Home Kitchen in Jungmannova street near the Wenceslas Sq. has always been a bit of a hidden gem for us. Well, it hardly was hidden. You could not get a seat over the lunch hour for two reasons: (1) it is very popular, and (2) the small bistro does not sit more than twelve. But it is still a gem and everything what we like in a modern bistro: good, honestly made and easy quick lunches or dinners served throughout the day, nice atmosphere in a well designed room and pleasant and friendly staff that wants you to come back again.
We were happy when we heard they were planning to open a second branch in the Holesovice district near the Prague Marina development project, the Dox museum and the Prague market. The Holesovice district, fatally flooded in 2002, has been on the rise ever since the floods but still lags behind Vinohrady or Karlin districts in terms of good eateries, we think. We visited the new Home Kitchen twice: once for breakfast with friends, the second time alone for light dinner.
Compared to the centrally located Home Kitchen, the new one is much, much bigger and located in a generously spaced room that includes the coffee bar, the food bar (that displays all the dishes and soups available and that dominates the smaller Home Kitchen, too) and an open kitchen. The new venue also features a nice outdoor seating area that faces a residential area, not the street.
What we like about the new Home Kitchen is its opening hours: from 7:30am (or 8am over the weekends) until 10pm every single day. Their menu really mirrors the old Home Kitchen. They serve good breakfasts in the morning: we had scrambled eggs with bacon and egg omelette, livance pancakes with cream cheese and jam and yoghurt with granola and fruits. We may have had a few comments but everything served was of good quality and well prepared. We could definitely see us coming here for a lazy weekend brunch. (We skipped the cakes but we liked them in the old venue so we assume it’s the same thing.)
For the rest of the day, Home Kitchen usually offers usually three soups (served in a small or large bowl), their toasted breads with toppings (we had the goat cheese, zucchini and olive version), one or two salads and one sweet and one savory dish. They offer free wifi, which is vital, considering Home Kitchen’s location among many offices. They serve two types of coffee from Coffee Source - one earthy and one more fruity - and have a La Marzocco machine, but coffee is not at the centre stage here. The one criticism we have is the lack of tap water. We’re not advocates of free water and would happily pay some fee for a carafe but no such option is available. It’s either fancy bottled water or home-made soda. We think a paid tap water option would fit well in the concept.
Nevertheless, we look forward to our many more visits for a relaxed weekend brunch on the way to the Dox museum. The first Home Kitchen has always been close to our hearts, and we think the new one only deepens that relationship.
Home Kitchen
Jankovcova 47, 170 00 Prague 7
Mon-Fri 7:30am - 10pm, Sat-Sun 8am - 10pm
Tel: (+420) 605 263 812