Showing posts with label Prague. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prague. Show all posts
02 January 2020
A Decade-Long Specialty Coffee Journey
I've been writing about coffee since I started this blog in 2007, but it wasn't until the start of the last decade when specialty coffee shop reviews took on a more central role among my posts. In January 2010, I was living in Marylebone and had just taken a new job in King's Cross, which brought my commuting back to Cambridge to an end. As I've discussed before, back then I had to walk 20 minutes on my lunch breaks to get to the nearest specialty coffee shop, the original Espresso Room on Great Ormond Street. And now...well, the specialty coffee scene in King's Cross, London and many other cities throughout the world has changed dramatically.
29 December 2017
A Year in Leaps: 2017
2017 has been my busiest ever year for travel. I spent 84 days outside the UK on 12 foreign trips, some for business but most for pleasure. 30 of these days were spent on a sabbatical in Australia and New Zealand. I visited five new countries and ten countries in total: the Czech Republic (Prague); France (Paris and Cannes); Germany (Cologne); Italy (Padua); Norway (Oslo); Spain (Barcelona); the United States (New York, Boston, Cape Ann and Maine); Singapore; Australia; and New Zealand.
Regular readers will know that as part of my year-in-review series, I like to highlight some of my favourite travel memories of the year by selecting five photos of me leaping in new or unusual places, so without further ado, here is this year's shortlist:
1. The 'business casual' leap. Barcelona, Spain.
As I hadn't been to Barcelona since 2001, I was excited to return for a business trip, although another work trip to the US the same week meant I only spent 24 hours in the city. The conference was at least being held at the W Hotel on the Barceloneta waterfront (alas, I was lodged elsewhere), which meant that in the brief breaks between sessions, I could dash outside to soak up some sunshine, even if I was more formally attired than usual. I didn't have time for a proper exploration of the city's speciality coffee scene, but I did squeeze in a quick visit to Nomad Coffee on the way to the airport.
2. The 'Czech-ing out Prague' leap. Prague, Czech Republic.
Prague had been on the travel to-do lists of both my mum and me for quite some time, so we decided to organise a long weekend in the Czech capital in April as a late celebration of our birthdays. The weather wasn't especially clement but it was quite pleasant on our first day, so we decided to walk up to leafy Letna Park, which has a fantastic view of the city. The chilly, rainy weather did mean I was able to check out many of Prague's excellent coffee shops.
3. The 'Red Sox fan' leap. Gloucester, MA.
Trips to Boston for me are a bit like buses, it seems. I hadn't been for a decade and then went twice in one year, once in frigid February for a conference and then again in the summer for a family vacation on the North Shore. These trips also allowed me to produce a speciality coffee guide for Boston and Cambridge, MA. In the summer, we rented a house a short drive from gorgeous Good Harbor Beach and the weather was so gorgeous that we spent four or five days there, relaxing on the soft sand, boogie boarding in the rough surf and, at low tide, wading out to Salt Island. Having now seen three Red Sox games at Fenway Park, I now consider them to be 'my' baseball team and even bought a cap.
4. The 'iconic bridge' leap. Sydney, Australia.
As my train pulled into Sydney's Circular Quay Station, the heavens opened, forcing me to dash to my hostel in The Rocks. Luckily, by the time I'd checked in and dropped off my luggage, the makings of a spectacular sunset were underway. I hurried down to the harbour to take some pictures of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. I tried to take some selfie leaps but the lack of places to rest my camera and the volume of pedestrian traffic made this difficult. Luckily, a fellow tourist took pity on me and took this photo for me. In a short stay in Sydney, I also managed to visit 16 speciality coffee spots.
5. The 'leap so I don't have to swim in the sea' leap. Cannes, France.
I spent Christmas with my family in Cannes this year, for the first time since 2014. Although the weather was very sunny, it wasn't especially warm and so the family tradition of a swim in the sea was not enforced (my mum, who is toughest of us all, still did it). As the light on Bijou Plage was so lovely, I recruited my talented brother to photograph my leap into the sunshine. I could be jumping into the sea, after all...
Bonus: The highest 'leap'. Queenstown, New Zealand.
OK, so technically my tandem skydive from 15,000 feet in Queenstown, New Zealand, was more of a tumble and plummet than a leap but it was one of my favourite memories of my trip to Australia and New Zealand, and the most exhilarating activity I've ever done, so I felt it merited inclusion. You can read more about my experience with NZone Skydive here and if you promise not to poke fun at the funny faces I pull, you can watch the video here. If you have the opportunity to skydive in Queenstown (or pretty much anywhere in New Zealand), I'd strongly recommend taking it, even if you find the prospect daunting or scary. It took me days to come down from my adrenaline high (and that period included my flights back to the UK).
Although I don't think I'll be lucky enough to take as many overseas trips next year, I already have several short- and long-haul trips in the works, and am hoping to tick off another major bucket-list item in the autumn. If you are looking for ideas to inspire your own travel planning for 2018, you may like to check out my travel guides page, or for more coffee-centric suggestions, I hope you will find my coffee guides page useful.
Regular readers will know that as part of my year-in-review series, I like to highlight some of my favourite travel memories of the year by selecting five photos of me leaping in new or unusual places, so without further ado, here is this year's shortlist:
1. The 'business casual' leap. Barcelona, Spain.
As I hadn't been to Barcelona since 2001, I was excited to return for a business trip, although another work trip to the US the same week meant I only spent 24 hours in the city. The conference was at least being held at the W Hotel on the Barceloneta waterfront (alas, I was lodged elsewhere), which meant that in the brief breaks between sessions, I could dash outside to soak up some sunshine, even if I was more formally attired than usual. I didn't have time for a proper exploration of the city's speciality coffee scene, but I did squeeze in a quick visit to Nomad Coffee on the way to the airport.
2. The 'Czech-ing out Prague' leap. Prague, Czech Republic.
Prague had been on the travel to-do lists of both my mum and me for quite some time, so we decided to organise a long weekend in the Czech capital in April as a late celebration of our birthdays. The weather wasn't especially clement but it was quite pleasant on our first day, so we decided to walk up to leafy Letna Park, which has a fantastic view of the city. The chilly, rainy weather did mean I was able to check out many of Prague's excellent coffee shops.
3. The 'Red Sox fan' leap. Gloucester, MA.
Trips to Boston for me are a bit like buses, it seems. I hadn't been for a decade and then went twice in one year, once in frigid February for a conference and then again in the summer for a family vacation on the North Shore. These trips also allowed me to produce a speciality coffee guide for Boston and Cambridge, MA. In the summer, we rented a house a short drive from gorgeous Good Harbor Beach and the weather was so gorgeous that we spent four or five days there, relaxing on the soft sand, boogie boarding in the rough surf and, at low tide, wading out to Salt Island. Having now seen three Red Sox games at Fenway Park, I now consider them to be 'my' baseball team and even bought a cap.
4. The 'iconic bridge' leap. Sydney, Australia.
As my train pulled into Sydney's Circular Quay Station, the heavens opened, forcing me to dash to my hostel in The Rocks. Luckily, by the time I'd checked in and dropped off my luggage, the makings of a spectacular sunset were underway. I hurried down to the harbour to take some pictures of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. I tried to take some selfie leaps but the lack of places to rest my camera and the volume of pedestrian traffic made this difficult. Luckily, a fellow tourist took pity on me and took this photo for me. In a short stay in Sydney, I also managed to visit 16 speciality coffee spots.
