Where to eat in Prague

Guide to Valentine's Day Take-Out Meals in Prague

Guide to Valentine's Day Take-Out Meals in Prague

St Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and what better way to show your love and appreciation for your better half than not kill them and yourself after a year of being stuck in quarantine together? Oh yeah, a Valentine’s Day dinner. Sure, forgot about that one.

But unless a miracle happens in the next few days, Prague will still be spending Valentine’s Day in a shutdown, so a romantic dinner will have to be a home affair. Again. But you can still win at life and become the hero your loved one deserves by getting a great take-out dinner for that special occasion and that special lady or man and finishing it at home in style. This is where we come in with this overview of what’s available.

Now, before you proceed, you might want to check out our guidelines to enjoying a take-out meal at home. It covers things like properly ordering, timing your meal, finishing dishes and plating. In addition, we have prepared a very special Valentine’s Day playlist for you, you romantic you. Click here to set the mood right. (Try if it works beforehand. There is nothing less sexy than someone „figuring out how this damn thing works“ when you should be at your romantic best.)

(Picture from Salabka.cz)


Take-Out Food in Prague: The Where, The What and The How

Take-Out Food in Prague: The Where, The What and The How

Let us start with a confession: before the whole Covid thing, we had never ordered takeout food home. Ever. The whole idea of Taste of Prague was showing the best food and the best experiences money can buy in Prague, especially if you’re visiting from abroad, so ordering take-out food home would have defeated the whole purpose.

Well, a year into this goddamn pandemic, things are a bit different. If our math is correct, indoor dining was allowed in Prague for only 15 days out of the last 100 days, so if you ever found the need to eat during that time, you either had to cook, or order take-out. And while Zuzi is an amazing cook (have you seen our Instagram lately?), she also needs some rest. So take-out food has become a firm part of our reality.

Today, we’re going to look at some of our favorite take-out food options in Prague, but before we list them out, let’s set up some basic rules of take-out.


Five Things We'd Love to See More of in 2021

Five Things We'd Love to See More of in 2021

So 2020 is behind us. Right now, everything’s shut down and indoor dining is out. Our daily new coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have reached record highs, so no one can predict when indoor dining will be an option again. Things look bleak at the moment but hey, let’s look at the silver lining here.

This can be an opportunity for a change. A change for the better. It may seem like an odd idea to complain at this particular moment, but we honestly see this as a challenge, and opportunity to improve.

Trust us - we’re coming from the hospitality and tourism industry and we are not alone in thinking we don’t want to go „back to normal“ when it comes to tourism in Prague. Tourism in Prague, or at least the mass tourism in the historical centre, was absolutely insufferable before the pandemic, and we are the first ones to admit it. So while we’re looking for ways to improve our own operation and its impact on the local community if and when tourism gets back, we think a few suggestions to the food scene in Prague won’t hurt. So here we go.


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2020 Prague Food Scene Round-up

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2020 Prague Food Scene Round-up

We’ve been writing these annual round-ups for quite some time but year 2020 has been… well, you know. Difficult. You’d say a list of new openings for 2020 would be very short. Well, we’re happy to report you’d be wrong. Sure, Prague’s cocktail scene, for instance, did not experience a Big Bang in 2020, for obvious reasons, but the coffee scene has added a few hefty players. And there’s a few new restaurants, too. Yes, crazy.

Let’s get to it.


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Prague Christmas Dining Guide... 2020 Edition

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Prague Christmas Dining Guide... 2020 Edition

We’ve been writing Prague Christmas and NYE dining guide for a few years now. But just like with everything else, the guide in 2020 will be different - our current shutdown prevents us from eating outside during the holiday season, so we will be focusing on take-out and pre-made meals for the home.

Now, for the readers abroad: the vast majority of Czechs eat their Christmas Eve dinner at home in the circle of their closest family, and the dinner tends to steer towards fish, especially carp, which is the traditional fish for Christmas that is sold on the streets live in the days leading up to the holiday. Some people opt for salmon or other fish that may be easier to work with (carp is notoriously boney and requires heavy prep work) or for meat (think schnitzels).

But in our household, we began to eat out for Christmas Eve years ago, after a misfortunate Christmas Eve when Zuzi’s just about had it with all the preparations and family members showing up late or not showing up at all. It was a revelation: we realised that many families ate outside and we have thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing and trouble-free experience of Christmas Eve, as opposed to the stressed out and labour-intensive Christmas Eves we remember from our childhoods.

Now, this being 2020, things are obviously different. Restaurants were ordered to shut down about ten days before Christmas Eve and are unlike to open before… well… we’re guessing late January, early February? So eating out for Christmas Eve is out. But do you have to slave over the Christmas Eve dinner, or are there different options? Have restaurants come to the rescue?

We’ve done a bit of research, and the short answer is yes. Below is a summary of the take-out options and meal kits for your Christmas cheer. Enjoy the holidays whatever you do, okay?


Prague Michelin Guide Restaurants 2020

Prague Michelin Guide Restaurants 2020

Disclaimer: before you read the following, please be informed we own two pairs of Michelin tires on our car. They are great, and I recommend them. Also, this is Jan's writing and his opinions may not represent the opinions of the entire Taste of Prague team. Zuzi told me to write this.

