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Where to eat in Prague
The single most reliable rule in this guide: walk two tram stops away from the square and the price halves while the food improves.
Prague has a genuinely good restaurant scene and a genuinely bad tourist restaurant scene, and they occupy different streets. The gap between them is wider than in most European cities, which means a small amount of planning pays for itself immediately.
The rule
Anywhere within sight of the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge or Wenceslas Square is charging a location premium. Two or three tram or metro stops out — Vinohrady, Karlin, Zizkov, Holesovice — you are in restaurants that survive on locals returning, and the price falls by a third to a half.
Warning signs, in order of reliability
- Someone outside with a menu. The single most reliable indicator in Prague.
- Photographs of the food on the menu, especially outside.
- Menus in six languages displayed prominently.
- Prices in euros, which tells you who the customer is expected to be.
- ‘Traditional Czech’ with a view of a landmark. The view is the product.
What to eat
| Dish | What it is | Where it is good |
|---|---|---|
| Svickova | Beef in root vegetable cream sauce, with dumplings | Any decent Czech pub |
| Gulas | Beef goulash, thicker than the Hungarian version | With a dark beer |
| Vepro-knedlo-zelo | Roast pork, dumplings, cabbage | The Sunday classic |
| Smazeny syr | Fried cheese | Late night, and unapologetically |
| Chlebicky | Open sandwiches | Lunch, from a delicatessen counter |
| Trdelnik | Sugared chimney cake sold to tourists | Not Czech. Enjoy it anyway, but know that |
Where to go by area
- Vinohrady — the best all-round neighbourhood for dinner. Bistros, Czech pubs and Vietnamese, all within a few streets.
- Karlin — newer, flatter, strong on modern places and bakeries.
- Zizkov — pubs first, food second, cheapest of the three.
- Holesovice — markets, galleries, and a good weekend lunch scene.
- Naplavka — the riverbank, for the Saturday farmers’ market rather than restaurants.
Lunch is the value meal
Czech restaurants run a weekday lunch menu — denni menu — that is typically a soup and a main for a fraction of the evening price. It is chalked up outside, usually in Czech only, and served roughly between eleven and two.
If you are trying to eat well on a budget, this is the most effective single habit: eat the main meal at lunch in an ordinary restaurant, and keep the evening light. It also means you are eating when the kitchen is cooking for local office workers rather than for visitors.
Booking
Book Friday and Saturday evenings anywhere good, and do it before you fly if there is a specific place you want. Restaurants outside the tourist core fill with people who live there, and unlike a tourist restaurant they will not have a table at eight simply because you have turned up.
A food walk is a reasonable way to spend a first evening if you would rather not gamble on where to eat while jet-lagged.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I eat in Prague?
Two or three tram stops from the centre — Vinohrady, Karlin, Zizkov or Holesovice. The restaurants there depend on returning locals rather than passing visitors.
How much does dinner cost in Prague?
Around 400 to 600 CZK per person at a good neighbourhood restaurant, considerably more on the tourist route for worse food.
Is trdelnik a traditional Czech pastry?
No. It is sold heavily to visitors in the old town and has no real claim to being a Czech speciality. It is perfectly nice; it is just not what the signs say it is.
Do I need to book restaurants in Prague?
For Friday and Saturday evenings outside the tourist centre, yes. Places on the main squares will always seat you, which is itself informative.
Breakfast, which Prague does not really do
Czech breakfast culture is thin by British or American standards — historically it was bread, cold cuts and coffee rather than a cooked meal. What has appeared in the last decade is a strong speciality-coffee and bakery scene, concentrated in Karlin, Vinohrady and Holesovice rather than in the old town.
If your hotel breakfast costs extra, it is usually worth declining it and walking to a bakery instead. You will eat better, pay less, and see a part of the city that is awake for reasons other than tourism.