5. The 'leap so I don't have to swim in the sea' leap. Cannes, France.
I spent Christmas with my family in Cannes this year, for the first time since 2014. Although the weather was very sunny, it wasn't especially warm and so the family tradition of a swim in the sea was not enforced (my mum, who is toughest of us all, still did it). As the light on Bijou Plage was so lovely, I recruited my talented brother to photograph my leap into the sunshine. I could be jumping into the sea, after all...
Bonus: The highest 'leap'. Queenstown, New Zealand.
OK, so technically my tandem skydive from 15,000 feet in Queenstown, New Zealand, was more of a tumble and plummet than a leap but it was one of my favourite memories of my trip to Australia and New Zealand, and the most exhilarating activity I've ever done, so I felt it merited inclusion. You can read more about my experience with NZone Skydive here and if you promise not to poke fun at the funny faces I pull, you can watch the video here. If you have the opportunity to skydive in Queenstown (or pretty much anywhere in New Zealand), I'd strongly recommend taking it, even if you find the prospect daunting or scary. It took me days to come down from my adrenaline high (and that period included my flights back to the UK).
Although I don't think I'll be lucky enough to take as many overseas trips next year, I already have several short- and long-haul trips in the works, and am hoping to tick off another major bucket-list item in the autumn. If you are looking for ideas to inspire your own travel planning for 2018, you may like to check out my travel guides page, or for more coffee-centric suggestions, I hope you will find my coffee guides page useful.
22 December 2017
Bex's Food and Drink Awards: 2017 Edition
2017 has been a particularly fine year for coffee, food and cocktails for me, partly because I've travelled to diverse destinations with copious coffee and culinary delights. Remind me not to work on next year's list on an empty stomach: reviewing so many food and drink photos gave me quite the appetite!
I've kept the categories — coffee, brunch, street food, restaurant and cocktails — the same as last year and in most cases, I've picked a London and a rest-of-world favourite. In the coffee shop category, though, I've included my favourite places in the UK, Europe, USA and the rest-of-the-world. Meanwhile, I ate so many excellent brunches in Melbourne and Sydney that I felt I also had to include an Australia sub-category in the brunch section. So, without further ado, here are my food and drink favourites of 2017; as usual, I've hyperlinked my reviews for each winner and runners-up below.
1. Best coffee shop
United Kingdom
Redemption Roasters (London)
There have been so many excellent new openings in the London coffee scene this year that it was really hard to pick a winner. I was particularly lucky that two of the finest — Redemption Roasters and Catalyst — are just about walkable from my King's Cross office on my lunch break and I regularly visit both. Redemption's coffee is roasted in small batches at HM Prison Aylesbury, where young offenders are trained up in roasting and barista skills. This in itself would be a worthy social enterprise, but the coffee is consistently top-notch too. I've tried various espresso-based drinks and Aeropress-brewed filter coffees, as well as buying beans to enjoy at home, and the coffee has always been faultless.
If you're looking for more great speciality coffee in London, please check out my guide.
Runners-up: Catalyst (London) and Colonna & Small's (Bath)
Europe
Tim Wendelboe (Oslo, Norway)
2017 was a year of speciality coffee pilgrimages for me and I was the first customer through the door at Tim Wendelboe's Grünerløkka coffee shop on my first full day in Oslo. While there, I had one of the best filter coffees of the year, a Honduran Caballero Geisha with beautiful papaya notes. I liked it so much that I bought a bag of beans that cost almost £30, which seemed expensive until I got to the Reformatory Caffeine Lab in Sydney one month later... If you're more organised than I was, you can also book onto one of their Saturday morning cupping sessions.
Runners-up: Misto (Prague, Czech Republic) and Nømad (Barcelona, Spain)
United States
Broadsheet Coffee (Cambridge, MA)
This year was the year I rediscovered Boston, which was the first US city I visited, some 25 years ago but which I'd neglected in favour of New York, San Francisco and DC during the past decade. I went to Boston once for a snowy conference in February and then returned in the summer for a family holiday. It was on the second trip that I visited the newly opened Broadsheet Coffee on Kirkwood Street in Cambridge. The coffee shop and roastery is beautifully designed and serves excellent hand-brewed filter coffee and espresso-based drinks. There's also an awesome brunch menu and the staff are super-friendly. I bought a bag of beans too and loved the striking packaging — rivalled only by one of my runners-up, Little Wolf (just up the road in Ipswich, MA), which has also been nominated for a Sprudgie this year (there's still time to vote if you haven't already!).
See also: my Boston and Cambridge coffee guide and my New York coffee guide.
Runners-up: Little Wolf (Ipswich, MA) and Black Fox (NYC)
Rest-of-world
Proud Mary (Melbourne, Australia)
Although this sub-category is named 'rest-of-world', it's really just Australia and New Zealand, where I managed to visit at least 60 coffee shops in my one-month trip. With 16 coffee shop visits in Melbourne alone, narrowing down my favourites was really tough, but continuing my 'coffee pilgrimages' theme, Proud Mary in the Collingwood neighbourhood was near the top of my list. I had a fab brunch, chatted with the friendly staff and had one of my top pourovers of the year, a jazzy and intensely fruity Pacamara Maragogipe from Panama. I then popped down the road, to their roastery and brew bar, Aunty Peg's, to keep me caffeinated during the rest of my stay in Australia.
Runners-up: Reformatory Caffeine Lab (Sydney, Australia) and Flight Coffee Hangar (Wellington, NZ)
2. Best brunch spot
London
Treves & Hyde (Aldgate)
One of the most Instagrammed new openings of the year — thanks in part to its striking millennial pink spiral staircase — Treves & Hyde served some of the best pancakes I've ever had — and I'm usually more of a savoury brunch kind of gal. The coffee is great too and if you don't have time for brunch, you can grab a coffee and/or a pastry in the downstairs cafe.
Runners-up: TAB x TAB (Notting Hill) and Where the Pancakes Are (Borough)
Australia
Haven Tailoring Coffee Joyously (Sydney)
Although I'd been saving all year for my trip to Australia and New Zealand, one category where I overspent massively was brunch. I had so many superb brunches, including outstanding avocado toasts (Folk's was the best) and all sorts of other inventive, photogenic and delicious creations. Although technically it wasn't my dish — mine was also fab, though — my friend's 'Amazing Kimcheese' at Haven really knocked everything out of the water. Waffles with kimchi, sesame, parmesan and vanilla bean ice cream might not sound like a winning combination, but just go with it. You won't regret it. The coffee is particularly good at Haven too.
Runners-up: Folk (Byron Bay) and White Mojo (Melbourne)
Rest-of-world
Cookshop (NYC)
One of the advantages of visiting New York in the bitterly cold days of early February is that it's really easy to get a table at some of the city's best brunch spots, especially if you're dining solo. I'd wanted to go to Cookshop, which is just opposite the High Line, for some time and it was worth the wait. I had a BLT mary (yes, with bacon) and a fried egg sandwich, which was colourful and delicious — the sandwich came served on a brioche bun with Italian sausage, aged cheddar, potato hash and jalapeño-cabbage slaw.
Runners-up: Eska (Prague, Czech Republic) and Bespoke Kitchen (Queenstown, NZ) — and not just because I was on such a high after my skydive!
3. Best street food
London
Giant Robot (Canary Wharf)
My travels this year have meant I haven't had as much time to explore new places in London, but I did enjoy visiting Street Feast's newest market, Giant Robot, next to the new Crossrail station in Canary Wharf. There's a good selection of food and drink vendors (albeit with prices slightly higher than at some of the other Street Feast spots — this is Canary Wharf, after all) and — particularly important during London's colder months — it is indoors too.