We have covered the Michelin guide's choices for Prague in the past here, liking them to celebrities to explain them better if you've never been to any. The new Michelin Main Cities of Europe guide for 2020 is officially out, and so are Michelin's recommendations for Prague. Let's have a look, shall we?


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Eating Alone Together, pt VIII: El Camino's May 1 Romantic Dinner for Two

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Eating Alone Together, pt VIII: El Camino's May 1 Romantic Dinner for Two

This time food will be served by the amazing El Camino Tapas Restaurant. Yeah, we know, it only opened in December, but the pedigree is there: Mr David Böhm lead the iconic Medité restaurant in Mariensbad. And he worked in a few Michelin stars in Spain. ‘Nuff said.

Let’s be honest here: normally, it would make no sense to recommend a Spanish tapas bar with a focus on seafood in Prague. But guess what: El Camino earns our full and unconditional recommendation. It’s amazing regardless of the location. It would be amazing even if it was located in Spain. And we’re super excited to have them on board with our Eating Alone Together series.

And just in time: This is May 1, people! You want to be the boyfriend and/or husband you know you are, deep down inside, under that beer belly? This is your chance.

But how good is El Camino? Let us tell you: Zuzi rarely leaves a new restaurant impressed. She did leave El Camino impressed blown away. We have a habit of visiting La Degustation, one of Prague’s two Michelin stars (btw, will they roll out their European guides this year? Isn’t it about time?), for her birthday, but midway through our meal, she said “Hey Jan, for my birthday, could we actually come back here this year?” Yeah, that's how good this place is. The food, the service and the ambiance? All spot on.


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Eating Alone Together, pt VII: Get a Drink with Parlour

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Eating Alone Together, pt VII: Get a Drink with Parlour

The seventh episode of our Eating Alone Together series is not about eating at all. It’s about drinking.

Because let’s be real: after a month+ of quarantine, we all need a drink.

And when we here at Taste of Prague need a drink, the first place we turn to is the infamous Parlour bar, one of our favorite cocktail bars in Prague.

And we know: you can argue with just about anything when it comes to Parlour, a bar run by two philosophers of mixology, a bar that serves Pringles as the only food, a bar that makes no effort to be visible on social media, a bar that does not have a drinks menu and can give you a hard time when you’re choosing one, a bar that does not necessarily play well with the rest of them, but there’s one thing you cannot argue with. And that’s the drinks.

The drinks are delicious, people. And Parlour, just like all Prague’s bars, is now hurting. (If you have not listened to their podcast, you should.)

So Parlour needs your help, and you need a drink. What a coincidence? This is a package of FOUR FANTASTIC AND FANTASTICALLY PRICED DRINKS, staples at the bar, packed to go in reused tonic water bottles (you’re welcome, planet), with ice on the side, delivered right to your thirsty home.


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Eating Alone Together, pt VI: Gao Den and Taro's Sunday Dinner for Two

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Eating Alone Together, pt VI: Gao Den and Taro's Sunday Dinner for Two

There are only a few kitchens in Prague more exciting and daring than Taro and Gao Den. We just love ‘em! Both strike the perfect balance between casual and refined (moving on both ends on the spectrum), taking hints from both the Vietnamese background of the owners (while going way beyond the usual suspects on the menus of Prague’s Vietnamese bistros) and the Czech context in which they work. Heck, if Taro was good enough for a review in The New York Times, it’s good for us.

Since Taro is closed during lockdown, its chefs now work in the sister restaurant, Gao Den. Therefore, this is a joint dinner by Gao Den and Taro, bringing you the best of both worlds.

The Gao Den / Taro dinner for two will be delivered on Sunday afternoon - you get to choose your own delivery time.


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Eating Alone Together in Quarantine, pt V: Dish Fine Burger Bistro

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Eating Alone Together in Quarantine, pt V: Dish Fine Burger Bistro

We all know and love the burgers by Dish Fine Burger Bistro. Ever since they opened to great hype a few years ago, they’ve been one of the most reliably great burgers in town, building a loyal following in the meantime. But wait, have you ever wanted to create your own Dish burger at home? You have? This is your chance. Dish took this opportunity to preview their “Dish Kit” for two: a DIY burger set for two that offers lots of fun and - when you scroll down to see their menu - tremendous value. One thing: don’t screw it up!

And to make sure you don’t, Dish will be releasing a series of videos to show how to cook your proper burgers, and how you finish their fries at home. Sounds fun? Wait until you hear this: you can now compete! Once you make your burger, you take a picture of it, post it on Instagram, tag Dish and us, and the nicest burger wins a prize! Perfect for those couples who can’t agree on who makes the better burger. There’s only one way to find out… and that’s with the Dish Kit.

And just as usual, we will meet online to say hi and cheer each other with beer and burgers! This is supposed to be social, people! Also, you will get an email with our Prague Foodie Map, the Taste of Prague Digest, and a cook-along and eat-along playlist by Dish, and a dissenting playlist by us. This will be fun.

The Dish Kits will be delivered on Friday afternoon - you get to choose your own delivery time - and you can assemble and cook the burgers on Friday or any time during the weekend.


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