One day, we will look back at 2023 as a fantastic year for the Prague food scene. A year when Prague finally left the covid years behind and moved forward. We have been running food tours in Prague for 12 years, and we have now been running a cosy bistro in Prague for less than 12 months, and let us tell you: people in Prague are hungry, and tourists have come back after the almost three Covid years with a vengeance.
So let’s get to it. What’s opened in Prague in 2023? Let’s start at the top end.
(Note for readers: this year we have only focused on restaurants, leaving coffee shops, wine and other bars for different posts.)
Alma
The biggest opening in Prague is arguably Alma, a modern Czech restaurant tucked away on a small street behind the National Theatre. What’s made it so consequential is the gravitational pull it has created on the „cool table“ part of the Prague food scene, attracting a lot of great young talent with a lot of great potential - great young chefs, great young bakers, young bartenders and sommeliers. And it shows: Alma was never supposed to generate profit in its first months, but it has done that comfortably, and has become a place that can rank at the top of any Prague chart when it comes to restaurants, coffee shops or wine bars. It is the hottest restaurant in Prague right now if you live in the right bubble. In a sense, this is the Eska of 2023. (Remember how cool Eska was back in 2016?)
420
After long months of rumors and expectations, the 420 restaurant finally opened in December. Aside from the food, the main attraction remains the location - a big Czech restaurant opposite the Astronomical Clock, an area so far reserved for mass tourism only, is bound to be successful. The reconstruction must have cost a fortune, and the restaurant’s premises on the first floor are not ready yet, but the ground floor alone sits 140. Despite the hype and the controversial name (420 is the international dialing code for Czechia, but also, ahem, you know what), the cooking is actually quite conservative, and builds on what Chef Kašpárek, the face of the restaurant and the executive chef of the Michelin one-star Field, is known for - his demi glace sauces. If you like conservative cooking with a slightly modern edge and umami, you will love this place. But let’s be real here: despite all the talk about reclaiming the Old Town Square for the locals, sooner rather than later this place will be overrun by tourists, and for good reason. So get there before it happens.
Štangl
Štangl (pronounced “shtangl”, nothing’s silent) opened on what used to be the first floor of Eska in the Karlín district. Run by the Chef Štangl, the former executive chef and co-owner of Eska, the restaurant reflects his personality: it is pensive, mature, with a big focus on sustainability and location. It is also an absolutely beautiful restaurant - the top of Eska was nice as it was, but the three granite counters of the open kitchen and the hydroponic garden in the corner give it some serious „The Menu“ movie vibes. And our dinner was very tasty, with an interesting wine pairing to boot. Definitely a great place for a destination dinner, ideally combined with a cocktail at the Liquid Office nearby.
Marie B
Marie B was opened by the people behind the Michelin one-star La Degustation, and Marie B feels like its 2023 sister that is light on its feet and with some fresh ideas. The relatively small restaurant sits 21 at a bar that revolves around the kitchen and serves four-course meals in two seatings. The central idea is the Cart Blanche - instead of a menu you get a blank paper and a pencil and you get to figure out what you’re eating. Sounds like an expensive prank? It isn’t - the whole concept is surprisingly fun and accessible. The food is based around Czech recipes but our dinner did not shy away from exotic ingredients, either. And the wine is supplied by the next-door Vin de Marie, a wine shop (with actually really nice prices) that doubles as extra seats and/or private-dining area for the restaurant at night. A great addition to the world of Prague fine dining.
Alcron
When the iconic Alcron hotel reopened under new ownership and management as Almanac X, we were happy to hear that Eliska Hromková was chosen as the executive chef - we had known her from Výčep and Ze mě projekt. As demanded by the owners, the restaurant is a vegetable-forward place that is elegant yet modern at the same time, and the same words could be used to describe the food. (And their Champagne list is definitely worth a look, too.) Alcron has always been at the echelon of Czech cuisine, and the current itineration gives it justice. It’s still sad that Czechs don’t like to walk past a front desk to eat - a hotel restaurant is a hard sell for the locals, but we think definitely it’s worth a visit.
Kruh studio
Kruh studio, a three-chef operation in an apartment on the top floor of the Langhans gallery / Foto Škoda building is a charming place with a long counter for eight people maximum. It’s truly entertaining to watch three chefs finish a pretty elaborate meal in what basically is a basic home kitchen, but it works, and everything we had on the night was delicious. This is „different“, but the good kind of „different“ - the top of the building is a calm oasis you enter through one of the busiest streets in New Town, and the chefs know well what the strengths and limits of the space are. If you want an intimate, delicious meal with a difference, give Kruh studio a try. Bonus point: the chef waiting at the reception of the building to let you in to the private elevator is I guess necessary, but really charming.
Terasa u zlaté studně
Finally, worth a mention is a change at the helm of the venerable „Golden Well Terrace“, now headed by Chef Hlaváček, one of the most talented and experienced chefs of the Czech fine dining scene who worked at London’s iconic The Ledbury and Napa’s Meadowood. We had always thought that Terasa was the proverbial „Prague restaurant with a view“ - a place targeted at tourists and overpriced - but with Chef Lukáš in the kitchen, the proposition has now gotten much more enticing, and the dishes look amazing.
How about more casual dining? Let’s see
Eska
When Eska reopened in the summer, it caused quite a stir - the more casual bottom part of the restaurant (the top part has become Štangl, described above) has gotten a lot of bad rep due to the changed layout and concept - no reservations, tighter seating arrangement, and - crucially - no table service: you pay everything at the till and get a number. You want to order something else or extra - get in the line again. Perfectly normal in Copenhagen, but shocking in Prague where people still expect Viennese style of service. But you know what? It’s still a place with excellent cooking, great baking and very solid coffee. And changes like these help food businesses survive. So definitely get there again and appreciate Eska for what it is - an excellent casual place that makes many things from scratch and bakes great bread.
