If you love Vietnamese food, you should check out the so-called little Hanoi aka Sapa, situated in Prague.

TTTM Sapa, located in the south surround of Prague called Písnice, is a wholesale market where you can buy a lot of stuff (the majority of the items sold comes from Asia of course). Actually it’s like a town in a town with different amenities for the Vietnamese community: restaurants and bistros (including bubble tea places) beauty salons, a school, a temple etc.

I’m a big fan of Sapa especially because of the food. I like the Vietnamese groceries, where you can buy different ingredients for Asian cuisine that you can not buy anywhere else (or they are way to expensive) – various vegetables and fruits, herbs, sauces, frozen prawns, alive crabs, strange looking meat, tea, rice, tofu and much more…

Besides checking the shops you should definitely eat there. The criteria of a good place to eat is simple: eat where local people eat. Places which are oriented in one type of food are usually the strike home. My favorite place is a tiny place named Hai Há – the have the best bún chả- it is rich and savory.

P.S. if you go to Sapa by bus, you can take bus 113 from metro station Kacerov (C line) – that is the best way. A second option is the bus 198 from Smichovske nadrazi metro station (B line). 

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Sapa | Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Vietnamese) | Bún chả CZK 90.00
Libušská 319/126 | Praha 4
09:00 – 20:00 daily

For the life of me, I still don’t understand what the name of this restaurant – translated as caffeine – has to do with the menu or the concept, but this became fairly irrelevant once I tasted my first Kofein tapa. Inspired by the Spanish original, this family restaurant decided to put forth an international, and in some cases even purely Central European, twist.

Although Chorizo and pork belly still have a place on Kofein’s dinner menu, the much more exciting small dishes are not commonly seen in the world of tapas – like red lentil salad with bacon chips or millet grains with vegetables and beef fillet in red wine sauce. Served with fresh bread and a smile from the multi-lingual waiters, the tapas are great way to try out the chef’s versatility and finesse. Each tapa dish is actually enough for two to three people to have a good tasting.

If you’re not in the mood to share, you can also enjoy the portobello or beef burger, or a hearty beef borsch alone. But Kofein definitely seems like a place for sharing. The interesting wine list definitely helps that along.

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Kofein | Restaurants (Tapas) | Average tapa CZK 65
Nitranská 9 | Praha 3 | +420273132145
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 17:00 – 00:00

Sitting by the river in a restaurant named after that same river – what else do we need. I officially confirm that Saturday February 25th 2012 was the first spring-like day this year and I had a beer outside of the Restaurant Vltava and I did not freeze. Between the Hamburk boat and the Nautilus boat, directly on the riverside, is a simple wooden building that was built there shortly after the Second World War. Until now, it serves its original purpose and after restitution belongs to the family which built it.

I love to ride my bike along the river and to stop there for one beer or two. During spring and summer, the riverside is very popular for walks and cycling. In the afternoon, when the sun shines directly on this side of the river and the time is slowing down, enjoy the light dancing on the water level. Restaurant Vltava offers also some nice Czech meals, usually average quality. I would recommend small meals going along with beer. The restaurant is located in the centre and you can afterwards continue your walk almost anywhere.

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Restaurant Vltava | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Czech cuisine) | Large Pilsner CZK 39.00
Rašínovo nábřeží 2084 | Praha 2 | +420224930015
11:00 – 22:00 daily

La Casa Blu pub is cozy inside and on one of the most cozy places of Prague! On a street corner like from old times, in the heart of Jewish town, very near to all attractive sites of the city, is a bar founded by Prague Chilean Jorge Zúñiga and is called the ‘Hispanic’ pub, café and bar.

Inside is always a welcoming environment and I can right now think of several moods the bar was in when I spent some time there. Nicely smelling lunch time, offering its tasty fusion of tex-mex and Latin cuisine. Lazy summer afternoons with chilling cocktails. A totally busy night where crossing 10 meters from one side of the bar to another took an hour, because the motion characterized by the situation was more Brownian motion than a walk. I am looking forward to hearing about your experience!

