For my final post, I thought I would do a summary of my favorites from my time in Prague. I had a pretty amazing experience, and I wish good times to anyone who visits Prague after having read my blague. (this is from a vegetarian student's perspective, so everything is fairly reasonable unless I say otherwise and has vegetarian options and the nightlife, etc. was enjoyed by a 20 year old, not that there's an age cap or anything, but . . .)
Restaurants:
~Lehka Hlava
Borsov 280/2
Praha 1
+420 222 220 665
Lehka Hlava is probably my favorite restaurant. For inexpensive prices, they create really tasty and creative vegetarian cuisine. Not many restaurants in Prague have truly created their own personality, usually just poorly appropriating 'popular' types of cuisine, design, service, etc., but LH does a really great job creating their own niche in Prague's culinary scene. The restaurant is kind of cool looking (they had different artists design the different rooms) and definitely off the beaten path, in a back alley yet still in the heart of the city. Make reservations on the weekend, because it is not uncommon for the place to be fully booked on a Friday or Saturday night. Also, once a month they do a brunch that also fills up quickly. The one time I tried to go the brunch, we were turned away because it was overcrowded.~Cafe Louvre
Narodni 22
Praha 1
+420 224 930 949
This place is reasonably priced and has good, basic international food with a couple of vegetarian options. It's an old Prague establishment or so they claim. The main dining room upstairs is really pretty. They have billiards in the back and a nice cafe with wireless to study in downstairs. Also, they pride themselves on their thick hot chocolate, which isn't my thing, but go for it. I like the vegitarian wraps. It's also right next to Tesco, which is a popular all-around shopping spot for those living in Prague.
~Veg Food
Londynska 35
Praha 2
+420 721 255 253
I love this place. Maybe it's because it was close to where I was living in Vinohrady and just kind of lovable for reasons I'll tell you in a sec, but I recommend it, especially if it's close by and if you're vegan or vegitarian. There's nothing that really makes the place stand out, except that it probably has the biggest selection of fake meat dishes in Prague. The food is pretty good, and they offer a huge amount of various vegetarian Asian dishes. The servers are really nice especially if you go frequently, and I think my favorite aspect of the place is that there's a huge portrait to
~ Banditos
Melounova 1654
Praha 2
+420 224 941 096
So Banditos isn't the best Mexican food on the planet or even close, but it's decent and kinda fun and kinda what you have to deal with when you are in central/eastern Europe. But they usually play some hip music and keep cattle skulls on the wall and nachos in yo belly, so give it a shot. They have these funky veggie burgers too that are like spinach patties, you can get them with a ton of toppings, so test it if your looking for a veggie burger. . . they're decent.
Sahara Cafe
Namesti Miru 6
Praha 2
+420 222 514 987
This place is a little more expensive than most Czech restaurants, which tend to very inexpensive, but the food here is very good. It is located on the north side of Namesti Miru. The cuisine is mostly Mediterranean, and definitely worth a visit if you come to Prague. The interior is chic and meditative. Go for a special occasion; it's nice.
~ Country Life
Jungmannova 1
Praha 1
+420 224 247 280
This place is just south of Old Town Square and a great spot for a quick, healthy, cheap lunch. It's a vegan buffet that usually features some really good items. Everyone that works there seems to be really friendly and the place is very low-key and cute with wood furniture, etc. (it's like a lot of vegan places in the states). Some of my favorite items were the pizza, which I'm not really sure what they put on it but its fantastic, the chilli, and the to-go sandwiches, which I would get between classes. The sandwiches were about 40 kc when I was there, which is about 2 dollars. It's also a nice place for vegetarians/vegans to try some of the traditional Czech dishes that typically are all meat and dairy (like soy meat goulash and roasted pumpkin with soy cheese).
~ Beas
Tynska 19
Praha 1
+420 777 165 478
Beas is a casual Indian vegetarian restaurant with tasty cafeteria-style combination plates. It is located on Tynska, which runs right behind the Tyn church in Old Town Square. They have good curry and soups and other healthy Indian cuisine items.
