Prague & the Czech RepublicBest and worst restaurants: Best: Two Mary's Cesky Krumlov Steve in Overland Park, KS USA 06/26/2008 Best: Na Louzi in Cesky Krumlov Tim in Bay City, TX USA 06/15/2008 Best: Plzenksa Restaurace u Dvou Kocek Karis in Brookfield, WI USA 05/04/2008 Best: Places to eat in Cesky Krumlov Bob in Sequim, WA USA 05/01/2008 Best: Havelska Market restaurants, anywhere off the beaten path Worst: any restaurants in the Old Town Square Meghan Lake in Los Angeles, CA USA 01/30/2008 Best: U Pinkasu Julie Hielen in APO, AE USA 01/14/2008 Best: Olympia Worst: Hybernia JOhn USA 01/05/2008 Best: Konika (sp?) Leslie in Mathews, Italy 11/09/2007 Best: "The Mill House" --one block from the main Sq. in old Prague Worst: The Golden Tiger Rachel Bivins in Virginia Beach, VA United States 11/01/2007 Best: Restaurace u Provaznice Robert Hardy in Queenstown, MD USA 10/18/2007 Best: Ceska Kuchyne Worst: Orange Moon Tom Kilroy in San Diego, CA USA 10/14/2007 Best: Cafe Louvre Worst: Bohemia Bagel Ian Brotman in East Brunswick, NJ USA 08/22/2007 Best: Pekarstvi (which means bakery) was a little further down also on Dlouha closer to the old town square on the opposite side of the street (on the corner and had a display of bakery products in the windows). This place was great. It was about the quarter of the price of Au Gourmand. My favorite was the cherry strudel (which is close to a foot long – enough for 4 people). It cost less than a dollar and was the best dessert I had in Prague. They didn’t have them available very day (probably a good thing as I was addicted). They also had donuts, breads, pastries and bakery type lunch items. Cremeria Milano (Parizska 20 in the Jewish Quarter): this is an upscale coffee/pastry/ice cream shop on the most expensive street in Prague. Interestingly although this street is the “Champs Eysées” of Prague it was originally the heart of the Jewish ghetto and was the poorest most overcrowded section of the city. I had a few latte’s and ice cream here. A bit expensive but pleasant atmosphere. Bohemian Bagel: There are several of these that I visited. I found the best to be just outside of the Old Town Square. They also have locations on the other side of the Charles Bridge and near the funicular entrance to Petrin Hill. The establishment is owned by an American and is also an Internet Café. The food was a bit overpriced but it was pretty good. I had lunch there several times. The guidebooks say that this is the best place to get a great breakfast but I wasn’t impressed (I had breakfast at the one near the Charles Bridge). Lunches are much better. I don’t know the name but next door to Bohemia Bagel in the Old Town (to the right as you face the bagel place) there was a hole in the wall place that I went to for lunch about 3 times a week. In was a take out place (a few stand up tables). You have to point at the special and ask for it or the woman will charge you a different price. The special is a liter size soda or lemonade and 3 Chelebicky for 69 Kcs. A Chelebicky is an open faced sandwich on a sliced baguette with various toppings (crab, ham, salami, cheeses, hard boiled eggs, pickles known as gherkins). You can get these at almost any bakery but this place had the largest, freshest looking and the price was good. It’s closed on the weekend. Paneria, this is also a chain (pastries, sandwiches on baguettes, wraps, breads, coffee, drinks). I went to a few of these and found some to be better than others. The best was just outside of the Jewish area near the entrance of the old Jewish cemetery. Pekarstvi, Siroka 10 near the Pinkas Synagogue and recommended by Rick Steves. I went here twice and wasn’t impressed. The food/baked goods on both occasions looked like they had been sitting for several days. I did get a pastry one day and found it to be very dry. Paneria is right around the corner and a much better choice. Albertov tram shop (closest stop to Arcadia). There was a little market open late that had all kinds of groceries, beer/wine and a large selection of fresh fruit. There was a wonderful bakery with fresh bread, cookies and pastries. The pizza bread was really the best thing I ate in Prague (besides mama Anna’s tiramisu). There is a market up the hill a bit from the Arcadia run by a Russian woman. After being charged different prices for the same items on different days and having her try to convince me that I needed to buy more stuff (things like telling me that people from home would love chocolate or that I needed cheese to go with my wine) I stopped going there. I had gelato daily at a variety of places. It was all good. I paid between 10 Kcs and 50 Kcs for a small scoop depending how far out of the city I was. My favorite was Stracciatella (like chocolate chip). The ones labeled “Cream and Dream” seemed to give you a bigger scoop for the price. You can also get two or three scoops but one scoop a day (kiddy size cone) was good for me. Casual/Mid-level - *Pizzeria Kmotra, V Jircharich 12: I got two small carafes of wine at 45 Kcs each (the second I didn’t order the waitress just brought it over – she said I didn’t have to take it but for $2.00 