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Good friends and good times getting together under the stars at Vinohrady's Kafarna.
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Hungry for al fresco
A select guide to choice outdoor dining in Prague
By
Evan Rail
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
(August 5, 2004)
Along with fresh fruit and vegetables, one of the great treats of the summer season is the opportunity to dine al fresco, outdoors, surrounded by fresh air and long-lasting sunlight. The effect is remarkable: Food tastes better, drinks are more refreshing and life is like one long picnic.
Fortunately, you don't have to break the piggy bank to find an open-air dining option. For our list here, we've included everything from the city's best four-star eateries to our favorite beer gardens. And you don't have to go to the center, either. Over the next six to eight weeks, restaurants in every corner of Prague will have tables out on the sidewalks.
Take advantage of it while you can: This summer's now-hot, now-cold weather shows that nothing gold can stay, as Frost put it -- not even in midsummer. And in just a couple of months, the opportunity for outdoor dining will be nothing more than a summer memory.
ALLEGRO
Veleslavinova 2a (inside the Four Seasons Hotel), Prague 1. Tel. 221 427 000
Atmosphere Sophisticated yet casual
Price range Main courses 400-600 Kc
Cuisine Italian and continental
Service Outstanding
Why go The city's best restaurant, according to just about everyone, with innovative cooking courtesy of chef Vito Mollica. Our recommendation: the two-course prix fixe lunch menu on the terrace with a view of Prague Castle for dessert.
ARTYCOK
Londynska 29 (enter on Bruselska), Prague 2-Vinohrady. Tel. 222 524 110
Atmosphere Cafelike
Price range Main courses 100-200 Kc
Cuisine Tapas, pizzas and pastas
Service Relaxed at best
Why go The outdoor patio offers inexpensive, open-air dining in a corner of Vinohrady with particularly good people-watching potential. Good pizzas. The house tiramisu is excellent.
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Hot's high-concept style on Wenceslas Square.
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BAZAAR MEDITERRANEE
Nerudova 40, Prague 1-Mala Strana. Tel. 800 152 672
Atmosphere Rock the Casbah!
Price range Main courses around 450 Kc
Cuisine Pan-Mediterranean
Service Graceful
Why go Classic rooftop views of the Old Town from just below Prague Castle, now with improved cooking and service.
C'EST LA VIE
Ricni 1, Prague 1-Mala Strana. Tel. 257 321 511
Atmosphere A Czech boathouse in Bar Harbor
Price range Main courses around 300-500 Kc
Cuisine Fresh, contemporary continental fare
Service Good
Why go This favorite of local foodies offers excellent continental cuisine at riverside tables at the south end of beautiful Kampa Island.
CERVENA TABULKA
Lodecka 4, Prague 1-New Town. Tel. 224 810 401
Atmosphere An urban farmhouse
Price range Main courses 200-300 Kc
Cuisine French and Czech
Service Excellent
Why go A stylish corner restaurant with cooking above its moderate price level, Cervena tabulka also boasts a very good wine list. Outdoor seating on the enclosed terrace provides a touch of calm in the heart of the city.
IL GIARDINO
Mozartova 1 (inside the Movenpick hotel), Prague 5-Smichov. Tel. 257 154 262
Atmosphere A mountain chalet above Smichov
Price range Main courses around 500 Kc
Cuisine Mediterranean
Service Excellent
Why go The MOvenpick has a private funicular railway to carry you to this spacious terrace with views of Vysehrad and beyond. Often overlooked, despite great views and good lunch specials.
HERGETOVA CIHELNA
Cihelna 2b, Prague 1-Mala Strana. Tel. 257 535 534
Atmosphere Modern and chic
Price range Main courses around 250-400 Kc
Cuisine Pizzas, pastas, great salads
Service Polished
Why go Just about as close as you can get to Charles Bridge without breaking the law, Cihelna has a fun nightclub atmosphere fuelled by great cocktails and superior cooking.
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Hanging out at our Prague 5 fave, Jet Set.
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HOT
Vaclavske nam. 45 (inside Hotel Jalta), Prague 1-New Town. Tel. 222 247 240
Atmosphere High-concept urban design
Price range Main courses 200-500 Kc
Cuisine Pan-Asian
Service Hot and cold
Why go The best-looking restaurant on Wenceslas Square, Hot offers some real winners, including one of the city's best tom kha gai soup and a delicious plate of chicken morsels in pandanus leaves. Chic, chic, chic.
JET SET
Radlicka 1C, Prague 5-Smichov, Tel. 257 327 251
Atmosphere Urbane bar and lounge
Price range Main courses 110-250 Kc
Cuisine Mediterranean with a pronounced Greek flavor
Service Casual
Why go This casual eatery offers smooth design indoors with a cool courtyard terrace outside. Inexpensive, creative dishes make this one of our new faves.