Rest-of-world
Boston Public Market (Boston, MA)
I went to the gourmet food market that is Boston Public Market a couple of times this summer, sampling various foods and drinks, from oysters to doughnuts, and coffee to...er, coffee. I also took part in a coffee extraction class run by George Howell in the market's Kitchen. The Kitchen runs a diverse programme of events and classes, so check out their website to find out what's on.
4. Best restaurant
London
Santo Remedio (London Bridge)
I missed Santo Remedio's first incarnation in Shoreditch, so I was delighted when, boosted by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Mexican restaurant reopened this year just down the road from me near London Bridge. Santo Remedio specialises in tacos but the other dishes and sides were just as delicious, as were the cocktails. It's great to have an authentic Mexican taqueria in SE1 at last.
Runners-up: L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (Stoke Newington) and Pique-Nique (Bermondsey)
Rest-of-world
Coco's Cantina (Auckland, NZ)
Of all the restaurants in which I dined in Australia and New Zealand, Coco's Cantina was the one that came most highly recommended. It was fitting, then, that I had my last supper there, just before heading to the airport to return to the UK. The fun, laid-back restaurant is owned by two sisters, who serve delicious, well-priced food and drink with thoughtful, welcoming service. I had a superb pasta dish and a very good cocktail, and it was the perfect place to spend my last meal of my trip.
Runners-up: Automata (Sydney, Australia) and eels (Paris, France)
5. Best cocktail
London
Dandelyan (Bankside)
The Dandelyan bar in the Mondrian Hotel on London's South Bank has won countless awards — it's currently ranked #2 in the World's 50 Best Bars, for instance — and my brother and I finally paid a visit as a warm-up for my birthday celebrations this year. Although there weren't any free tables — you should definitely try to book — we perched at the bar, and spent quite some time browsing the extensive cocktail menu. I settled on the (green) Arsenic Waltz, with Tapatio Blanco, sour pear, long pepper and cucumber honey, partly because of its name and historical provenance:
"Vanity boomed in the 16th Century (as well as the pox) so sales of make-up made a killing. Literally. Queen Liz I used “Spirit of Saturn” – a fun mix of vinegar and lead, whilst arsenic found its way into many a compact in the 1500s (not included here)."
Runner-up: Dirty Bones (Soho)
Rest-of-world
BlackTail (NYC)
Another bar featured in the World's 50 Best Bars list, BlackTail serves Cuban-influenced food and cocktails in its location in Battery Park, in Lower Manhattan. I went with a friend from work on Valentine's Day for a 'Galentine's Day' night out. The menu is comprehensive and creative, and every cocktail we drank was absolutely delicious.
Runners-up: L'Fleur (Prague, Czech Republic) and Bulletin Place (Sydney, Australia)
Please let me know in the comments if you have any favourite coffee, brunch, restaurant or cocktail favourites of 2017 — particularly in cities or countries I have yet to visit. I'd love to hear your recommendations!
I've kept the categories — coffee, brunch, street food, restaurant and cocktails — the same as last year and in most cases, I've picked a London and a rest-of-world favourite. In the coffee shop category, though, I've included my favourite places in the UK, Europe, USA and the rest-of-the-world. Meanwhile, I ate so many excellent brunches in Melbourne and Sydney that I felt I also had to include an Australia sub-category in the brunch section. So, without further ado, here are my food and drink favourites of 2017; as usual, I've hyperlinked my reviews for each winner and runners-up below.
1. Best coffee shop
United Kingdom
Redemption Roasters (London)
There have been so many excellent new openings in the London coffee scene this year that it was really hard to pick a winner. I was particularly lucky that two of the finest — Redemption Roasters and Catalyst — are just about walkable from my King's Cross office on my lunch break and I regularly visit both. Redemption's coffee is roasted in small batches at HM Prison Aylesbury, where young offenders are trained up in roasting and barista skills. This in itself would be a worthy social enterprise, but the coffee is consistently top-notch too. I've tried various espresso-based drinks and Aeropress-brewed filter coffees, as well as buying beans to enjoy at home, and the coffee has always been faultless.
If you're looking for more great speciality coffee in London, please check out my guide.
Runners-up: Catalyst (London) and Colonna & Small's (Bath)
Europe
Tim Wendelboe (Oslo, Norway)
2017 was a year of speciality coffee pilgrimages for me and I was the first customer through the door at Tim Wendelboe's Grünerløkka coffee shop on my first full day in Oslo. While there, I had one of the best filter coffees of the year, a Honduran Caballero Geisha with beautiful papaya notes. I liked it so much that I bought a bag of beans that cost almost £30, which seemed expensive until I got to the Reformatory Caffeine Lab in Sydney one month later... If you're more organised than I was, you can also book onto one of their Saturday morning cupping sessions.
Runners-up: Misto (Prague, Czech Republic) and Nømad (Barcelona, Spain)
United States
Broadsheet Coffee (Cambridge, MA)
This year was the year I rediscovered Boston, which was the first US city I visited, some 25 years ago but which I'd neglected in favour of New York, San Francisco and DC during the past decade. I went to Boston once for a snowy conference in February and then returned in the summer for a family holiday. It was on the second trip that I visited the newly opened Broadsheet Coffee on Kirkwood Street in Cambridge. The coffee shop and roastery is beautifully designed and serves excellent hand-brewed filter coffee and espresso-based drinks. There's also an awesome brunch menu and the staff are super-friendly. I bought a bag of beans too and loved the striking packaging — rivalled only by one of my runners-up, Little Wolf (just up the road in Ipswich, MA), which has also been nominated for a Sprudgie this year (there's still time to vote if you haven't already!).
See also: my Boston and Cambridge coffee guide and my New York coffee guide.
Runners-up: Little Wolf (Ipswich, MA) and Black Fox (NYC)
Rest-of-world
Proud Mary (Melbourne, Australia)
Although this sub-category is named 'rest-of-world', it's really just Australia and New Zealand, where I managed to visit at least 60 coffee shops in my one-month trip. With 16 coffee shop visits in Melbourne alone, narrowing down my favourites was really tough, but continuing my 'coffee pilgrimages' theme, Proud Mary in the Collingwood neighbourhood was near the top of my list. I had a fab brunch, chatted with the friendly staff and had one of my top pourovers of the year, a jazzy and intensely fruity Pacamara Maragogipe from Panama. I then popped down the road, to their roastery and brew bar, Aunty Peg's, to keep me caffeinated during the rest of my stay in Australia.
Runners-up: Reformatory Caffeine Lab (Sydney, Australia) and Flight Coffee Hangar (Wellington, NZ)
2. Best brunch spot
London
Treves & Hyde (Aldgate)
One of the most Instagrammed new openings of the year — thanks in part to its striking millennial pink spiral staircase — Treves & Hyde served some of the best pancakes I've ever had — and I'm usually more of a savoury brunch kind of gal. The coffee is great too and if you don't have time for brunch, you can grab a coffee and/or a pastry in the downstairs cafe.
Runners-up: TAB x TAB (Notting Hill) and Where the Pancakes Are (Borough)
Australia
Haven Tailoring Coffee Joyously (Sydney)
Although I'd been saving all year for my trip to Australia and New Zealand, one category where I overspent massively was brunch. I had so many superb brunches, including outstanding avocado toasts (Folk's was the best) and all sorts of other inventive, photogenic and delicious creations. Although technically it wasn't my dish — mine was also fab, though — my friend's 'Amazing Kimcheese' at Haven really knocked everything out of the water. Waffles with kimchi, sesame, parmesan and vanilla bean ice cream might not sound like a winning combination, but just go with it. You won't regret it. The coffee is particularly good at Haven too.