I figured why not…) The wine was just okay. The pizza was really good. I ordered a Margherita with onions (it was enough to feed two people). They were happy to make any substitution that I requested. There wasn’t much basil on the pie just a bit of dried basil sprinkled on one slice. I also got a pepper stuffed with cheese appetizer. It was pretty good. Total was 248 Kcs without tip. I would recommend this place for a casual night out. It’s a cute place, the service was very good and the food was good. Recommended by the Lonely Planet guide book. It’s a short walk from the Narodni Trida tram/metro station. Cantina: Ujezd 38 across the street from the funicular entrance to Petrin Hill. This was the best Mexican food that I have ever had in my entire life. I had chips and salsa and a pork dish with a spicy pepper sauce, rice and cheese quesadillas. I didn’t find this until my last few days otherwise I would have returned a few more times. It was a bit crowded but I was able to get a seat at the bar. Restaurant U Cerveneho Kola, Anezska 2, it’s a few blocks outside of the Old Town square: This was a great choice. The place was pretty cute. It served traditional Czech dishes. I got Pork with dumplings (very yummy). The Apple Strudel was okay. Service was great. I am not sure of the price as one of our teachers offered to pay but my guess is that it is pretty reasonable. Kvasnicovy Lezak, Vodickova 20 (right across from the Vodickova tram stop near Wenceslas Square). This is not a restaurant that I would have ever selected myself. The Czech coordinator decided that this is where we would have our farewell dinner. The food was amazing. I got the Bohemian special which included ham, pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings in a really great sauce. The beer is brewed on the premises. I tried the light beer which was very good. This was a really great meal at a reasonable price. Highly recommended if you are looking for a good Czech meal. Kemenny Stil (outside in the middle of Old Town Square): this was my first Prague eating experience. I was jet lagged and tired and hungry so I stopped at the first place that happened to come into view. I got a glass of white wine, tomato/mozzarella salad and spaghetti carbonara. It was a pretty expensive lunch (about $30). The wine and the salad were just okay. The portions were of good size but the pasta was overcooked and had no flavor. Probably not a good idea to order Italian in Prague. Chez Marcel (Hastalska 12 just outside of the Old Town Square): This was a little French Bistro that we frequented often. The film instructor was French so he became friends with the owner and staff. I had coffee here, lunches and dinners. Lunch was good (I had red pepper and cheese on a baguette, I asked if they could add prosciutto but there are no substitutions). One night I ordered pasta (bad choice) and another night I had chicken (great choice). The chocolate fallen cake was great as was the goat cheese/red pepper appetizer. Everyone in the class loved this place and most ate there at least once a day. Prices were reasonable but on the high end for dinner. U Fleku, Kremencova 11, this is supposedly the oldest beer hall in Prague. It was a lot of fun and the food was good. It was like a small German beer hall. There was a trumpet and accordion player and you were seated with other people. I sat with a nice Italian family from Pisa. I tried the Bratwurst, sauerkraut (really coleslaw) served with horseradish (the Italians did not know what this was but found the name to be pretty funny when I told them the English word), mustard and a very fresh roll. The beer was good too. A man was walking around with shots. I tried one because the Italian family ordered one. They were quite gross. Not sure what I was drinking but it burnt my throat!! Stick to the beer unless you are adventurous. Metamorphosis, Hastalska 3: I got pasta with tomatoes & basil and a glass of wine one day for lunch. It was starting to rain and this is the first place I saw so I stopped in. The service was really slow and the pasta was mushy with only a few tomatoes (also overcooked) and not much basil. The bread was really good. Total without tip was 425 Kcs. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, U Obecniho Dvora 4, this was just downstairs from our classroom/apartment. Good beer and bar food with reasonable prices. It’s usually not crowded as it is a bit off the beaten path a few blocks outside of the Old Town Square. U Semika, Vratislavova 36, www.usemika.cz – this was located across the street from the hotel and was recommended by Pasquale. The outside terrace was full so I sat inside. The ambience was really great. I felt as though I was in an old (romantic) library filled with shelves of books. They had an old pile of Czech language National Geographics that I leafed through while I was there. The service was okay but not great. The food and wine were also just okay. