108 Best Restaurants in Czech Republic

Since opening in 2017, Benjamin has consistently been one of Prague's most sought-after fine-dining experiences. Well, with just 10 seats set around a horseshoe-shaped table, it's a very exclusive ticket—so make sure you book far in advance. Each boldly flavored dish on the eight-course tasting menu exhibits oodles of imagination, innovation, and inspiration—and when combined with the unique communal setup, makes for a one-of-a-kind meal. Look out for seasonal dishes inspired by hidden corners of Czech culinary history, from once-common but long-forgotten ingredients like sturgeon to classic curd desserts that hark back to communist-era kindergartens. There are also cooking classes available for couples (9,000 Kč) and larger groups. 

One of the best of Prague's traditional turn-of-the-century-style grand cafés, the Savoy is popular day and night for its brunches, coffees, Czech classics, and pastries. In particular, try the větrník, a Czech classic made of choux pastry with cream and caramel. It's far more authentic than the touristy trdelník (a type of rolled, spit cake) available everywhere, although if you need that sugar hit to get up the hill to the castle, no judgment. It's also an opulent but still traditional spot for a beer in the evening—or heck, go all out and get some sekt (Czech sparkling wine). 

An excellent pit stop while exploring Malá Strana, this warm, inviting café and bakery serves freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes, making it a convenient oasis for lunch. Or just rest your feet with a coffee and a slice of pie or cake. The light-wood booths and exposed-beam ceilings give Cukrkávalimonáda (literally "Sugarcoffeelemonade") a country-farmhouse feel. Lunchtime can be overcrowded, so try to book a spot in advance; at other times, you can normally find a seat. Note: the café closes daily at 7.

A medieval tavern feel and big plates of Czech food make Dačický a warm, authentic experience. The yellow walls decorated with cartoon-style murals, the long (shared) wooden tables, and the massive chandelier also add to the ambience. Try the pork knee and the beer sampler, but don't expect to be able to move for a couple of hours: the portions are huge and the beer is plentiful.

Literally translated as "A Coffee Shop Looking for a Name," this achingly hip café-cum-gallery serves great coffee, tempting cocktails, and excellent food—including top-notch breakfasts and brunches until midday on weekdays and 3 pm on weekends. The gallery space showcases work by local artists and hosts pop-up events.

It may no longer be the novel, menu-less restaurant of old—the COVID pandemic put an end to the concept of people choosing their meals from communal pots—but this castle-side restaurant still serves up great, traditional Czech cuisine. Take a seat and order from a small menu of dishes ranging from fresh cow's cheese with pickled vegetables to duck leg with rustic bread dumplings and red cabbage. Although most of the mains are meaty, there's always at least one vegetarian option. While the interior is perfectly lovely—all copper pots, aquamarine tiles, and pine-wood tables—the terrace, with its stunning city views, is the best place to dine.

One of Prague's two Michelin star holders is this elegant tasting room, where diners are taken on a superlative culinary adventure via a Czech-inspired tasting menu over an extended evening. The menu roves around Czech and European cuisine playfully and stylishly, including classic local specialties with a twist, like pork belly, cabbage, and mustard or a dessert of cream, blueberry, and basil. You'll need a full appetite to last the multiple, delicious courses, so you'll want to come hungry. One word of caution: the tasting menu is 2,450 Kč before drinks are even considered, and dinner for two, with wine and tip, can climb into the 10,000 Kč territory. But for many, the experience is worth every koruna. Book in advance.

One of Prague's hottest tables, La Finestra is the meaty counterpart to its sister restaurant, Aromi, right down to the wooden tables and brick walls. Catering to local gourmands and boldface names, this restaurant lives up to the hype. As at Aromi, waiters display an array of freshly caught fish that comprise the day's specials, but here they also do the same with meat, including cuts flown in from Italy.

Despite the quality of the cooking, La Veranda remains somewhat overlooked by visitors (though popular with locals), making a visit to this stylish, softly lighted room feel like you've been let in on a wonderful secret. The food is top-notch, with seasonal specials and a not outrageously priced six-course tasting menu showcasing the restaurant's greatest hits, like an incredibly rich beef tartare with egg yolk and black truffle. The à la carte options are equally inventive and deliver on flavor, too, from beef steak, beluga lentils, and zucchini to rabbit leg confit. Wine pairings are available.