Runners-up: Folk (Byron Bay) and White Mojo (Melbourne)
Rest-of-world
Cookshop (NYC)
One of the advantages of visiting New York in the bitterly cold days of early February is that it's really easy to get a table at some of the city's best brunch spots, especially if you're dining solo. I'd wanted to go to Cookshop, which is just opposite the High Line, for some time and it was worth the wait. I had a BLT mary (yes, with bacon) and a fried egg sandwich, which was colourful and delicious — the sandwich came served on a brioche bun with Italian sausage, aged cheddar, potato hash and jalapeño-cabbage slaw.
Runners-up: Eska (Prague, Czech Republic) and Bespoke Kitchen (Queenstown, NZ) — and not just because I was on such a high after my skydive!
3. Best street food
London
Giant Robot (Canary Wharf)
My travels this year have meant I haven't had as much time to explore new places in London, but I did enjoy visiting Street Feast's newest market, Giant Robot, next to the new Crossrail station in Canary Wharf. There's a good selection of food and drink vendors (albeit with prices slightly higher than at some of the other Street Feast spots — this is Canary Wharf, after all) and — particularly important during London's colder months — it is indoors too.
Rest-of-world
Boston Public Market (Boston, MA)
I went to the gourmet food market that is Boston Public Market a couple of times this summer, sampling various foods and drinks, from oysters to doughnuts, and coffee to...er, coffee. I also took part in a coffee extraction class run by George Howell in the market's Kitchen. The Kitchen runs a diverse programme of events and classes, so check out their website to find out what's on.
4. Best restaurant
London
Santo Remedio (London Bridge)
I missed Santo Remedio's first incarnation in Shoreditch, so I was delighted when, boosted by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Mexican restaurant reopened this year just down the road from me near London Bridge. Santo Remedio specialises in tacos but the other dishes and sides were just as delicious, as were the cocktails. It's great to have an authentic Mexican taqueria in SE1 at last.
Runners-up: L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (Stoke Newington) and Pique-Nique (Bermondsey)
Rest-of-world
Coco's Cantina (Auckland, NZ)
Of all the restaurants in which I dined in Australia and New Zealand, Coco's Cantina was the one that came most highly recommended. It was fitting, then, that I had my last supper there, just before heading to the airport to return to the UK. The fun, laid-back restaurant is owned by two sisters, who serve delicious, well-priced food and drink with thoughtful, welcoming service. I had a superb pasta dish and a very good cocktail, and it was the perfect place to spend my last meal of my trip.
Runners-up: Automata (Sydney, Australia) and eels (Paris, France)
5. Best cocktail
London
Dandelyan (Bankside)
The Dandelyan bar in the Mondrian Hotel on London's South Bank has won countless awards — it's currently ranked #2 in the World's 50 Best Bars, for instance — and my brother and I finally paid a visit as a warm-up for my birthday celebrations this year. Although there weren't any free tables — you should definitely try to book — we perched at the bar, and spent quite some time browsing the extensive cocktail menu. I settled on the (green) Arsenic Waltz, with Tapatio Blanco, sour pear, long pepper and cucumber honey, partly because of its name and historical provenance:
"Vanity boomed in the 16th Century (as well as the pox) so sales of make-up made a killing. Literally. Queen Liz I used “Spirit of Saturn” – a fun mix of vinegar and lead, whilst arsenic found its way into many a compact in the 1500s (not included here)."
Runner-up: Dirty Bones (Soho)
Rest-of-world
BlackTail (NYC)
Another bar featured in the World's 50 Best Bars list, BlackTail serves Cuban-influenced food and cocktails in its location in Battery Park, in Lower Manhattan. I went with a friend from work on Valentine's Day for a 'Galentine's Day' night out. The menu is comprehensive and creative, and every cocktail we drank was absolutely delicious.
Runners-up: L'Fleur (Prague, Czech Republic) and Bulletin Place (Sydney, Australia)
Please let me know in the comments if you have any favourite coffee, brunch, restaurant or cocktail favourites of 2017 — particularly in cities or countries I have yet to visit. I'd love to hear your recommendations!
02 May 2017
72 Hours in Prague III: 8 Great Places for Specialty Coffee in Prague
This is the third of my series of '72 hours in Prague' posts; please also check out part I for things to do and part II for drinking and dining tips.
Although my mum and I booked our recent holiday in Prague in October, I only started to research the trip properly a week or two before we went. I had been saving a few Prague-related coffee spots in my Instapaper account, though, as and when I came across them. I expected to find a handful of specialty coffee shops in the city but was pleasantly surprised to find about 15 places to add to my long list.
This recent upsurge is at least partly due to the city's barista training school, Kavove Kurzy, run by Gwilym Davies and Petra Veselá. But with only 72 hours to spend in the city — and a non-coffee-drinking travel companion — I needed a bit of guidance narrowing down my to-do list. Among the resources I consulted were: European Coffee Trip's Prague guide; the Prague Foodie Map (which has an excellent coffee section and an interview with Gwilym and Petra); and the Prague tourist board's coffee guide (which organises cafes into different categories, from classics to more modern spots that will please even the most dedicated third-wave riders).
In the end, I visited eight different coffee spots, which I've organised below based on location. I was also pleased to be able to try coffee from several Czech roasters, including Doubleshot, Nordbeans and Kavárna Pražírna, as well as enjoying coffee from some favourite European roasters.
Prague 1
EMA Espresso (Na Florenci 1420/3, Prague 1). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
One of the most central of the coffee shops I went to, EMA Espresso was also the first place I visited. A short walk from the Old Town, EMA is a lively coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks, as well as hand-brewed filter coffees, teas and light bites. We couldn't stay long so I ordered a piccolo, which was made with a Costa Rican coffee from Koppi (there was also a JB Kaffee coffee on offer). The coffee was excellent and the cafe an attractive place to sit and chat, read or work. There is a long communal table facing the coffee bar and a few smaller tables, as well as a small mezzanine level. They also sell a wide variety of coffee kit.
Onesip Coffee (Haštalská 755/15, Prague 1). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Probably the tiniest coffee bar I visited — and one of the loveliest — Onesip is located on a quiet street in the Old Town, a few moments from the Convent of St Agnes and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Old Town Square. Despite its diminutive size, Onesip punches above its weight in terms of its coffee offering. While I was there, there were coffees available from Round Hill Roastery (UK), Workshop (UK), The Coffee Collective (Denmark) and JB Kaffee (German): a veritable European tour! I had a piccolo with an Ethiopian JB Kaffee coffee and it was flawless. The turquoise coffee cups, which coordinated nicely with the Kees van der Westen Spirit machine, were lovely too. You can also buy beautifully packaged and delicious chocolate bars from Ajala.
Prague 2
Kavárna Pražírna (Lublaňská 676/50, Prague 2). Website.
Although Gwilym and Petra didn't really answer the question in the Prague Foodie Guide interview about their favourite Prague coffee shop, they did mention Kavárna Pražírna in their answer, and so I figured I should try to pay a visit. Located near the I.P. Pavlova metro station in Prague 2, Pražírna occupies a cosy but cool basement space, consisting of several, interconnected rooms with vaulted ceilings and brick walls. One of the rooms houses the roaster, which wasn't in use while I was there. I ordered a piccolo, which was made using a Peruvian Union y Fe coffee roasted in house. While I waited, I admired the impressive selection of coffee-making kit on display behind the bar. There were also copies of the Czech edition of Standart Magazine on sale. My coffee was excellent and I loved the relaxed atmosphere at Pražírna.