KAFARNA
Bezrucovy Sady 1, Prague 2-Vinohrady. Tel. 222 512 580
Atmosphere A beer hall in the park
Price range Main courses around 100 Kc
Cuisine Pizzas, sausages and beer
Service Publike
Why go Proving that open-air dining doesn't have to be expensive, this modest Vinohrady pub offers fresh Bernard beer under the stars and OK pizzas to soak up the suds. Fun.
PALFFY PALAC
Valdstejnska 14, Prague 1-Mala Strana. Tel. 257 530 522
Atmosphere Decadent, faded glory
Price range Main courses 200-500 Kc
Cuisine International
Service Cool and calm
Why go Terrace dining overlooks the sculpted gardens next door. Very reasonable lunch menus and excellent dinners in a gilded city from another era.
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Le Terroir boasts top-shelf wines and open air.
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PETRINSKE TERASY
Seminarska zahrada 13, Prague 1-Mala Strana. Tel. 257 320 688.
Atmosphere A beer garden on Petrin hill
Price range Main courses around 200 Kc
Cuisine Grilled meats and fresh beer
Service Very good
Why go This moderately priced terrace offers some of the best views of Prague Castle and the center at night, right off the Petrin funicular's Nebozizek stop. Excellent before (or after) a romantic walk in the park. Recommended: pork ribs, live music.
RETRO
Francouzska 4, Prague 2-Vinohrady. Tel. 603 176 111
Atmosphere The new modern
Price range Main courses around 200 Kc
Cuisine Contemporary
Service OK
Why go The streetside patio is a rollicking den of Prague 2 scenesters out for a good time. Eat and drink, see and be seen, just off namesti Miru.
REZAVA KOTVA
Detsky ostrov (across from Janackovo nabrezi), Prague 5-Smichov, Tel. 777 550 005
Atmosphere An island in the Vltava
Price range Main courses 100-200 Kc
Cuisine Grilled meats
Service Good
Why go An overlooked, undertouristed restaurant on its own child-friendly island in the Vltava. Inexpensive grilled chicken cuts and steaks go well with fresh Krusovice lager. Relax.
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The stylish Rio's Vysehrad offers excellent continental cuisine in a relaxed patio atmosphere.
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RIO'S VYSEHRAD
Stulcova 2, Prague 2-Vysehrad, Tel. 224 922 156
Atmosphere Chic indoors, casual outdoors
Price range Main courses around 250 Kc
Cuisine Continental
Service Excellent
Why go This stylish destination at Vysehrad lets its hair down outdoors with a casual beer garden setting. Out of the way, yet accessible.
SOVOVY MLYNY
U sovovych mlynu 2, Prague 1-Mala Strana. Tel. 257 535 900
Atmosphere A riverside millhouse on Kampa Island
Price range Main courses 200-400 Kc
Cuisine Continental
Service Forgetful
Why go This riverside restaurant offers decent eats inside the elegant Museum Kampa. Tables along the quai provide fresh air and sunlight, weather and tidal patterns permitting.
TERASA U ZLATE STUDNE
U Zlate Studne 4, Prague 1-Mala Strana, Tel. 257 533 322
Atmosphere Rare air
Price range Main courses around 400-500 Kc
Cuisine Continental
Service Attentive
Why go Recently taken over by the owners of Palffy Palac, Terasa offers some of the best open-air rooftop action in Mala Strana.
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Diners at New Town's ever-popular Tulip Cafe.
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LE TERROIR
Vejvodova 1 (enter on Jilska), Prague 1-Old Town. Tel. 602 889 118
Atmosphere A hidden wine bar and lounge
Price range Main courses around 500 Kc
Cuisine Continental
Service Getting there
Why go The best selection of French wines from the very best chateaux of Bordeaux and Burgundy, with excellent French cooking to boot. The foie gras terrine is outstanding.
TULIP CAFE
Opatovicka 3, Prague 1-New Town Tel. 224 930 019
Atmosphere A swingin' bachelor pad
Price range Main courses under 200 Kc
Cuisine American and Mediterranean
Service Be patient
Why go Good brunches and Sunday BBQ in a quiet, shaded backyard with a neighborly crowd. The quality of the cooking tends to fluctuate, but everyone's having a good time nonetheless.
U KOTVY
Spalena 11, Prague 1-New Town, Tel. 224 930 129
Atmosphere A neighborhood beer garden in New Town
Price range Main courses 100-200 Kc
Cuisine Czech pub food
Service Hectic
Why to go A boisterous crowd of locals meets here nightly for beer and beer snacks under the stars, right across from metro Narodni Trida.
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