Prague Restaurants and Dining

(Prague, Czech Republic)

Many of the restaurants in Prague specialise in traditional Czech cuisine, where dishes are usually meat-based (fried or roasted) and served with sliced dumplings or potatoes, and then topped with a tasty sauce or gravy. When dining out in Prague at a Czech restaurant, you can be sure to find plenty of simple dishes, which are not spicy and tend to feature fairly small portions of vegetables.

The sheer quantity and quality of restaurants in Prague is now greater than ever before, although there are still a fairly large number of rather disappointing dining venues serving rather uninspiring and basic cuisine. Tasty and reasonably priced food is easy to find, if you know where to look, and the best feature Baroque-style interiors, adding a definite medieval atmosphere.

What to Eat

Some of the main dishes in Prague's restaurants are usually made with pork or beef, although simple vegetable soups (polévka) are usually popular. When only looking for a snack, be sure to try klobasy (grilled sausages) or parky (frankfurter sausages), which are readily available on the many street stalls around Prague.

• Chlebicky - open sandwiches, where fillings are arranged on a sliced baguette
• Knedliky - bohemian dumplings
• Pecena Kachna - roast duck and bacon dumplings
• Svickova na Smetane - pot-roasted fillet of beef, with creamy sauce
• Uzené - smoked pork, usually served with potatoes and dumplings
• Veprove, Knedliky a Zeli - pork, served with sauerkraut and dumplings
• Veprovy Rizek - breaded, fried pork schnitzel (steak) with potatoes and salad

Where to Eat

Whilst many restaurants in Prague were known to overcharge in the early 1990s, this problem is much less commonplace today, although do always check your bills carefully. The main dining venues tend to fall into three different categories - restaurace (restaurant), pivince (beer cellar) and vinárna (wine bar). Many of these eateries will need to be booked two or three days in advance, although if you have not reserved a table, beer cellars and fast-food restaurants are probably your best option.

An increasing number of mid-range hotels in Prague now feature their very own restaurants and non-residents are always welcomed. These dining venues provide excellent value and cater almost solely for tourists and business travellers. For something a little more memorable, head to the 12th-century beer cellars close to Prague Castle and the neighbouring Hradcany borough, terrace cafes within the Little Quarter, and the French restaurants in historic townhouses around the Old Town district and close to the St. Agnes Convent. Many charming bistro restaurants are a major attraction within Prague's Jewish Quarter (such as Chez Marcel on the Hastalska), while the New Town district is known for its plentiful cafes and hotel dining.