Prague restaurant named among the world's most 'picture perfect'

Tripadvisor has revealed the winners of its 2021 Travelers' Choice Awards. In the category of Best Fine Dining Restaurants, the title was won this year by The Old Stamp House Restaurant in Ambleside, North West England. 

While there isn't a Czech entry on the list of the world's top 25 restaurants as chosen by Tripadvisor users, one Prague restaurant made it into the "Picture-Perfect" category of global dining establishments that are "worth a thousand selfies."

The Le Grill restaurant at the Grand Mark Hotel ranks as the second-most stunning restaurant in the world among Tripadvisor, topped only by the Koral Restaurant in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. DOR, an eatery in Tohanu Nou, Romania came in third with I due Roccoli in Iseo, Italy (no. 4) and Tin Lung Heen in Hong Kon (no. 5) rounding out the top five.

Users gave Le Grill prettiness points for its outdoor setting and resident bird-watching opportunities with one user writing, "A fabulous garden space, which you must experience when in Prague. You may even see a few peacocks walking around.”

The restaurant on Prague's Hybernská in the heart of the Old Town is located in a former Baroque palace. It serves a mix of international and Czech cuisine and is helmed by Executive Chef, Jaromír Hlavsa. In 2013, the Grand Mark was awarded by Tripadvisor as one of the Top 25 Luxury Hotels Czech Republic.

The awards are released annually by the Tripadvisor portal, whose users visit restaurants and then review their experiences on the platform. 

The Alcron Restaurant, located inside New Town’s Radisson Blu Hotel, was ranked no. 11 in 2017 by Tripadvisor on its list of the world's best fine-dining restaurants. In 2019 the site ranked the city of Prague itself among the top 10 'most cultural' cities in Europe.

A number of hotels in the Czech Republic continue to struggle in the aftermath of travel restrictions brought about due to the Covid pandemic. According to the Czech Tourism Union, losses from foreign tourism in 2020 alone are estimated at CZK 160 to 180 billion in tourism and roughly 20 to 30 percent of hotels in Prague did not reopen. Hotels were hit worst in Prague and Karlovy Vary.