Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

Half way between the Charles bridge and Národní třída, you will find a café I very much recommend visiting. It is called Krásný ztráty and it has become quite popular here – so famous in fact, that a regular TV talkshow is being recorded there. Krásný ztráty is a place where a lot of interesting people gather. It is one of the few places where you can find students, intellectuals and celebrities all at once.

Although it is called a café, once again it has the character of a regular restaurant. They cook all day and the food is great while prices remain moderate. I can particularly recommend visiting for a breakfast or a brunch as Krásný ztráty is a calm place with a very nice interior design.

Apart from being a café, a bar and a restaurant, Krásný ztráty is also a wine shop, a book shop, a gallery and an occasional music club or theatre stage. There are many events taking place there so you might want to check that out at their website.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Krásný ztráty | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.) | Espresso CZK 29
Náprstkova 10 | Praha 1 | +420775755143
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 01:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 01:00

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

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 (check the National Theatre article). If you are ever around, hungry and thirsty, you must care for a visit!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Atmosféra | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Kozel, 0,5L CZK 28
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

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

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!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
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

Image by Filip Grimm

This is a place where I like to go for lunch with friends that I don’t see very often. It is very nice and stylish, they have great beer and delicious meals. The choice of beer is quite wide – you can pick Pilsner Urquell, Velkopopovický Kozel dark, Gambrinus, Master dark, Master semi-dark, mixed (half Kozel, half Gambrinus) or also alcohol-free Radegast Birrel.

They offer vegetarian dishes, main dishes, pasta, fish, poultry, salads and also a broad choice of side dishes. The interior is decorated with wall paintings in Josef Lada style mostly depicting characters from the legendary book by Jaroslav Hašek (it was translated into 54 languages).

The restaurant is basically right next to the famous Prague’s brewery U Fleku. Also it is very close to the river bank so I recommend taking a short walk along the river to the National theatre after finishing your meal. 

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Švejk restaurant U Karla | Restaurants (Czech) | Soup of the day CZK 28.00
Křemencova 7 | Praha 1 | +420222515889
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 22:00

Image by Katerina Vankova

Everyone might have different criteria for what makes a good restaurant good. For me, general consistent quality is one of these. One of the restaurants which meets these expectations is certainly the cosy brasserie Café de Paris.

The restaurant, situated on the pleasant Maltézské square, is famous primarily for its original entrecote. The sirloin steak is served with french fries, green salad with vinaigrette and pieces of baguette (my father who I brought there for the penultimate New Year´s Eve) was really amazed, that the baguette was fresh and crispy which is really funny to hear, taking into consideration that he lives in France. The meat is accompanied with a sauce by your choice – the famous Café de Paris (which is a secret recipe), béarnaise or red wine based sauce. I like the way how it´s served – the meat and fries are on two small grills heated by candles.

Besides the steak frites, Café de Paris offers also a couple of other dishes which are changing during the season (now they have on menu the delicious tartiflette – a meal based on potatoes and cheese). Last but not least – don´t forget to have a dessert (I recommend to try the selection of three desserts or three cheese).

Overall, Café de Paris has a pleasant atmosphere – thanks to the place, great cuisine, decent interior and nice staff – which you have to check out by yourself!

P.S. There is a terrace in the backyard open when the weather is nice.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Café de Paris | Restaurants (French) | Entrecote CZK 289
Maltézské náměstí 4 | Praha 1 | +420603160718
12:00 – 00:00 daily