Sleek and relatively sophisticated, Lokál Dlouhááá takes the Czech pub concept to a new level with fresh local ingredients, perfectly poured beers, and friendly, efficient service. It makes for an idealized version of a corner restaurant out of another era, right down to the stark white walls, waiters in vests, and bathrooms wallpapered with old pinups and airplane posters. Many of the dishes have a modern twist: schnitzel is made from pork neck and served atop buttery whipped potatoes, while the Czech classic of svíčková (beef tenderloin in cream sauce) is tangy and fresh (not often the case at most pubs). Lokál also has pub-restaurants in Malá Strana, Karlín, and Vinohrady.

Although a little out of the way, this lovely restaurant overlooking Smíchov (the name means "On the Hill") serves exceptional, high-end Czech and international cuisine within a comfortable and casual setting. The menu is completely overhauled every three months, making the best use of seasonal, locally sourced ingredients—from rabbit and wild boar to porcini mushrooms—to create surprising and satisfying dishes. Yet for all the fine-dining credentials, there's not an ounce of pretentiousness, thanks to the unstuffy decor (including walls plastered in family photos), the friendly and informal service, and the reasonable prices.

The restaurant is about the same walking distance (15 minutes) from Radlická and Smíchovské nádraží Metro stops (both Line B), but you can save a walk uphill by arriving at Radlická and leaving from Smíchovské nádraží.

Czech comfort food is served up every day and every night at Na louži. Lovingly preserved wood furniture and paneling lend a traditional touch to this warm, inviting, family-run pub. The food is unfussy yet satisfying; take your pick from the Czech specialties on the menu. If you're feeling too full to move after dinner, the 10 country-style rooms upstairs are basic and cheap and include breakfast; perfect for a one-night stay.

This extraordinary Asian fusion restaurant, which consists of just 17 bar stalls arranged around an open kitchen, offers an interactive dining experience combining traditional Vietnamese cuisine with European techniques and flavors. It's a combination inspired by owners Khanh's and Giang's personal experiences as Vietnamese men growing up in Prague. Watch in awe as the international kitchen team painstakingly puts together each course—it's not uncommon to see four of them huddled over a single dish—before presenting and explaining it to you. There are weekly a la carte lunch menus available, but come in the evening for the exceptional eight-course tasting menu (1,790 Kč). It changes with the seasons, but typical dishes might include summer rolls with chicken and tamarind sauce, sea bass with Thai basil and fermented radish, or pork consommé with bonito and pork dumplings. Wine pairings are also available.

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant is very popular, so book ahead.

This fine-dining establishment is widely considered to be one of the country's best restaurants—and for good reason. First and foremost, the food is superb; expect mouthwatering Czech classics and lesser-spotted seafood dishes, including scallops, lobster, and sea bream ceviche, all cooked to perfection by head chef Pavel Sapík. Second, the setting is gorgeous, from the elegant mirrored dining room (which has been in almost constant use since the 16th century) to the relaxing rooftop terrace. And third, the view over Malá Strana (Lesser Quarter), with its sea of burnt-orange rooftops, is simply unbeatable. Come for a delicious à la carte lunch any day of the week, or spoil yourself rotten with the evening tasting menu and wine pairing.

On top of the boutique Golden Well Hotel, lunch or dinner, either inside or on the terrace of this Michelin-rated restaurant overlooking the city's rooftops, is a delicious experience that more than lives up to the views and prices. The menu runs the gamut from the full degustation (3,400 Kč) to more reasonably priced à la carte lunch options.

This old-fashioned tavern puts on airs, but if you're looking for the perfect Czech venue for a special occasion, it's hard to beat the "Blue Duckling." Dusty portraits hanging on the walls and lavish curtains and table settings impart a certain slightly frilly 19th-century look. The menu, filled with succulent duck and game choices, brings things down to earth a notch. There's dining on two levels, but the upper floor's intimacy—with secluded tables in each nook and cranny and soft piano music wafting through the air—is preferable. There's now a second, smaller restaurant (unimaginatively named U Modré kachničky II) near Old Town Square.

Near the Hradčanská Metro station, this restaurant is a hit with families, and it's easy to see why. The menu covers comfort-food classics—like excellent burgers and some of the city's best pizza—an easy sell for kids, but parents in the mood for something more refined can order entrées like duck risotto. Plus, 500 has a surprisingly good wine list, including decent vintages available by the glass (still a rarity in Prague). The daily luncheon specials are popular and reasonably priced. The final winning touch? In summer, an expansive terrace opens into one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods.