Šodó
Yeah, so we’ve also opened a bistro. (With Gabi and Petr of the excellent Etapa.) Šodó is small. It’s in the Dejvice district. But we think it’s nice and punches above its weight. Maybe check it out? ‚Nuff said.
Bjukitchen
Our dear friend Bára, aka Bju, has finally opened a bistro at Jungmannova st in the New Town, and it’s really awesome. In the summer, she’s become famous for her soft serve ice-cream, but that’s far from the whole story. The whole story is that Bjukitchen is a beautiful bistro that serves really good brunches and lunches, bakes Bju’s famous granola and sweets that go well with the specialty coffee served. The place is a true reflection of its owner: it is beautiful, honest and playful. A joy to sit in, and an awesome addition to the New Town food options.
Sandwich Rodeo
The people behind MrHotDog and Big Smokers love all things Americana, and Sandwich Rodeo is their take on the American diner. And it works. It also works because it’s located right next to MrHotDog in the Letná district and shares with it some of the back-of-the-house amenities, like the walk-in fridges. Craft beers on tap are Czech, but the rest is unapologetically American. We like the hot fried chicken in milk bread sandwich the best, but they’re all really good. This is another home run by the people who probably know all about home runs.
Burgerman
Burgerman, the star take-out burger of the Covid era, has finally opened a brick and mortar shop in a slightly cursed location in the Letná district, and the curse seems to have been lifted: the burgers rank among the best in town, the staff is super nice, and there’s craft beers and some interesting sodas, too. Turns out the challah-like buns are not inspired by NYC’s Minetta Tavern, but by a UK-based burger place inspired by Minetta Tavern. Great stuff that never disappoints with a well-constructed burger.
Burger Service
Living testament to the fact that even the mighty Ambiente restaurant group can hype up and open a place that isn’t ready. And the burgers were not great when this opened. But I did write back then that they were bound to get better… and you know what? They got better. Burger Service has tweaked the concept and the smash burgers (which you can choose next to the ready-to-eat „ASAP burgers“ that the original concept was built around) are actually delicious. Plus now there’s a tiny bit of seating inside, too. Great bare-bones smash burger. (Didn’t have the fancy version with lard and foie gras and my new year’s resolutions prevent me to order one… for now. But the time will come. I’m guessing late January when I’m done with new year’s resolutions.)
Slice Slice Baby
Another place long time coming, the uber cool pizza place in the Holešovice district is the newest creation of Chef Katka Jakusová, former sous-chef at Eska with some pretty cool fine dining stages in the past. Slice Slice Baby was a popular pizza pop-up for years, but now it finally has a home. The pizzas are obviously great - we also like the umami dust (which is basically embellished dried yeast) and dips for your crusts. The menu is concise but what more do you want from a pizza place? The vibe is great and we’re sure this will be a resounding success. For a place at the cool pizza table, head over to the Holešovice district.
Da Pietro
And we’re not done with pizza yet: Da Pietro, the Pilsen-based Pizza Napoletana icon, has finally opened a location in Prague, namely near Tylovo náměstí in the Vinohrady district. And they mean business: the owner is moving to town and is committed to serving classic and novelty pizza to the masses, along with other Italian treats and natural wines from Italy. On our visit, we had three slices with different toppings and liked all of them. The „street food“ selection is an arancino and two other fried items that were equally delicious, and the wines were cool. The interiors are simple and scream more „outing with friends or family“ than „first date dinner“, but you don’t need more, do you? This is an interesting counterpoint to Slice Slice Baby.
Hostinec na Výtoni
I used to drink at the old Celnice pub in the Výtoň area when I was in college, and have very fond memories of the place. That’s why I approached the new concept with caution: did they kill my old pub? They did… and that’s not a bad thing. The new concept revolves around duck grilled en masse on their Josper grill and served with sides, and it’s delicious. Plus the grilled catfish is one of the best pub starters in town. This is a great pub with well-treated Pilsner and well-seasoned dishes that are a bit more pubby than those from the more edited and curated U Kalendů nearby. One of the best-cooking pubs around.
Kro Vršovice
After months of expensive and unpredictable renovations, the Moskevská st location of Kro has finally opened in what used to be the Tramtárie restaurant. It helps that Kro has had its central kitchen and bakery right there, behind the wall, all along. The place is well laid out: you enter and either go left to eat, or turn right for coffee and take-out bakery. And the quality of the food is as good as you’d expect from Kro. Bonus points: nice little tables and seats outside of the restaurant with limited traffic. We can’t wait to stop there on our walks through Vršovice.
Mamam bistro
It’s nice to see that the second-generation Vietnamese Czechs have abandoned the cheap-bowl-of-pho bistro concept and have expanded the vocabulary of Vietnamese food in Prague. First it was Gao Den, Nha Hai Hanh, Taro and Dian, and now Mamam bistro, opened by a couple with ample experiences from Prague’s food scene, notably Dian. The menu is short but strong, and the drinks are a great addition to the usual suspects. The shrimp burger is a standout. A great addition to the Vršovice scene and the Prague food scene in general. Tiny, so book ahead.
Chi Xiao Mian
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Prague needs more Chinese hand-pulled noodles, and cool Chinese spots in general! If you have an itch only a bowl of Chinese spicy pork noodles will scratch, head over to this restaurant near the Jiriho z Podebrad square. Is it as delicious as we remember it from other places around the globe with bigger Chinese communities? Not for now, but it definitely hits the spot - we’ve been several times in 2023, and I find myself craving a bowl of noodles more than I will admit.
