The Guardian spotlights top European restaurants: Is Czechia's pick an undiscovered gem?

A Czech restaurant has made it into The Guardian’s list of the best 35 restaurants in Europe – and it’s not in Prague. La Fresca, which “prepares traditional dishes of Czech culinary art from the end of the 19th century,” is based in Kroměříž. The Guardian writes that the menu is “big on traditional hunting plates, such as venison served with chanterelle mushrooms and fallow deer leg in a creamy sauce.” 

The restaurant’s setting also adds to its appeal. Kroměříž is described as a picturesque baroque castle town – also boasting a UNESCO World Heritage site – with a “quadrangle of pastel facades” that is best viewed from La Fresca. 

Czech eateries and food have performed well in recent rankings. Prague's Pizza Nuova made it into a list of Europe’s 50 best pizzerias, and a study by online food guide TasteAtlas found that the capital was ranked in the top 20 cities worldwide to taste local cuisine.

Still, the reception of Czech dishes remains a matter of taste, given that some of them have also made it into a Taste Atlas ranking of the world’s worst foods. 

A total of five restaurants in Prague have previously received one Michelin star, indicating culinary excellence. There are presently two restaurants in the Czech Republic with one Michelin star: Prague restaurant Field and La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise.