with a kids’ play area, which is enjoyable from spring to early fall.
Address: Budečská 2, Prague 2
Getting there: Tram 4, 13, 22 to Jana Masaryka or metro A to Náměstí Míru (from the metro, walk three blocks up following the tram line, or take tram 4, 13 or 22 one stop to Jana Masaryka)
Website: www.ubulinu.cz
U Kroka
This is a popular restaurant below the Vyšehrad fort and a convenient lunch or dinner option if you find yourself in the area (although we make special trips to eat there with friends). The menu is focused primarily on Czech cuisine. All meals are made without glutamates, dyes, and preservatives. If you’d like to have the full menu available to you, make sure you come after 3 p.m. or on the weekend. Only a limited lunch menu is served on week days from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: Vratislavova 28/12, Prague 2
Getting there: Tram 2, 3, 7, 17, 21, 27 to Výtoň (or walk down from Vyšehrad)
Website: www.ukroka.cz
V Kolkovně
A Pilsner Urquell original restaurant housed in former postal-stamp producing premises in Prague’s Jewish Quarter. Two levels – street level and downstairs. Serves soups, pub grub, pasta, traditional Czech dishes, and great beer.
Address: V Kolkovně 8, Prague 1
Getting there: Metro A to Staroměstská; Metro B to Náměstí Republiky
Website: www.vkolkovne.cz
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise
La Degustation is one of Prague’s top restaurants. It serves traditional meals of Czech culinary art from the end of the 19th century. The menus unite flavors and tastes of contemporary molecular cuisine, classical French and Italian foods, and refined dishes from non-traditional Czech culinary art as it was practiced at the end of the 19th century.
Address: Haštalská 18, Praha 1
Getting there: Tram 6, 8, 15 or 26 to Dlouhá třída
Website: www.ladegustation.cz