Prague 5
Cafe Lounge (Plaská 615/8, Prague 5). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Usually when I plan a trip to a new city, I research the best coffee places and try to stay close to as many as possible. However, we booked our Prague hotel in Malá Strana before I'd discovered that there wasn't much good coffee near by. Prague is small, though, and it was less than 15 minutes' walk to Cafe Lounge, what seemed to be the best specialty coffee option in the neighbourhood.
Cafe Lounge is owned by the same team who run EMA, but the former has a full kitchen and is open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived early on Saturday morning and got the avocado toast orders in (there are other, less hipster brunch dishes too). Like at EMA, filter coffees from Koppi and JB Kaffee were available, and there was an extensive hand-brewed filter coffee menu, which included detailed descriptions of the various brew methods. I had another Koppi coffee, this one a Colombian brewed through the V60. The coffee and our brunch dishes were great, and Cafe Lounge is a great spot to try, particularly handy for the Petřín funicular. We sat in the relatively formal dining room, but when the weather is nicer there is a lovely courtyard.
Prague 6
Místo (Bubenečská 12, Prague 6). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
The folks at Můj šálek kávy (see below) recommended that I also visited their 'newest' cafe, Místo, up in Prague 6. I'd assumed it was only a few months old but it turned out they'd been open for a couple of years! I was short on time so I hopped one stop on the metro to Hradčanská, and Místo was a short walk through the attractive residential neighbourhood. The cafe is large, light and airy with plenty of different seating areas — the nook to the right of the door as you come in might be good for working, but I took a seat at the high table opposite the coffee bar. It was busy mid-morning on a Monday with a buzzy but relaxed vibe. As well as the usual espresso-based drinks, three single-origin coffees from Czech roaster Doubleshot were available as hand-brewed filter coffees. There was also a tasting flight of the trio, so naturally I had to order that. It came with a quiz and I was pleased that I correctly identified the Brazilian, Colombian and Burundi coffees. The Colombian was my favourite but all three were nicely brewed.
Although I'd already eaten breakfast and didn't have room for one of the bigger breakfast dishes, I remembered the Prague Foodie Map folks' tip to order a peanut věneček (a sort of choux pastry doughnut filled with peanut cream), so I did and it was delicious. Possibly the nicest thing I ate in Prague!
Prague 8
Eska (Pernerova 4, Prague 8). Website. Instagram.
Although we went to Eska, in Prague's Karlin district, for the breakfast rather than the coffee, the coffee was also particularly good. They serve coffee from Czech roaster Nordbeans and the menu included Aeropress- and V60-brewed filter coffees as well as espresso-based drinks. I started with a really lovely, fruity Mahembe coffee from Rwanda, brewed through the V60. Later, I tried a flat white, which was also very well brewed. If you can't get a table at Eska, you can always get your coffee to go — and maybe pick up some bread, pastries, Ajala chocolate and a few deli items and feast on your picnic in one of the nearby parks.
Můj šálek kávy (Křižíkova 386/105, Prague 8). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
As a former linguist, I always like to spell foreign names correctly — and that includes the correct accents. Můj šálek kávy's name was impossible to write without downloading the Czech keyboard on my iPhone, but even if it's hard to spell or to say, the Karlin-based coffee shop is well worth seeking out. It's often busy, particularly at brunch o'clock, and you might have to wait for a table at peak times, although you probably won't mind too much if it's a warm day and you can soak up the sun on the benches outside. The coffee is from Doubleshot, and I had an excellent cortado brewed with a smooth, flavoursome Finca Hartmann coffee from Panama.
Prague 10
Coffee Room (Korunní 1208/74, Prague 10). Website. Instagram.
A little way east of the city centre in hip Vinohrady, Coffee Room celebrated its third birthday on the day I arrived in Prague. I didn't make it over there until my last day when the birthday balloons and banners had come down, but the small, busy coffee was still bustling and vibrant. I couldn't stay for the famed avocado toast, but I did have a good cortado, while sitting in the window seat and taking advantage of the people-watching opportunities. I hear it gets pretty packed at the weekends, but there are plenty of other places near by (the burgers at Dish are supposed to be excellent) in case you want to come back during a quieter time.
Although my mum and I booked our recent holiday in Prague in October, I only started to research the trip properly a week or two before we went. I had been saving a few Prague-related coffee spots in my Instapaper account, though, as and when I came across them. I expected to find a handful of specialty coffee shops in the city but was pleasantly surprised to find about 15 places to add to my long list.
This recent upsurge is at least partly due to the city's barista training school, Kavove Kurzy, run by Gwilym Davies and Petra Veselá. But with only 72 hours to spend in the city — and a non-coffee-drinking travel companion — I needed a bit of guidance narrowing down my to-do list. Among the resources I consulted were: European Coffee Trip's Prague guide; the Prague Foodie Map (which has an excellent coffee section and an interview with Gwilym and Petra); and the Prague tourist board's coffee guide (which organises cafes into different categories, from classics to more modern spots that will please even the most dedicated third-wave riders).
In the end, I visited eight different coffee spots, which I've organised below based on location. I was also pleased to be able to try coffee from several Czech roasters, including Doubleshot, Nordbeans and Kavárna Pražírna, as well as enjoying coffee from some favourite European roasters.
Prague 1
EMA Espresso (Na Florenci 1420/3, Prague 1). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
One of the most central of the coffee shops I went to, EMA Espresso was also the first place I visited. A short walk from the Old Town, EMA is a lively coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks, as well as hand-brewed filter coffees, teas and light bites. We couldn't stay long so I ordered a piccolo, which was made with a Costa Rican coffee from Koppi (there was also a JB Kaffee coffee on offer). The coffee was excellent and the cafe an attractive place to sit and chat, read or work. There is a long communal table facing the coffee bar and a few smaller tables, as well as a small mezzanine level. They also sell a wide variety of coffee kit.
Onesip Coffee (Haštalská 755/15, Prague 1). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Probably the tiniest coffee bar I visited — and one of the loveliest — Onesip is located on a quiet street in the Old Town, a few moments from the Convent of St Agnes and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Old Town Square. Despite its diminutive size, Onesip punches above its weight in terms of its coffee offering. While I was there, there were coffees available from Round Hill Roastery (UK), Workshop (UK), The Coffee Collective (Denmark) and JB Kaffee (German): a veritable European tour! I had a piccolo with an Ethiopian JB Kaffee coffee and it was flawless. The turquoise coffee cups, which coordinated nicely with the Kees van der Westen Spirit machine, were lovely too. You can also buy beautifully packaged and delicious chocolate bars from Ajala.
Prague 2
Kavárna Pražírna (Lublaňská 676/50, Prague 2). Website.
Although Gwilym and Petra didn't really answer the question in the Prague Foodie Guide interview about their favourite Prague coffee shop, they did mention Kavárna Pražírna in their answer, and so I figured I should try to pay a visit. Located near the I.P. Pavlova metro station in Prague 2, Pražírna occupies a cosy but cool basement space, consisting of several, interconnected rooms with vaulted ceilings and brick walls. One of the rooms houses the roaster, which wasn't in use while I was there. I ordered a piccolo, which was made using a Peruvian Union y Fe coffee roasted in house. While I waited, I admired the impressive selection of coffee-making kit on display behind the bar. There were also copies of the Czech edition of Standart Magazine on sale. My coffee was excellent and I loved the relaxed atmosphere at Pražírna.