In the evenings, this café, which offers affordable lunches and snacks, becomes a trendy bar. The emphasis is on fair-trade items and food from local farmers who follow ecological practices. Formerly vegetarian, the bistro now serves some meat dishes. The interior is pleasant with that stripped-down modern look.

Across from the Újezd tram stop, this gelato gem offers delicious, homemade ice cream and gelato almost all year.

The home-baked sourdough bread, the huge selection of delicious pastries, and the lovingly brewed coffee make this café-bakery a local favorite. It's so popular that there are now two other branches in Prague, including a second one in Smíchov (at Štefánikova 31).

The menu is on the decidedly short side but offers a constantly changing list of modern takes on fish, meat, and pasta dishes, served in a relaxed but trendy environment. Tasting menus with seasonal dishes include a vegetarian option. The bar serves up new spins on classic cocktails. The light wood furnishings and vaulted ceiling add to the bright and airy feel. Located close to Brno's main theaters.

Don't let the slightly weird name and offbeat location fool you: this is a gem. Great seafood, service, and wine at this hidden-away restaurant on the edge of the Mala Strana district, serving choice meals from all over the world.

This sweet little café with tiled mosaic floors, globe lights, and mint-green decor provides an inviting spot for a light lunch. It's similar to the nearby Bakeshop Praha, but with a certain Gallic flair. Like its neighbor, it too has a few seats, although it also boasts a garden in the back, where you can enjoy a salade niçoise or a tomato-and-mozzarella sandwich.

Great coffee and cool vibes in this cavernous, slightly rough-around-the-edges café in an interesting, historic building, which also doubles as an art and community space.

A pleasantly airy American-style bakery and café counter, Bakeshop Praha sells familiar U.S. favorites, from avocado BLTs to entire pumpkin pies. Though it gets crowded during peak lunch hours, there is indoor seating, and the space, with penny-tiled floors and ceiling moldings, has a retro charm. But the takeaway sandwiches, bagels, giant cookies, and good coffee make it easy to grab and go.

Enjoy fresh, zingy Vietnamese food at this small, trendy spot on Rybná, from the eponymous baguettes to rolls, salads, and pho. There are good Vietnamese joints all over Prague thanks to ties between formerly communist Czechoslovakia and Hanoi, but until recently Staré Mĕsto was lacking its own standout. Founder Hung Le and his team have delivered with this branch, part of a minichain that brings authentic Vietnam by way of Berlin and California.

It may not look too salubrious from outside, but this tucked-away fine-dining restaurant has a wonderfully warm and welcoming interior, all roughly plastered walls, sturdy wooden furniture, soft golden lighting, and autumnal wall hangings. What's more, the food is great: the seasonal, five-course degustation menu (1,590 Kč) has a mix of influences but really comes to life with main courses built around classic Czech ingredients like rabbit, pork, dumplings, and cabbage. Note that the portions are small, courses are quite spread out, and there are few extras (including no bread), so you may leave feeling not entirely full. Opt for a wine pairing (955 Kč) with dinner or add something a little different to your dining experience with a non-alcoholic pairing (480 Kč) of kombucha-like fermented lemonades. They vary in level of acidity; some are pleasantly subtle, others are more of an acquired taste. As well as dinner, the restaurant serves three-course prix fixe breakfasts (480 Kč).

For a quick lunch on the go, walk smugly past the greasy international chains and come here for tasty fresh sandwiches, salads, and barista-brewed coffees.

Owned by Czech brewer Budvar, Budvarka is a pumped-up pub. From the selection of beers to the rough-hewn wood tables, everything here is larger than life. The samples of rare Budvar brews (including a dark and a yeast beer) are worth the trip to this neighborhood alone. The food is upscale Czech grub, including an entire section of the menu meant to pair with beer, which covers potatoes cooked in lard and pickled hermelín cheese. The Flinstonian ribs are so huge that they require special presentation on a raised metal tray. Bring an appetite or a hungry friend.

While Prague isn't famous for its Mexican food, Burrito Loco is a notable exception: fresh, spicy takeout burritos and nachos, at affordable prices, right by Old Town Square. There are a few branches around the city.