When visiting, enjoy the food – soups, nachos, salads, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, quesadillas and other delicious meals. As for drinks, your will get anything you wish, starting with coffee, beer, vine, a wide variety of spirits and last but not least cocktails. The bar became non-smoking after a local referendum among customers.

Spanish speaking visitors will be pleased by Spanish speaking bartenders. I met at least one every time I spent one warming moment there.

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La Casa Blu | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Fusion) | Cappucino CZK 44.00
Kozí 15 | Praha 1 | +420723446002
Mon – Fri 11:00 – open end, Sat 12:00 – open end, Sun 14:00 – open end

There are average beers, huge amount of highly valued micro-brewery beers, but there is only one Pilsner Urquell. And the Pilsner Urquell served in the pub ‘U Veverky’ is in the best shape it can be. Non-pasteurized, kept in tanks, draught by skilled barmen, is a real pleasure for any beer lover. Usually, you can just nod and the next beer will land on your table with no asking. Try using the phrase ‘Dobry den, Plzen’ meaning ‘Hi, I want a Pilsner’, and you might survive the whole evening with this sentence!

The food offered is generally expressed as treats your stomach will like before the beer lands. The chef composes with his hands and heart the very best symphony of Czech cuisine. I recommend ‘Svickova’ with 6 dumplings, which is the cult Czech meal. Inside is smoking and non-smoking area and in the summer an outside garden and a ‘yard’ for few stand-up beers under a shelter. Beer drinkers look a bit funny being held in a sort of pen, but they are standing there definitely with their consent.

‘U Veverky’ means ‘By a squirrel’ and the bartenders are really so quick with the beer like they have a squirrel gene. Pure Czech pub, I love every single piece of it!

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Hospoda U Veverky | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Czech cuisine) | Large Pilsner CZK 34.00
Eliášova 324/14 | Praha 6 | +420223000223
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 00:00

I used to spend many wonderful moments in U Zavesenyho Kafe a few years ago. Right at the foot of the hill near to the main tourist artery, Nerudova Street, is a stylish cafe with an unusual habit – but more about that later. I think you might appreciate the cafe after climbing up to the castle and wandering around Novy Svet (check the Novy Svet article). This cafe is also my recommendation especially if the touristy cafe-traps with low spirits are not tempting for you.

During the week the chef prepares lunch specials for great price (from 12:00 – 14:00 for 84 CZK). Apart from the lunch time you have a wide choice of nice meals. On tap is Czech beer, English cider and variety of coffee and drinks in the menu should satisfy almost anyone. Mentioning coffee I must reveal the unusual habit of this cafe…or better not. It is really precious habit and maybe it is better you find out yourselves. A hint – you can get a cup of coffee even if you are broke…but you can also provide a coffee to a broke one.

U Zavesenyho Kafe has a concept which is comforting and easygoing. Drop in anytime and relax. If you do like this cafe, buy a T-shirt to support it. Check the walls in the inner garden and send your photo from home, wherever it is. Next time you might find your smiling picture there also.

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U Zavěšenýho Kafe | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Czech cuisine) | Large Pilsner CZK 38.00
Úvoz 6 | Praha 1 | +420605294595
11:00 – 00:00 daily

Dejvice are a very unique part of Prague. One could even say that it is a “city inside a city”, you can find everything you need for life there. There are shops, restaurants, bars, parks, woods… When I moved there half a year ago, I started discovering the secrets of this city quarter. The Dejvice locals showed me quite a lot of nice places (Check this link for other nice Dejvice pubs) – Restaurace na Urale above all of them.

The name comes from the name of the street “Uralská” (most of the streets and lanes in downtown Dejvice are called after some war heroes or Russian places or people). It is a restaurant but lots of locals just go there for a beer. They offer the traditional Gambrinus and Pilsen beer for very reasonable prices. The service is usually very compliant, even so much that you will probably get a new beer before even finishing the previous.