Prague 5
Cafe Lounge (Plaská 615/8, Prague 5). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Usually when I plan a trip to a new city, I research the best coffee places and try to stay close to as many as possible. However, we booked our Prague hotel in Malá Strana before I'd discovered that there wasn't much good coffee near by. Prague is small, though, and it was less than 15 minutes' walk to Cafe Lounge, what seemed to be the best specialty coffee option in the neighbourhood.
Cafe Lounge is owned by the same team who run EMA, but the former has a full kitchen and is open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived early on Saturday morning and got the avocado toast orders in (there are other, less hipster brunch dishes too). Like at EMA, filter coffees from Koppi and JB Kaffee were available, and there was an extensive hand-brewed filter coffee menu, which included detailed descriptions of the various brew methods. I had another Koppi coffee, this one a Colombian brewed through the V60. The coffee and our brunch dishes were great, and Cafe Lounge is a great spot to try, particularly handy for the Petřín funicular. We sat in the relatively formal dining room, but when the weather is nicer there is a lovely courtyard.
Prague 6
Místo (Bubenečská 12, Prague 6). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
The folks at Můj šálek kávy (see below) recommended that I also visited their 'newest' cafe, Místo, up in Prague 6. I'd assumed it was only a few months old but it turned out they'd been open for a couple of years! I was short on time so I hopped one stop on the metro to Hradčanská, and Místo was a short walk through the attractive residential neighbourhood. The cafe is large, light and airy with plenty of different seating areas — the nook to the right of the door as you come in might be good for working, but I took a seat at the high table opposite the coffee bar. It was busy mid-morning on a Monday with a buzzy but relaxed vibe. As well as the usual espresso-based drinks, three single-origin coffees from Czech roaster Doubleshot were available as hand-brewed filter coffees. There was also a tasting flight of the trio, so naturally I had to order that. It came with a quiz and I was pleased that I correctly identified the Brazilian, Colombian and Burundi coffees. The Colombian was my favourite but all three were nicely brewed.
Although I'd already eaten breakfast and didn't have room for one of the bigger breakfast dishes, I remembered the Prague Foodie Map folks' tip to order a peanut věneček (a sort of choux pastry doughnut filled with peanut cream), so I did and it was delicious. Possibly the nicest thing I ate in Prague!
Prague 8
Eska (Pernerova 4, Prague 8). Website. Instagram.
Although we went to Eska, in Prague's Karlin district, for the breakfast rather than the coffee, the coffee was also particularly good. They serve coffee from Czech roaster Nordbeans and the menu included Aeropress- and V60-brewed filter coffees as well as espresso-based drinks. I started with a really lovely, fruity Mahembe coffee from Rwanda, brewed through the V60. Later, I tried a flat white, which was also very well brewed. If you can't get a table at Eska, you can always get your coffee to go — and maybe pick up some bread, pastries, Ajala chocolate and a few deli items and feast on your picnic in one of the nearby parks.
Můj šálek kávy (Křižíkova 386/105, Prague 8). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
As a former linguist, I always like to spell foreign names correctly — and that includes the correct accents. Můj šálek kávy's name was impossible to write without downloading the Czech keyboard on my iPhone, but even if it's hard to spell or to say, the Karlin-based coffee shop is well worth seeking out. It's often busy, particularly at brunch o'clock, and you might have to wait for a table at peak times, although you probably won't mind too much if it's a warm day and you can soak up the sun on the benches outside. The coffee is from Doubleshot, and I had an excellent cortado brewed with a smooth, flavoursome Finca Hartmann coffee from Panama.
Prague 10
Coffee Room (Korunní 1208/74, Prague 10). Website. Instagram.
A little way east of the city centre in hip Vinohrady, Coffee Room celebrated its third birthday on the day I arrived in Prague. I didn't make it over there until my last day when the birthday balloons and banners had come down, but the small, busy coffee was still bustling and vibrant. I couldn't stay for the famed avocado toast, but I did have a good cortado, while sitting in the window seat and taking advantage of the people-watching opportunities. I hear it gets pretty packed at the weekends, but there are plenty of other places near by (the burgers at Dish are supposed to be excellent) in case you want to come back during a quieter time.
28 April 2017
72 Hours in Prague II: Where To Eat and Drink
This is the second of a series of three posts about my recent trip to Prague. You can also check out part I (things to see and do) and part III (speciality coffee).
As usual, I did a fair amount of speciality coffee research before my trip but didn't have much time to check out Prague's eating and drinking options. Luckily, I found the Prague Foodie Map online and after checking some of the coffee recommendations of the Taste of Prague team who put together the map, I decided that I had similar tastes and immediately paid €5 to download the guide. If you buy the digital version, you get a PDF and access to a special Google Map. You can also buy a hard copy in several shops and cafes in Prague. The PDF was a bit awkward to print and a little fiddly to read on an iPhone, but I used the food, drink, coffee and shopping recommendations and more general tips throughout my stay and they never let me down. They also run food tours, which sound awesome but are a little pricey (2,700 CZK (about £85)).
Several of the Prague Foodie Map recommendations and indeed a few of the places we ate at are operated by the seemingly ubiquitous Ambiente empire, which seems to specialise in relaxed but hip eateries that will take you from brunch, to lunchtime burgers and pizza, to contemporary reinventions of the neighbourhood pub and a full on tasting menu. You can see their full offering here.
I tried to sample as many local dishes as possible but meat and particularly a wonderful breed of butcher's shop/bistro hybrid that I've not seen elsewhere is at the heart of Czech food, so I don't feel too guilty about eating burgers on two occasions. Finally, if you are looking for beer recommendations, you've come to the wrong place: neither my mum or I like the stuff and didn't drink any while we were in Prague. Sacrilege, I know...
Breakfast/brunch
Eska (Pernerova 63/49, Prague 8). We went for breakfast at Eska, a cafe in the trendy Karlin neighbourhood, on a sunny Sunday morning. Although we arrived before 10 am, we were lucky to get a table without a reservation, but I was pleased that we got to sit at the communal table with a great view of the open kitchen and the coffee bar. The weekend brunch menu was great — I had divine scrambled eggs on house-baked bread and my mum had the Czech breakfast (bread with four different toppings). Freshly baked bread and sweet treats are also on sale; I had a buchty (sweet bun) with a hazelnut filling for pudding. There was a lovely relaxed atmosphere, the staff were friendly and the coffee (from Czech roaster NordBeans) was delicious. Website. Instagram.
Cafe Lounge (Plaská 615/8, Malá Strana, Prague 5). The closest speciality coffee spot to our hotel, Cafe Lounge was an obvious spot for breakfast on our first morning in Prague. The sister cafe to EMA Espresso Bar, Cafe Lounge has a full kitchen and serves food all day alongside excellent espresso and hand-brewed filter coffee from a rotating selection of European roasters. The weekend brunch menu had lots of great choices but we went full hipster with the avocado and poached egg on toast, which was very nice indeed. We arrived soon after the 9 am opening time, but I can imagine it gets busy during the brunch rush. Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Sisters (Dlouhá 727/39, Prague 1). A tiny but very Instagrammable sandwich shop in the Old Town specialising in chlebíčky (open-faced sandwiches not dissimilar to the Danish smørrebrød). I tried one with salmon and one with beef, while my mum had a couple of veggie options — the beetroot and goat's cheese was certainly the prettiest. They were very reasonably priced and delicious. Website. Twitter.