~ Noi
Ujezd 19
Praha 1
+420 257 311 411
Noi is the best Thai place that I could find. It's pretty reasonable, usually less than 10 dollars for a dish, and it's good as well. The interior looks like it could be a transplant of a NYC thai restaurant. My friend had the green curry with tofu and it was really good. I usually stick to pad thai, which became a comfort food for me. Overall a good bet and just across the river in Malastrana. The 22 stops right in front of it.
~ Radost FX
Belehradska 120Praha 2
+420 603 193 711
I personally think Radost FX is overrated. The times I went there, I felt that the food was over-priced for Prague and mediocre, and the service is always terribly slow. The reason I put it on this list is because people rave about the Sunday brunch. Unfortunately, I missed it, but I guess I'd suggest giving it a try if you're in Prague. It's vegetarian The restaurant is 'cool' looking and tends to attract the hipper Czech scene. Downstairs is a popular club that I don't feel bad calling Euro trash. But for that, Thursdays have no cover (the other nights have a lamely expensive cover), and some nights have a fun theme; I went to some indie techno party that had fun music. Otherwise, just know that it's talked about a lot, but kinda ehh.
~ Pizza Grosetto
Francouzska 2
Prague 2
+420 224 252 778
Right on Namesti Miru and thus close to those living in Vinohrady, Pizza Grosetto is a good bet for an authentic example of the ultimate American staple that is so difficult to come upon in Prague. The only place where I really enjoyed the pizza! Other than that, it's pretty much an average Italian restaurant.
Sightseeing:
for this category, I'm just making a checklist of my favorite spots that may not be the most obvious. Of course, St. Vitus Cathedral and Old Town Square are worth the visit, but I'm going to suggest a few that might not be the first in a guidebook.
Belvedere Palace - Right outside of the Prague Castle on its North East corner is this small, but beautiful Renaissance structure. It is surrounded by gardens, so in the fall it was incredibly magical. Walk west through the sculpture gardens to find the -
Ball Game Pavilion - Another Renaissance structure. This one features amazing sgraffito designs on the outside.
Courtyards of the Wallenstein Palace - Although they open the Baroque palace to the public on the weekend (it now houses the Czech senate), the true beauty of this structure is its courtyards, which are open only during warmer months. With fountains, a grotto, sculptures, and peacocks, this place isn't to be missed. The palace was built by Albrecht Wenzel von Wallenstein, a douchy military guy back in the day, who built sculptures of Hercules and other heros in his likeness . . . lame, but worth going to laugh at.
St. Nicholas Church - A really lavish Baroque church. Too much for my taste, but a really great monument from the period.
Veletrzni Palac - Look at my last post; it's an early 20th century building that houses a large collection of mostly 20th century Czech art and design.
Gardens Below Prague Castle - On the South side of the castles are beautiful gardens that are only open in the warmer months. They have amazing views of the city. It's a small fee to enter, but worth it.
Royal Palace - In the Prague Castle, go check this place out. It has some amazing ribbed vaulting by Gothic Architect Peter Parler. So look up!
Vlatava Islands - A great, quiet place to get beautiful views of the city along with some solace.
Monument to the Victims of Communism - A small, but moving monument in Mala Strana.
Kovarovic Villa - Guide books will tell you to visit the House of the Black Madonna in Old Town for a good example of Czech Cubist architecture, but I think this building by Josef Chochol takes the prize. It's close to Vysehrad, and I think really worth visiting.
Kampa Musem - A cool contemporary museum in Mala Strana right on the Vlatava. It houses an interesting collection featuring lots of Czech artists.
Mucha Museum - Check out the art nouveau work by famous Czech artist Alfons Mucha.
Havlickovy Park - This park in vinohrady offers beautiful views out of the city, a small vineyard, and an interesting building whose function and history I do not know. There is a small restaurant/bar in the middle of the vineyard that is worth watching the sun set from.
Vysehrad - Though no longer the powerful castle it used to be (once rivaling the now Prague Castle), the remains of this fortress offer an interesting and slightly strange setting. A Romanesque rotunda still stands amid mostly park area. A Gothic Cathedral, tennis courts, and some of fantastic views up and down the Vlatava make this a nice place to spend the afternoon. Bring a picnic!
Grocery Shopping:
~Tesco
Narodni 26
Praha 1
+420 222 003 111
Tesco is a huge everything-store with one of the largest grocery stores in the Prague in the basement. For any kind of American product, this is the best place to look. Also, the first floor has office supplies, toiletries, some electronics, etc. The third floor (I think) has home supplies. It's your Czech Walmart or Target or whatever.
