Late Night Dining in Prague

Unlike London or New York, Prague is not a city that never sleeps. It sleeps long and deep, so finding somewhere to eat after midnight is a challenge. But if you know where to look, there are little pockets of insomnia welcoming weary eaters throughout the night.  Here, we offer a run-through of some places to fill your belly during the wee hours of the night.

Kozička looks like the well-decorated underbelly of a railway bridge, and is open until 4am Monday-Saturday and 3am on Sundays. The menu is European with an emphasis on steaks and salads. The location is conveniently located near to Staroměstská, but the only beer on tap is Krušovice and the prices aren´t cheap.

A small, cosy restaurant just minutes from Staroměstská and the Rudolfinum, La Belle Epoque offers a geographically confused menu in typical Prague style. Czech, Italian and Latin American influences pass in the night. Meat is the order of the day, prepared on the restaurant´s lava grill. Prices are fairly high (around 120 CZK for a starter, 300 CZK for a steak), but the waiters seem happy to serve drinks and snacks instead of a meal. Open until 2am daily.

Sprawling all-night pizzeria close to Jiřího z Poděbrad. Besides pizzas (priced at 100-180 CZK); pasta, lasagna, risotto, and all the other usual Italian staples are served. There is an American pool table (20 CZK for a game) and a herna bar next door, as well as pizza delivery.

Aimed squarely at the tourist market, Sherlock´s, a Prague branch of the Brno bar, is tucked away in a cranny of the rat-run between Národní Třída and the Charles Bridge. The menu covers more geographical space than a satellite in orbit, and the drinks list is large. Tex-Mex abounds and the kitchen is open until 3am daily, and closing time is an hour later.

The tubby bear offers nine draft beers and imported bottled beer, foreign food and a wide selection of vegetarian meals in creaky Gothic surroundings. Free WIFI, cards, darts and dies are provided. Popular with students, this two-floor restaurant is open until 2am every night.

A few minute´s walk from IP Pavlova, U Havrana is a young, inexpensive pub with glowing red walls, a parachute hanging on the ceiling and an extensive menu of substantial reasonably-priced Czech dishes. As you may have guessed, it is popular with students. Though the pub is open until 5am Monday-Saturday, last orders for food are at 3 am.  Free WIFI.

Close to the TV tower in Vinohrady, U Sadu has a comfortably cluttered atmosphere, a TV and projector, an outdoor street-side patio and free WIFI. Though primarily a pub, the kitchen serves a mixture of Czech and foreign-ish generously proportioned pub fare until 4am.

Attached to the club and four-star hotel of the same name, U Zlatého Stromu serves Czech and international dishes from sushi to lasagna around the clock. Main courses costs around 220 CZK. There is a large wine-list and cocktail menu.  The central location is convenient for clubbers, but the atmosphere is fairly formal; drunk and disheveled partiers might want to give it a miss.