Bakeshop (Kozí 918/1, Prague 1). Just a few blocks west of Sisters, Bakeshop is a popular cafe-bakery that is known particularly for its sourdough bread. We went for soup and cookies one lunchtime and although it took us a while to find a table, the food was very good, even if I did accidentally order a mini ("regular") cookie instead of a regular ("large") one. There's another, smaller branch in Malá Strana, near the Kafza Museum (U Lužického semináře 99/22). Website. Twitter.
Lunch/dinner (mainly meaty)
Naše Maso (Dlouhá 39, Prague 1). We walked past Naše Maso on our first afternoon in Prague and there was a big queue even at 2:30 pm on a Friday, so we went to Sisters (see above) for lunch instead. We returned on Monday, though, to sample the hamburgers and they were indeed awesome. There is a (meat-centric) English menu outside and once you make it through the door, you can pick your meat from the butcher's counter and either take it home or pay a grill fee for the staff to cook it for you. I don't regret my burger choice but the steaks and the meatloaf I saw also looked great. There's beer on tap too (not quite cheaper than the water on tap...). Fast food at its finest. Website. Instagram.
Kantyna (Politických vězňů 5, Prague 1). We tried to visit Ambiente's newest restaurant — a hip, fun take on the Czech neighbourhood pub/butcher's counter concept (if there is such a thing — on our first night, which happened to be a Friday. We arrived, hungry, around 8:00 pm and the hostess essentially sent us away saying that there were no tables until at least 10:00 pm but they didn't take bookings. When we returned to find the place much calmer on Sunday evening, we understood why: the ordering system is quite complicated for foreigners and most of the staff didn't speak English well, so they probably figured we wouldn't have coped on a frenetic Friday night.
It works like this... Take the menu/scorecard from the host(ess) when you arrive — each person needs their own card — and find a seat at an available table. You can order drinks from the bar (take your card with you so that they can mark what you've had) and starters and pre-cooked meats from the deli counter opposite the bar. If you want a burger, steak or other cut of the meat, head for the butcher's counter near the entrance and order there; you can pick your meat and they will cook it for you. We ordered a beef carpaccio to start but it ended up arriving after our main courses so they let us have it for free, as we didn't really want it anymore. It was really tasty, as was my burger, and my mum's pork chop, which she said was the nicest she'd ever had. We had a couple of sides too, and the drinks were reasonably priced (there aren't many non-beer options, but they did have OMG Gin, which I tried in Sorrento last year).
Once you know how it works Kantyna is a really fun, relaxed place to eat and drink and a very Czech experience, in a very cool restaurant. Maybe don't take your vegetarian friend though... Website. Instagram.
Kolkovna Celnice (V Celnici 1031/4, Prague 1). After being turned away from Kantyna on Friday night, we tried a few other places on my list, none of which had any tables. I was worried we might never eat (do try to book a table for Friday nights — ideally somewhere cool outside the city centre), but we were seated at the Celnice branch of Kolkovna, a large Pilsner eatery with a large menu of Czech classics, within about 20 minutes. I didn't think much of my 'Tom Collins' (gin and lemonade) but at about £3 for almost a pint, I couldn't really complain. The food was good with big, good-value portions. I tried the beef shoulder with pumpkin mash and my mum had the 'Moravian sparrows' (pork). There was a lively — but not too OTT — atmosphere on a Friday night and I liked the industrial-chic decor. They also have several other locations in the city. Website.
Lokal (Míšeňská 66/12, Prague 1). The Ambiente group's modern take on the Czech pub concept, with several locations in Prague. One of them was a block from our hotel so after failing to get a table on Friday night, we went for a hearty lunch on Saturday. It was busy but a bit calmer at lunchtime, and I enjoyed my roast duck with dumplings. My mum felt she ought to order the deep-fried cheese (supposedly particularly good at Lokal), and although she liked it, she probably wouldn't feel the need to order it again. As at Kantyna, you get a drinks 'scorecard'. I just had the home-made raspberry soda, though, which I really liked. Website. Instagram.
Kogo (Havelská 499/27, Prague 1). We spotted this upscale Italian restaurant on Friday night on our search for a table, and decided to book it for Saturday evening. We shared a huge antipasti platter to start and then both had Dover sole, which was cooked to perfection. I had a couple of cocktails and they were both prepared nicely. This would be a good option if you feel like a change from the meat-heavy Czech fare but don't want to splash out for or haven't booked one of the fancier tasting-menu restaurants, like La Degustation and Field. Website.
Drinks
L'Fleur (V Kolkovně 920/5, Prague 1). We only went to one cocktail bar while we were in Prague, but we picked a good 'un. The bar has influences from both New York and Paris and is beautiful, intimate and understated — we sat at the bar to watch the superb mixology in action. The cocktails were all inspired by the Louvre collection. I had a 'Follow the Freedom' (cognac, Champagne, lavender and smoke) and a 'Parfum' (jasmine-infused gin, rose lemonade and lemon), and both were really top notch — a real sensory experience in both cases. The Hemingway Bar and its trendier younger sister Cash Only Bar were also on my list of places to try. Website. Instagram.
Snacks and sweet treats
OK, so the Prague Foodie Map folks repeatedly warned against the purchase of the ubiquitous trdelnik cakes — a sort of hollow, chimney-shaped cake, served with some combination of cream, nuts, chocolate and ice cream — in part, because they are not Czech but Transylvanian. I had hoped to buy a gourmet version (they would go down well at Maltby Street Market, my local street food market) but this proved impossible so I paid about 70 CZK for one doused in a synthetic caramel sauce. It wasn't unpleasant but it was way too big and a little sickly.
For a really delicious Czech treat, look out for the věneček (pronounced veh-neh-check), which looks like a doughnut but is made of choux pastry and filled with cream. I had an amazing peanut version at Misto, which was possibly the best thing I ate all weekend. Cafe Savoy is supposed to be a great place to try these and other pastries. Buchty (sweet buns) abound too.
As usual, I did a fair amount of speciality coffee research before my trip but didn't have much time to check out Prague's eating and drinking options. Luckily, I found the Prague Foodie Map online and after checking some of the coffee recommendations of the Taste of Prague team who put together the map, I decided that I had similar tastes and immediately paid €5 to download the guide. If you buy the digital version, you get a PDF and access to a special Google Map. You can also buy a hard copy in several shops and cafes in Prague. The PDF was a bit awkward to print and a little fiddly to read on an iPhone, but I used the food, drink, coffee and shopping recommendations and more general tips throughout my stay and they never let me down. They also run food tours, which sound awesome but are a little pricey (2,700 CZK (about £85)).
Several of the Prague Foodie Map recommendations and indeed a few of the places we ate at are operated by the seemingly ubiquitous Ambiente empire, which seems to specialise in relaxed but hip eateries that will take you from brunch, to lunchtime burgers and pizza, to contemporary reinventions of the neighbourhood pub and a full on tasting menu. You can see their full offering here.
I tried to sample as many local dishes as possible but meat and particularly a wonderful breed of butcher's shop/bistro hybrid that I've not seen elsewhere is at the heart of Czech food, so I don't feel too guilty about eating burgers on two occasions. Finally, if you are looking for beer recommendations, you've come to the wrong place: neither my mum or I like the stuff and didn't drink any while we were in Prague. Sacrilege, I know...
