The interior of Lehká Hlava restaurant in Prague
Photograph: Lehká Hlava
Photograph: Lehká Hlava

The 19 best restaurants in Prague

From Czech-Vietnamese pho to Michelin-starred fine dining, these are the best restaurants in Prague for hungry visitors

Written by: Amanda Bell
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It should come to the surprise of absolutely no one that Prague, a city overspilling with fascinating history, endless culture and an unrivalled drinking scene, is also a marvellous destination for all kinds of foodie. In fact, an increasingly diverse population is transforming Prague into a thriving and exciting food city.

Here you’ll find traditional Czech cuisine sitting alongside international innovation and a bunch of estabs catering to a vast variety of dietary requirements. It’s time to add gastronomic excellence to the many, many existing reasons to visit this city. Here are the best restaurants in Prague right now. 

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This guide was last updated by Prague-based writer Auburn Scallon. Original photos by Prague-based Lenka Kudlackova. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines

Best restaurants in Prague

  • Czech
  • price 3 of 4

Another of Prague's Michelin stars belongs to Field, which attempts to source locally while creating an exciting, Scandinavian-inspired menu. Two different degustation menus are available (along with special lunchtime menus), and both give you choices like kohlrabi and quark or various fish creations you’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in landlocked Czechia. In addition to wine pairings with the taster menu, Field also features non-alcoholic drink pairings – mostly vegetable juices.

Price: High-end

  • Vietnamese

This high-end East Asian restaurant in Prague’s Smichov neighborhood highlights the significant Vietnamese presence in this country since the 1950s. Reserve one of twenty seats around an open kitchen to sample beautifully plated four-course lunches and eight-course dinners. Innovative seasonal menus change daily, weaving Czech influences into Vietnamese-inspired cuisine with options for pescatarian and vegetarian diners.

Price: Mid-range 

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  • Czech
  • price 4 of 4

Recipes based on a nineteenth-century Czech cookbook but refined to impress any of today’s gourmands – that’s what La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise has achieved, so it’s no wonder the folk at Michelin have come a-lauding (and awarding). The chef changes the menu daily, so come here ready to just relax and let the artfully prepared small plates arrive at your table.

Price: High-end

4. Kro Karlín

Step into this Scandinavian-inspired open-space bistro, where you’ll treat your taste buds to a symphony of flavors in the heart of Prague’s up-and-coming Karlín district. It’s all about the details at Kro Karlín, where the dishes and cocktails are meticulously crafted using local ingredients and a zero waste approach. Specialising in dishes featuring in-house roasted rotisserie free-range chicken (try their signature pulled chicken combo) but also vegetarian specialities, Kro will leave you in awe of the chef’s artful fusion of Czech, Scandinavian and Asian cuisine.

Price: Mid-range

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The painted starry sky, meat-free menu and peaceful vibe of Lehká Hlava (meaning ‘clear head’) has kept Prague’s vegetarian community smiling for more than a decade. As vegan and vegetarianism continue to grow in popularity among younger generations, reservations have become more and more essential at this small neighbourhood favourite near the riverside of the Old Town. A glossary of meat alternatives at the back of the menu helps to clarify the latest additions to staple ingredients like tofu, tempeh and quinoa. 

Price: Mid-range

  • Cafés
  • price 2 of 4

Cafefin fast made a name for itself on Instagram with its colourful, shabby-chic interior, avocado toast and tasty bánh mì sandwiches. They’ll also set you up with a quality midday coffee fix, but far more interesting – if less caffeinated – is the passionfruit lemonade.

Price: Bargain

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7. Kantýna

Treat your taste buds to a wide selection of meats, freshly butchered and cooked to your tastes (which you specify on a hand-written order form) at Kantýna. Seats fill up fast in thi elegant former bank building, so you might need to eat on your feet at a long communal standing table in the lobby. If you’re up for an adventurous, waste-no-part-of-the-animal approach, reserve a spot for dinner with the butcher every Monday through Wednesday.

Price: Bargain

8. Špejle

Czech tapas you say? It’s not what usually comes to mind when people think of Czech food. But Špejle (or ‘skewer’) is a buzzing Czech tapas paradise just steps away from Wenceslas Square. Špejle’s lively atmosphere and its novel buffet-style set up will have you sampling myriad bite-sized culinary delights like over-the-top versions of the beloved chlebíček (open-faced sandwich), salads, cheeses and olives, enticing warm dishes and desserts. Each delectable tapas has either one or two skewers in it, so you’ll hardly break the bank at 33 CZK per skewer. And don’t forget to peruse their gin and tonic menu: it’s an impressively curated selection of 27 different gins and 12 craft tonics.

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  • Czech

A venerable local institution that’s been creating local booze since 1893, this atmospheric spot also does hearty, casual food that is a definite cut above other, similar institutions in the city. The deer and dumplings, covered in bread sauce and cranberries was an absolutely stand-out dish. This stuff is as rich and tasty as you’d expect but nowhere not, somehow, too heavy. 

  • Czech
  • price 4 of 4

For a multi-sensory gastronomic experience, you can’t beat the perennial favourite Terasa U Zlaté Studně. This small, elegant restaurant in the Golden Well Hotel, just below Prague Castle, serves a selection of Czech and European classics. It also comes with a view like no other. Come here on a warm evening, indulge in the tasting menu, enjoy a bottle of wine or two, and watch the sunset over the city.

Price: High-end

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