The menu offers a rich traditional Czech cuisine. I can recommend ordering some of the „bramboráks” (sort of potato-pancake) for instance. Also, you should try their pear brandy, they even put bits of pear in it and it is just soo tasty!

Just next to the bar, there is a great Indian restaurant which offers cheap lunch menus. If you feel like a change – go for it!

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Na Urale | Bars, Restaurants | Pilsner Urquell, 0,5L CZK 35
Uralská 9 | Praha 6 | +420224326820
11:00 – 00:00 daily

Downtown, I spotted a very nice place I currently visit quite often. You can easily get there by trams 3, 9 or 14 getting out at Vodičkova stop but it is also just a five-minute walk from Václavskénáměstí. It is called a “café”, it is a regular restaurant, though. The menu is rich and the prices are reasonable. As they promote on their website, it is an “oasis of calm in downtown Prague”.

The name comes from the fact that it started as a place where the employees would be rehabilitated or rehabilitating drug users. However, you couldn’t make that out just like that as the staff are very kind and compliant. It is a family place as there are separate smoker and non-smoker rooms, free wi-fi and even a small playground for the kids. At the same time they sell Czech-made ceramics.

Really cool is the design of the interior, menus and so on. Everywhere you can find advertisements from the beginning of the 20th century – most of the time they are really funny and worth seeing. I visit café Therapy most often for a beer and a “Tartar” steak (a minced raw steak you eat with toast, onion, garlic and pepper), it is just awesome. Come and try!

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Café Therapy | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Czech) | Tartar steak & toasts CZK 159
Školská 30 | Praha 1 | +420774491177
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 23:30, Sat 12:00 – 23:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

Another of Dejvice’s great pubs can be found just a few minutes’ walk from the central “Victory Square” and even closer to Na Urale pub (check out the article). If you get kicked out of there (since they close quite early) and still feel like a beer, Elwood is a natural choice.

The place consists of a restaurant/bar on the ground floor and a pub in the basement (fusball and seats in what used to be a carriage included). Do not expect something fancy but it is still way more pleasant than all those non-stop joints around. Oh, and please do not mind the smell of weed which is hardly avoidable.

Apart from late night drinks, Elwood is also recommendable for the extremely cheap and yet tasty food. So if you are ever in the area and hungry, make sure you order one of their daily menus (served until 17:00) – a soup and a main dish which cost only 70 crowns.

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El Wood | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Daily menu) | Daily menu CZK 69
Československé armády 13 | Praha 6 | +420233326276
Sun – Thu 18:00 – 03:00, Fri – Sat 18:00 – 05:00

Atmosféra is a favourite student place. It is spacious, consisting of three separate parts, two rooms and a summer garden in between them. The rugged space even provides two entrances from various streets. And also makes this café somewhat more interesting.

On the walls you’ll find oldschool-like satiric posters usually with some smiling face and text saying for instance „Tequila – have you hugged your toilet today?” on them. In Atmosféra, there is also a table-football, a very popular pub-game in Prague.

It is not just the interior and equipment that makes it visit-worthy. It is very much thanks to the food. It is cheap, rich and tasty. You can for example buy half a kilo of made on the spot fried potato slices which they serve with three different dressings. It is a fair snack for four (or food for two ) and costs only 70 Crowns. They also have great Mexican specialities. And five types of cold cheap draft beer… Not to forget, they have a free Wi-Fi access.

Atmosféra is located right in the center, five minutes from Charles Bridge or National Theatre. If you are ever around, hungry and thirsty, you must care for a visit!

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Atmosféra | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Dark Kozel, 0.5L CZK 29
Smetanovo nábřeží 14 / Karolíny Světlé 33 | Praha 1 | +420222222114
Café 11:30 – 01:00 daily | pub 12:00 – … | summer garden 11:30 – 22:00 daily