Barts Best of Prague: the restaurants you don't want to miss in The Golden City
Prague you are so beautiful! We already knew that, since we previously did a super-fast route through the city (you can read that here: 24 hours in Prague), but we did a few things over again and discovered that over the past two years time has stood still on the one hand, and that there was a lot of new to discover. The ancient city is and remains the city of water, beautiful views,... pivos for next to nothing (a pivo is a beer) and the friendliness. And about the meat, let's mention that right away. In Prague you eat meat, in chunks if you want to eat your way through the city in an authentic way. Vega(n)? Then plan another city trip. But otherwise it is also wonderfully un-hip, with an exception here and there. Our favorite addresses at a glance. Barts Best of Prague, which restaurants you don't want to miss in the Golden City.
A top favorite for a delicious (un-Czech) snack is Pasta Fresca. Pasta indeed, freshly made in house by Italians. There are two floors: upstairs you can sit comfortably on the long box against the side. Cozy, and fine if you haven't made a reservation. The pasta is no less good, and the wines are the best we have tasted in Prague. But if you really want to sit and enjoy a nice evening of dining, make sure you have a reservation in hand, even on a weekday. A table will then be reserved for you downstairs, where the gracious waiters maneuver their way through, where the music is at the perfect volume and where the pasta (the and cook until pasta is cooked spaghetti with oil and chili is perfect) seems to taste just a little bit better.
Our first and last stop in Prague was authentic Czech Naše maso. Indeed, we went more than once: 3 times in fact. Not because there is nothing else to experience or taste in Prague, but because it is so good, so fun and oh so tasty. Naše maso is, basically, a simple butcher with a hip look. Although that hip seems more coincidence than wisdom (it seems to have hardly been thought about, which I'm sure has been thought about very carefully). The bare white tiles and the ink blue drawings are simple and look just right. You pour your beer (pivo) or vodka into a cardboard cup from the wall and then you hope that you get one of the only 10 stools at the five high tables. There are heads turning there, and that is understandable: the burgers, steak tartare and sausages are not that tasty. Not for vegetarians, in case that wasn't clear yet.
One of the things we learned is that Prague is the 5th safest city in the world! It doesn't surprise me, but it is a fun fact. Walking over the bridge is a must, but leave the castle for what it is (boring!). You would rather dive into one of the parks: from here you really have a beautiful view of the bridges, the city, the roofs and the castle.
The beautiful Oriental is very different restaurant SaSaZu, also on the 'other side' of the city (also: on the other side you will also find the enormous and wonderful parks). Do you really want to go out for an evening? Then make a reservation at SaSaZu. The restaurant serves Southeast Asian dishes and the restaurant is deliciously exotic. Boudoir almost. Five styles of Asian cuisine (sambal, otak otak, flame, roti and tai-tai grill) are offered – all delicious. Make sure to make a reservation because the restaurant is quite popular. Not surprising because there are not many things in the city that can be compared to SaSaZu, while the Czechs like to dress up and go into the city. So you can do that here! There is also a good chance that you are next to a local celeb sit. Reservations are a must and make sure you pack your dancing shoes: Prague's most popular nightclub is in the same complex as the restaurant. We thought it was a bit tacky, but hey, that shouldn't spoil the fun.
The photos actually speak for themselves... Cafe Letka is fairytale! You will find the café in the Letna district: Café Letka is located near the beautiful Letna park with beautiful views over Prague and is connected to a small theater, making it a bohemian and exudes an artistic atmosphere. The technical university is on the other side, which keeps the feet on the ground and the audience mixed. On the small menu which consists of just four options for lunch (which runs until 15pm) and four for dinner (from 15pm). Special dishes that, hehe, finally, are predominantly vegetarian. They are surprising (because you have no idea what you are ordering) and delicious. The latter also applies to the wines. Hands together for Letka!
Located around the corner from Grils Dva kohouti, a new (or so we were told) beer bar from the most popular (hip) independent beer brand of the same name. Through a square, behind a fence, you arrive at the beer room, which is exactly what a beer room should be: large tanks (with beer of course) in the corner and beer tables full of nice (mainly) guests. And then we mean young guys. The beers (nice young guys) are also being tapped, which are – again nice and simple – indicated on the light boards above the takeaway counter. Dva kohouti knows no, absolutely no, excess. What is not needed is not there. What there is is instant conviviality from the moment you step over the threshold. By far the nicest 'pub' we saw during our days in Prague.
In a very nice neighborhood (we thought) we found a handful of restaurants that we didn't want to leave. One of them is Grils, a simple eatery for burgers, pulled pork and chicken. Yes, again all meat... Although the softness of the dishes was striking, especially in contrast to the rough, unpolished look of the place: again that tap for your beers, an open 'kitchen' (more like a chopping block and an oven) on the left and a few beer tables on the right. Just shy of fluorescent lighting and otherwise that was it. And yet it is always busy and pleasant. Not surprising: the prices are low, the food is really, really good: the pulled pork with mashed potatoes (everything in Prague comes with some kind of potato mash) is tender and juicy, the staff is sweet and the smoked mayo isn't really that bad. to miss.
