(Please note that this is an older post on breakfast in Prague. Click here for the most up-to-date post on the best breakfast in Prague.)
For some, it is a waste of time, and a croissant and coffee or a bit of yoghurt will do. For others, breakfast is a vital start that sets the tone for the rest of the day. We must admit we belong to the second category. For us, a late breakfast is definitely one of our favorite pastimes. There's nothing better than getting out of the bed with the promise of some scrambled eggs with bacon, fluffy pancakes, delicious coffee - okay, now we're salivating. What makes a breakfast so great is you can stop for a moment, think about all the things you did yesterday, and plan the day ahead of you. All this thinking deserves a nice meal. Whether you prefer savory or sweet, we give you a list of our favorite breakfast spots in Prague:
Café Savoy
This is one of our favorite places for breakfast. The art deco interior is nice but not overwhelming. The high ceilings are airy and there's lots of light inside, which is something we like. This is a great place for people watching: the crowd is a mix of elegantly dressed locals and visitors from abroad. When you walk downstairs to the bathrooms, you’ll pass the wine cellar and if you go further, you can have a look at the bakery where they prepare their delicious pastries. Book a table in advance (especially for weekend mornings) and have the French toast, one of the best croissants in the city with wonderful apricot marmalade, baked brioche bread with ham and Gruyere cheese and a poached egg, or scrambled eggs - all delicious! Their sausages are also nice. They also have a nice but pricey selection of teas, but we are not huge fans of their coffee, despite them having beans from local roasters - so we hope they improve on their coffee-brewing skills.
Café Lounge
If coffee is an important part of your breakfast, then Café Lounge, just a few steps off Café Savoy, might hit your fancy. As for breakfast, you can choose from several items that include sausages, scrambled eggs, ham-and-eggs, Bircher muesli, or you can build your own “Hunger Wall” (which actually runs through the patio of the café), i.e. you can choose create your own breakfast set. We also like their sandwiches, especially the chicken-and-egg sandwich sandwich, or their focaccia with grilled vegetables and goat cheese or chorizo. If you prefer a sweet breakfast, we recommend you opt for the Czech sweets - sweet buns or kolachees. Definitely avoid the pastries in the cooler - they may look nice but they fall behind in terms of taste. Fresh juices and a wide selection of tees are also available for the non-coffee drinkers. When the weather permits, definitely choose a table in their lovely garden.
Home Kitchen
This small and intimate place really feels like home: you sit at two communal tables, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The selection for breakfast is small but tasty and of high quality. Apart from eggs, you can also get pancakes and good bread with several toppings, or choose from a daily selection of three soups served with bread and flavored olive oil. Home Kitchen is great for really early breakfasts, opening as early as 7:30. However, they are closed on Sundays. The only downside is that they don't serve tap water, but we still like it a lot.
Můj šálek kávy
Another of our favorites in Prague, Muj salek kavy is a lovely and a very popular place located in the Karlín district, which has witnessed dramatic renewal since the 2002 floods, and is almost always packed. We both have favorites on their breakfast menu: while Zuzi likes their home-made muesli with Greek yoghurt and fruits, Jan always orders their omelette with ham, cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes. Their coffee is delicious, and their beans, roasted in house by the owner of the cafe, the Doubleshot roasters, are served both in espresso-based drinks and in drips. You can even order a tasting set of three different drip coffees. We love their home-made lemonades, and we never leave without tasting one of their delicious cakes. Oh, and the pistachio ice-cream is finger-licking-good.
Pasta Caffé
Although the crowds - an eclectic mix of shady Czech businessmen and B-list celebrities - may not be to our taste at times, their breakfast sets are a terrific value and consist of good-quality components. We love the boiled eggs with Parmeggiano cheese or fried eggs with spinach and onions, for instance. Later in the day, they focus on lighter, pasta-based dishes and salads. They also offer a nice selection of Czech and Italian pastries if you cannot imagine your breakfast without a sweet ending. They have another branch in the Vodickova street near the Wenceslas Square with a virtually identical menu.
Café Imperial
Being a hotel restaurant, Café Imperial offers a breakfast buffet and breakfast sets in addition to the a la carte choices. Their staff is very polite and professional, at times to the point of being a little bit stuffy. Their menu is very extensive and you will find it hard to find something missing. We liked our breakfasts (poached eggs and the English breakfast set) the last time we visited, although we must admit we would skip the croissant and jam the next time. The interior, with its high ceilings and the walls covered in tiles, is striking, but may make the impression that you are eating in a spa. :-)
Monolok
This nice café off the beaten path is located in the Vinohrady district, and its location is excellent if you want to explore the area further (which is something that we definitely recommend). They serve delicious coffee and offer a small selection of breakfast dishes: nice sausages, egg-based dishes, muesli, pancakes, fruits, and a few breakfast sets. If the weather is nice, definitely get a table in their lovely patio in the courtyard. Their baristas are really good and the staff is very friendly in general. The only problem we have with this place is, ironically, the owners - they don't seem to be interested in how their guests are doing or if they feel welcome, and just boss their employees around in front of the guests.
La Bottega di Finestra
This shop/bistro near the Charles Bridge is a bit upscale, just like the sister restaurant next door, but their eggs Benedict are worth a visit alone. The few breakfast dishes they serve are all of very good quality, and they make full use of their own in-house bakery. The shop/bistro combo plays very well to the customer's advantage: all the ingredients are fresh and tasty.
EMA Espresso Bar
OK, this is not a place for "proper breakfast" with eggs and bacon, but if you want great coffee in a relaxed and nice atmosphere, and you'll do just fine with a small sandwich or croissant, we cannot recommend EMA enough. As an added bonus, you can meet us there - we are there so often we are thinking about having our mail forwarded there ;-) No, really, the baristas are excellent, and the coffee usually fantastic. In addition to their more regular coffees, they always offer something special as their "coffee of the week", so you'll never get bored. In terms of food, they offer fresh sandwiches, one or two salads, and something sweet. They also serve fresh juices and home-made lemonades.