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get here but it’s a nice meal if you are in the area. The bread was really good as was the caprese salad. The tagliatelle with spring veggies was cooked well but the spring veggies were previously frozen carrots, corn and green beans. The total price before tip was 238 Kcs. U Prince (Old Town Square) http://www.hoteluprince.cz/index.html : great views and photos of the old town, they don’t take reservations but twice I just walked in and sat down. I had a glass of wine & cheese/fruit plate but others in the group tried the kabob and chicken. The food was pretty good but the views made it better. One day I just walked up and took some photos without eating. They didn’t seem to mind. U Rotta Malé námìstí 3 (outside patio on the edge of Old Town Square). This was okay for a lunch. A bit expensive but I got a very good/large tomato/mozzerella panini and a salad. Sovovy Mlyny, Kampa Island U Sovovych Mlynu 2: this was my only really bad food experience in Prague. It looked quaint as it was right on the water on Kampa Island with a view of the Charles Bridge. I was looking for the restaurant Kampa Park and couldn’t find it (until the next day) so I stopped at this place. The service was horrible. The waiter had a bit of an attitude and he was really slow. He took my wine order and did not return for 10-15 minutes. It was npt really busy. The entire inside of the restaurant was empty. I tried the fried goat cheese (after having a great experience with this at Bellevue. It was pretty gross. I ordered tagliatelle with sun dried tomatoes. The pasta was overcooked and had no flavor with the exception of the sun dried tomatoes (of which there were only three). There were bugs flying around everyplace. I felt bad for the people sitting close to the outdoor lights. Little gross bugs were landing on my table every few seconds. I finally figured out that they were attracted to the candle on the table. I blew the candle out. The bugs seemed to lesson but who knows, now I couldn’t see any of them. I am sure there were some in my food and wine glass. I decided to take a pass on dessert. Total including a bottle of water and glass of wine was 600 Kcs. I had planned to try the Palffy Palace but when I saw that they were affiliated with Sovovy Mlyny I decided not to take a chance. Splurges: Allegro Bar at the Four Seasons, Veleslavínova 2a/109; I didn’t have reservations so I was offered a seat at the bar. The only thing bad about this was that I couldn’t tell that I was in Prague. I felt as though I could be in any city in the world. The service was impeccable. I received a chef’s spoon with salmon and green foam. It was really good. They offered a dish of bar nuts/snacks and a dish of olives and a basket of various breads (pumpkin seed was the best). The food was all wonderful. I got two appetizers – tomato/mozzarella salad and walnut gnocchi. For dessert I had a terrific apple/apricot strudel. I had two glasses of French wine. Total was 1,750 Kcs without tip. There was a piano player in the lounge playing old American songs. It was a great experience but a bit pricy. Bellevue, Smetanovo nabrezi 18, this was by far the best meal that I had in Prague. A bit pricy but best service, best view and best food. My water was refilled every time I took a sip. The bread was great. I had red wine, the scallop appetizer (pretty good), a goat cheese appetizer (incredible), and a Ravioli appetizer (also incredible). Total was 1,450Kcs not including tip. Kampa Park, beside the river on Kampa Island, and next to the Charles Bridge. Very expensive but a great spurge meal. I didn’t have reservations so I had to sit inside. First the chef offered a taste of a salmon/ginger concoction that was really great. I had a salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and pears, it was filling and yummy! Next I had a spinach soufflé with a tomato sauce (equally yummy). I was so full I couldn’t eat dessert. The check which included one bottle of water and one glass of white Czech wine was 1,145 Kcs not including tip. Really great meal!
Linda in North Andover, MA USA 08/08/2007 Best: Pivnice Dacincky in Kutna Hora Lee Ann Bourcier in Yachats, OR USA 06/30/2007 Best: Olympia Worst: Restaurace Nad Uvozem David Bangsund in Portland, OR USA 06/21/2007 Best: Country Life Veggie Restaurant Linda Ostapinski in San Diego, CA USA 05/26/2007 Best: Pivnice Dacicky in Kunta Hora Nina in Onaga, Ks USA 04/11/2007 Best: Pizzeria Mulino Al Hermansen in Delano, MN USA 09/16/2006 Worst: Restaurace Rybarsky Klub in Prague Linda Glaze in San Diego, CA USA 08/31/2006 Best: Na Louzi & Krcma u Dwau Maryi in Cezky Krumlov Worst: Restaurace Nad Uvozem, Prague Robert Bell in Victoria, BC Canada 07/13/2006 Best: Josephina I went back and again ate good food. Total each night was about $15 canadian including drinks, dessert and tip. K Barker in Ottawa, ON Canada 07/02/2006 Best: Olympia Edward in Chicago, IL USA 05/17/2006 Best: Restaurant Rybarsky Klub and Dobra Cajovna Dobra Cajovna was a perfect teahouse for that mid-afternoon respite. Rita Berger-Morra in Phila., Pa USA 05/03/2006 Best: Maly Buddha TJ in San Jose, CA USA 03/25/2006 Best: Klasterni Pivovar Zoe Trieff in Austin, TX USA 03/16/2006 Best: Cesky Krumluv - Laiban John and JoAnn Womack in Franklin, NC USA 01/21/2006 |