Breakfast/brunch
Eska (Pernerova 63/49, Prague 8). We went for breakfast at Eska, a cafe in the trendy Karlin neighbourhood, on a sunny Sunday morning. Although we arrived before 10 am, we were lucky to get a table without a reservation, but I was pleased that we got to sit at the communal table with a great view of the open kitchen and the coffee bar. The weekend brunch menu was great — I had divine scrambled eggs on house-baked bread and my mum had the Czech breakfast (bread with four different toppings). Freshly baked bread and sweet treats are also on sale; I had a buchty (sweet bun) with a hazelnut filling for pudding. There was a lovely relaxed atmosphere, the staff were friendly and the coffee (from Czech roaster NordBeans) was delicious. Website. Instagram.
Cafe Lounge (Plaská 615/8, Malá Strana, Prague 5). The closest speciality coffee spot to our hotel, Cafe Lounge was an obvious spot for breakfast on our first morning in Prague. The sister cafe to EMA Espresso Bar, Cafe Lounge has a full kitchen and serves food all day alongside excellent espresso and hand-brewed filter coffee from a rotating selection of European roasters. The weekend brunch menu had lots of great choices but we went full hipster with the avocado and poached egg on toast, which was very nice indeed. We arrived soon after the 9 am opening time, but I can imagine it gets busy during the brunch rush. Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Sisters (Dlouhá 727/39, Prague 1). A tiny but very Instagrammable sandwich shop in the Old Town specialising in chlebíčky (open-faced sandwiches not dissimilar to the Danish smørrebrød). I tried one with salmon and one with beef, while my mum had a couple of veggie options — the beetroot and goat's cheese was certainly the prettiest. They were very reasonably priced and delicious. Website. Twitter.
Bakeshop (Kozí 918/1, Prague 1). Just a few blocks west of Sisters, Bakeshop is a popular cafe-bakery that is known particularly for its sourdough bread. We went for soup and cookies one lunchtime and although it took us a while to find a table, the food was very good, even if I did accidentally order a mini ("regular") cookie instead of a regular ("large") one. There's another, smaller branch in Malá Strana, near the Kafza Museum (U Lužického semináře 99/22). Website. Twitter.
Lunch/dinner (mainly meaty)
Naše Maso (Dlouhá 39, Prague 1). We walked past Naše Maso on our first afternoon in Prague and there was a big queue even at 2:30 pm on a Friday, so we went to Sisters (see above) for lunch instead. We returned on Monday, though, to sample the hamburgers and they were indeed awesome. There is a (meat-centric) English menu outside and once you make it through the door, you can pick your meat from the butcher's counter and either take it home or pay a grill fee for the staff to cook it for you. I don't regret my burger choice but the steaks and the meatloaf I saw also looked great. There's beer on tap too (not quite cheaper than the water on tap...). Fast food at its finest. Website. Instagram.
Kantyna (Politických vězňů 5, Prague 1). We tried to visit Ambiente's newest restaurant — a hip, fun take on the Czech neighbourhood pub/butcher's counter concept (if there is such a thing — on our first night, which happened to be a Friday. We arrived, hungry, around 8:00 pm and the hostess essentially sent us away saying that there were no tables until at least 10:00 pm but they didn't take bookings. When we returned to find the place much calmer on Sunday evening, we understood why: the ordering system is quite complicated for foreigners and most of the staff didn't speak English well, so they probably figured we wouldn't have coped on a frenetic Friday night.
It works like this... Take the menu/scorecard from the host(ess) when you arrive — each person needs their own card — and find a seat at an available table. You can order drinks from the bar (take your card with you so that they can mark what you've had) and starters and pre-cooked meats from the deli counter opposite the bar. If you want a burger, steak or other cut of the meat, head for the butcher's counter near the entrance and order there; you can pick your meat and they will cook it for you. We ordered a beef carpaccio to start but it ended up arriving after our main courses so they let us have it for free, as we didn't really want it anymore. It was really tasty, as was my burger, and my mum's pork chop, which she said was the nicest she'd ever had. We had a couple of sides too, and the drinks were reasonably priced (there aren't many non-beer options, but they did have OMG Gin, which I tried in Sorrento last year).
Once you know how it works Kantyna is a really fun, relaxed place to eat and drink and a very Czech experience, in a very cool restaurant. Maybe don't take your vegetarian friend though... Website. Instagram.
Kolkovna Celnice (V Celnici 1031/4, Prague 1). After being turned away from Kantyna on Friday night, we tried a few other places on my list, none of which had any tables. I was worried we might never eat (do try to book a table for Friday nights — ideally somewhere cool outside the city centre), but we were seated at the Celnice branch of Kolkovna, a large Pilsner eatery with a large menu of Czech classics, within about 20 minutes. I didn't think much of my 'Tom Collins' (gin and lemonade) but at about £3 for almost a pint, I couldn't really complain. The food was good with big, good-value portions. I tried the beef shoulder with pumpkin mash and my mum had the 'Moravian sparrows' (pork). There was a lively — but not too OTT — atmosphere on a Friday night and I liked the industrial-chic decor. They also have several other locations in the city. Website.
Lokal (Míšeňská 66/12, Prague 1). The Ambiente group's modern take on the Czech pub concept, with several locations in Prague. One of them was a block from our hotel so after failing to get a table on Friday night, we went for a hearty lunch on Saturday. It was busy but a bit calmer at lunchtime, and I enjoyed my roast duck with dumplings. My mum felt she ought to order the deep-fried cheese (supposedly particularly good at Lokal), and although she liked it, she probably wouldn't feel the need to order it again. As at Kantyna, you get a drinks 'scorecard'. I just had the home-made raspberry soda, though, which I really liked. Website. Instagram.
Kogo (Havelská 499/27, Prague 1). We spotted this upscale Italian restaurant on Friday night on our search for a table, and decided to book it for Saturday evening. We shared a huge antipasti platter to start and then both had Dover sole, which was cooked to perfection. I had a couple of cocktails and they were both prepared nicely. This would be a good option if you feel like a change from the meat-heavy Czech fare but don't want to splash out for or haven't booked one of the fancier tasting-menu restaurants, like La Degustation and Field. Website.
Drinks
L'Fleur (V Kolkovně 920/5, Prague 1). We only went to one cocktail bar while we were in Prague, but we picked a good 'un. The bar has influences from both New York and Paris and is beautiful, intimate and understated — we sat at the bar to watch the superb mixology in action. The cocktails were all inspired by the Louvre collection. I had a 'Follow the Freedom' (cognac, Champagne, lavender and smoke) and a 'Parfum' (jasmine-infused gin, rose lemonade and lemon), and both were really top notch — a real sensory experience in both cases. The Hemingway Bar and its trendier younger sister Cash Only Bar were also on my list of places to try. Website. Instagram.
Snacks and sweet treats
OK, so the Prague Foodie Map folks repeatedly warned against the purchase of the ubiquitous trdelnik cakes — a sort of hollow, chimney-shaped cake, served with some combination of cream, nuts, chocolate and ice cream — in part, because they are not Czech but Transylvanian. I had hoped to buy a gourmet version (they would go down well at Maltby Street Market, my local street food market) but this proved impossible so I paid about 70 CZK for one doused in a synthetic caramel sauce. It wasn't unpleasant but it was way too big and a little sickly.
For a really delicious Czech treat, look out for the věneček (pronounced veh-neh-check), which looks like a doughnut but is made of choux pastry and filled with cream. I had an amazing peanut version at Misto, which was possibly the best thing I ate all weekend. Cafe Savoy is supposed to be a great place to try these and other pastries. Buchty (sweet buns) abound too.