Karlin, it turned out, is by far our favorite neighborhood because you will find one nice catering establishment after another. So we promptly came across a (new) green and remarkably large site around the corner from Eska: Spojka Karlín. A relief: the restaurant is one of the few vegetarianp business of the city (where it is also modern and really nice). Spojka Karlín aims, we were told, to bring everyone who wants to eat well to one table, regardless of their eating style. Read: the Czech carnivores and the contemporary ones flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan. The emphasis here is on the quality of the ingredients and the overall approach to them. Everything is always fresh and always local, vegetables and herbs come from the own garden and the organic meat from Czech farms. There are also fresh gluten- and sugar-free home-baked breads and desserts, and you can linger at the bar until the small hours.
In the same corner, in the creative and young Karlín district, you will find Eska. More about this bakery plus you read here.
Anyone who asks around about 'where are we going in Prague' will sooner or later be told that they 'have to' go to Lokal. The local (beer) giant has several cafes that, to be honest, we just found. Sorry dear tipsters! We thought it was flat and huge TVs on the walls rarely meet our approval. But if you still want to, we liked this location the best, Lokál Hamburk, not far from Eska.
Good and healthy food during the day, still in Karlín, at the cool Favoreat sandwich behind the wooden facade with the Miami Vice vibes. Only seen during the day Favorite sandwich serves just that: sandwiches, and preferably to go. At least, that is evident from the small number of seats in the restaurant. That's okay: the sandwiches are surprising and extremely tasty! In summer in Prague? Make a stop here first and then dive into the park on the other side of the river with your sandwiches and a bottle of wine (or a pint). Top day assured.
A few doors down you can sit for the whole day Pohostinec Karlín, a large brasserie-style restaurant with good food (meat again especially) and small prices.
Anyone who goes to Prague will probably also want to walk over the Charles Bridge. Logically. That's nice too. But you take the best pictures on the other side, on the water, when you just walk down.
Anyone who has done a bit of research in Prague and enjoys good food + classic catering establishments will definitely enjoy it brasserie Savoy have on his list. Good idea! We had that too, expected an ok brasserie and were more than pleasantly surprised with exceptionally good service, good food and the very best wines. Last but not least there is a fantastic pastry shop at the front of the shop - you really want to end your lunch with that, trust us.
Dining on the Vltava, who wouldn't want that? Bee Restaurant Mlynec you drink the tastiest (Czech) wines and eat really, really good. Actually everything here is fantastic. The interior is beautiful and the service ensures that nothing is left to be desired. You can go for a menu here or make your choice a la carte. In any case, we recommend not skipping dessert. The location is great, very central. And Mlýnec is right next to the famous Charles Bridge. Perfect for a walk before or after dinner. As far as we're concerned, one must visit, when in Prague.
There are people who claim that the sweet honey cakes are 'typically' Czech… Wrong! Not so. It's a tourist trap, one said local us. Ah. We knew a lot. No, typically Czech, food-technically at least, is potato salad and 'chlebíčky'. Sorry, what? Just remember that it's a kind Spanish pintxos are, but on larger rolls and without chopsticks. But otherwise kind of similar. You order a flat sandwich, rye bread size, with one of the toppings. Of course, the one with potato salad and ham is the classic, but nowadays there are all kinds of varieties available, for example with goat cheese and beetroot, or with egg. The best place to order the sandwiches is Sisters Bistro v Dlouhé, right opposite Naše maso. There you are in the right place for your second authentic Prague delicacy: koláče. These are sweet puff rolls (very airy and so tasty) with, if you want the classic version, mascarpone.
You can actually go not far from Savoy Arctic Bake House Don't miss it, especially if you like (sourdough) bread, bagels, croissants and sweet cookies. The Tuna Melt is nothing to sneeze at, I promise, but actually everything is delicious (that is to say: everything looks delicious; we could hardly choose). And, also important, it was the first cup of really good coffee to go that we met there.
Speaking of tasty food: if the weather is good (or not, of course), and you like ice cream, then... Creme de la creme a must. The best ice cream in town and when the sun shines there are rows of ice cream.
That 'rows thick' is another nice mnemonic to secretly the nicest place in the city, but only from April to September when the outdoor food market Manifesto constructed state.
One of Manifesto's regular guests are the pizza bakers Pizza Nuova. The bakeries also have a permanent location in the heart of the city where you can sit upstairs for a quick but good (pizza) bite.
If you still have an evening left, do yourself a favor and join us Nejen Bistro. Or at The tasting
Also a tip for good weather in Prague: if you do not cross the Charles Bridge, but the bridge at Savoy, you can go down in the middle of the bridge. Then you end up in a lovely park on a small island in the middle of the Vltava!
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