Albert
These supermarkets are throughout the city and offer a decent selection.
Potraviny
This word means convenience store in Czech. Some of these have the best selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. For those in Vinohrady, go to Francouzska street for several great options. They are usually owned by Vietnamese immigrants who aren't always friendly, but deal with it.
Non-Stop Potraviny
Find your closest non-stop potraviny. There are only a few late night food places in Prague (I'll list them below), so check out where your closest potraviny is so you can hit that up on your way home from a bar. Also, try the Kolonada Czech Spa circular wafer cookies. They are fantastique!
Thai's Asian Food Shop
Francouzka 66
Praha 10
Although I've yet to buy anything here, this hole-in-the-wall spot offers all the ingredients needed for making Asian dishes. None of which are in typical Czech grocery stores. Tofu, spices, frozen shrimp, etc.
The Italian Deli on Americka
Praha 2
I don't remember the exact name, but the deli is about a block of two south of Namesti Miru on Americka and has a really nice cheese selection among other Italian delicacies. Good cheese is kind of hard to find because most grocery stores offer some flavorless rubbery Czech cheese. Go here for parmesan or mozzarella or whatever cheese you can't find elsewhere.
Nightlife:
~Blind Eye
Vlkova 26
Praha 3
In Zizkov, this bar attracts a fun, young, hip, and largely ex-patriate crowd. Thursdays are Indy Night and are really great. Fun music, you'll be able to sing to every song. This might be my favorite bar in Prague.
~ Bukowski's
Borivojova 86
Praha 3
This cocktail bar is around the corner from Blind Eye. I never made it hear, but it always looked cool when I walked by. Try it for me.
~Club Roxy
Dlouha 22
Prague 1
+420 224 826 296
For the ultimate Euro clubbing experience come to Club Roxy. It has been around for a long time and is a pretty legit place. It plays mostly house music (which isn't my thing, but if you're into it, Prague offers lots of options). My first experience here was one of my first nights in Prague, and I walked in and it was dark and there was a ton of smoke from smoke machines and colored lights and lots of people moving freely to electronic music, it pretty much fit my expectations of Czech nightlife to a cue.
Chapeau Rouge
Jakubska 647
Prague 1
Located just behind the Tyn church in Old Town Square, this three story bar is very popular among internationals and always packed (at least the top bar). I feel like I ended up here at least once a weekend. The top floor is a typical bar, where people just drink and socialize, the next floor down has more of a dance club feel, and the bottom floor has a more indy dance floor I think and another bar. The bottom floor is usually less packed because it's a little hard to find the staircase and people usually stop at one of the upper floors. Drugs of all kinds are sold here.
~Harley's Bar
Dlouha 18
Praha 1
+420 227 195 195
When you get nostalgic for the good old US of A, head here. Playing largely classic rock with fun old-time music videos playing on the wall, Harley's is usually a good ol' time. My friend Menaka usually found herself in the dj booth taking over. It's pretty chill, but also a little more expensive then most Czech bars.
Late Night Food:
~Falafel Stand on Na Mustku just North of Wenceslas Square
Praha 1
For 24 hour mediocre falafel sandwiches. (Sadly I went during the day a lot as well . . . there aren't too many falafel options in Praha.
~ Stands in Wenceslas Square
Praha 1
The stands which sprinkle WS offer huge, nasty-looking sausages (well to me, I guess meat eaters might love them) and smazeny syr or fried cheese sandwiches, which are delishhh at 4 in the morning. I usually order mine with ketchup and tartar sauce. I'm well aware that this is really embarrassing.
Mcdonald's
Figure out where they're located yourself. I'm not going to help anyone with this one.
OK, so I got kind of tired doing this, but I hope I didn't miss anything too important. Enjoy your stay! Drink a lot of Becherovka (the popular Czech spiced alcohol) and beer (Kozel Cerny seemed to be one of the most delicious and Branik is the best deal) and enjoy all the sights of Prague!
I'm going to be corny and include one of the most commonly used quote about Prague:
"Prague never lets you go . . . this dear little mother has sharp claws."
- Franz Kafka
