An A-Z Guide to Prague’s Fine Dining Scene

B is for Bellevue

Back in the day, Bellevue might have been the aspirational eatery in Prague but now it needs to up its game. The waiters marched around purposefully but somehow the service was still slow. Don’t get me wrong, the food is well prepared – my guinea fowl was prettily presented and flavoursome – but overall the menu remains unimaginative. In this food writer’s humble opinion, there are upscale places in the city with a far better price/value ratio.

C is for CottoCrudo

You might not be able to read the menu without a torch (provided on request) but there’s no avoiding the aural delights emanating from the DJ booth in Mala Strana’s hip thai eaterie Noi.

There’s nothing more depressing than being the only diner in a restaurant especially when it seems to be doing many things right. My partner and I spent a Saturday evening in the atmospheric Romanesque cellar which houses Le Terroir although the lack of ambience due to the absence of any other paying customers did put a dampner on things. Perhaps its no surprise that this fancy eaterie is rumoured to be closing in October.

G is for Ginger & Fred

Ginger & Fred surprised me with its great value lunch menu which exhibits creative culinary flair with specials such as veal carpaccio with a light vanilla dressing or sea bream with Jerusalem artichoke puree and a tangy fennel salad. Alas, judging from the crowd I saw on my visit, it is popular with tour groups – no surprise given its location on the top floor of Frank Gehry’s iconic Dancing House – you have been warned.

Funky SaSaZu – the food is superlative, the red interior décor somehow makes me think of a Shanghai brothel – might be the only restaurant in Prague which offers diners a complimentary hand massage.

I is for Ichnusa

J is for Javánka and Co

While hanging out on a Monday evening in the rather lovely Art and Food (which exhibits canvases by renowned Czech artists Pavel Brázda and Michal Singer) Ivan Klima, Czech novelist, essayist and all-round literary hero, casually strolled in. Besides literary legend spotting, the affordable menu, friendly owner Vlastimil Svatý and regular live piano music make this a place worth visiting.

L is for Luka Lu

Without doubt Luka Lu, situated in the heart of Mala Strana’s main throughfare Újezd, wins the prize for wackiest décor. The overall impression is of a riot of colour reminiscent of a bad trip in Alice in Wonderland as chairs sit on the walls, harbour bells hang from the ceiling and a butterfly mural climbs up the wall of the courtyard. Go for the seafood though not just to admire the décor which is bound to brighten your mood.

What is it with the jarring dissonance between the classiness of a venue and the cheesiness of the soundtrack in this town? I don’t expect to hear Christmas tunes in February at a Michelin starred venue (yes, I’m talking about you Alcron) nor did I expect to hear jazz moods covers of U2 at a place that serves my food under a silver dome (take note Terasa U Zlaté studně).

Foodie theatre is all the rage now: from Holešovice’s harbourside bistro Home Kitchen to the Michelin-starred La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise, the prep that used to take place behind the scenes has now moved to centre stage.

British chef Paul Day’s first Prague-based restaurant, Sansho, quickly became a local legend thanks to its melt in the mouth pork belly, crab sliders and sticky toffee pudding. Paul, who originally trained as a butcher, then set up The Real Meat Society which offers T-bone steaks, gammon and bacon to Czech and expat carnivores alike. Last November, Paul opened Maso a Kobliha (aka Meat and Doughnut), a pub/butchers opposite Sansho on Petrské náměstí serving up scotch eggs, venison pie and ox tongue sandwiches. The local culinary scene would doubtless be a duller place without this Prague foodie hero.

There’s not much meat on this bird but that doesn’t stop it appearing again and again on Prague’s upscale menus. The best? Quail risotto at Le Grand Cru where chef Jan Punčochář, formerly head chef at Le Terroir, is now at the helm.

R is for Red Pif

Ever wondered what a glass of vino produced in France by a Czech expatriate might taste like? Head to Red Pif and find out. Chatons de Garde, a full-bodied biodynamic red produced in the Ardèche by Czech vinter Andrea Calek is the one to ask for.

S is for Salabka

A restaurant with its own vineyard right next door, gourmets will find Salabka is worth making the trip to the slopes of Troja for. Our waiter couldn’t resist giving us an impromptu tour of the distillery – and a couple of free glasses of víno to sample. The food – which the blurb on the website dubs ‘cuisine de soleil’ – is superlative.

It’s great to have the chance to sample six or for greedy gourmets visiting La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise, eleven, of a chef’s best creations but I did sometimes find myself hankering after a normal portion complete with a couple of sides. No, please, don’t pity me.

U is for U Modré Kachničky

Where to begin? Villa Richter. Kampa Park. Terasa U Zlaté studně. Salabka. Prague + Fine Dining = Superlative Views.

When eating out the x-factor for me is genuinely warm (rather than obsequious and fawning) service. The prize for this goes to the waiter who served us one Sunday afternoon in Kastrol: he displayed an adorable level of enthusiasm when praising the creaminess of the kujada soup unparalled by restaurant staff I encountered elsewhere.

Radek Kašparek, head chef at new kid on the gourmet block Field has a quirky signature dish: a yeasty sauce made from bread dough (omačka od chlebový kvašek).

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