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.

72 Hours in Prague I: Things To Do

The Czech capital Prague has been on my travel bucket list for quite some time and my mum has also been keen to visit, so we decided to spend a long weekend there together at the end of April. We were there three nights, arriving early afternoon on Friday and heading back to the airport on Monday afternoon. This was enough time to see some of Prague's highlights, sample plenty of food and drink, and, of course, visit a few coffee shops. I've split my "72 Hours in Prague" guide into three posts; this one includes general tips for visiting the city and suggestions for things to do, before I move on to food and drink, and then speciality coffee in subsequent posts.

General tips
Arriving. Václav Havel Airport is about nine miles west of the city centre. My online research suggested booking an airport transfer instead of taking a taxi (this website came recommended); the journey takes 20-30 minutes and should cost about 600 Czech koruna (CZK), or about £19. Or, you can do what we did and take bus number 119 to Nádraží Veleslavín metro station and then take the green/A metro into the city. We were staying near the castle in Malá Strana, west of the Vltava river, and Malostranská metro station was a five-minute walk from our hotel; the journey took just under 40 minutes and cost 32 CZK (about £1). There is a public transport ticket machine in the arrivals hall of the airport, which takes cash and credit cards.

Getting around. Prague has a great, cheap public transport system involving trams, buses and three metro lines (among other things). You can buy a 24 CZK ticket that lasts for 30 minutes or a 32 CZK ticket that lasts 90 minutes. You can transfer freely between buses, metro trains and trams within the time period and just need to validate the ticket in one of the yellow machines when you start using it. The city centre is small and we walked around most of the time, but if you want to explore some of the less central districts, such as Vinohrady or Karlin, you might want to hop on a tram or the metro. We also took a couple of tram rides just because it was fun, particularly if you get one of the more old-fashioned style trams.

NB: you can't buy transport tickets at many tram stops, particularly west of the river, and in metro stations, the vending machines usually only accept coins (Relay newsagents let you pay for tickets with cash/card, though). In Malá Strana, the Malostranské náměstí tram stop has a ticket machine that takes contactless payments. If you think you'll be using public transport a fair bit, it's probably worth stocking up on a few tickets at one time (you don't need to use them right away as long as you validate them when you start using them) or buying a one- or three-day pass.

Money. There are currently about 31.5 Czech koruna (CZK) to the British pound. My mum exchanged some cash back in the UK, but we were able to pay by card (and usually with contactless payment) almost everywhere. Even if you plan to pay mainly by credit card, it's worth having some cash too, though. Western European and North American visitors will probably find food, drink and especially beer (cheaper than soda, if not water) prices very reasonable.

Language. Czech is the language here but a lot of people speak English and most eateries will have English menus available, especially in the city centre. If you want to learn a few words, ahoj (a-HOY) is "hello", ano (AH-no) is "yes", ne (nay) is "no", prosím (proh-SEEM) is "yes", and děkuji (djeh-kwee) is "thank you".

Accommodation. As it was our first time in Prague, we wanted to stay centrally so we could explore on foot. We also wanted to avoid the Old Town Square area, and settled on Malá Strana; more specifically, Hotel Bishop's House, which is about 30 seconds' walk from the ever-hectic Charles Bridge. We could even see the bridge from our room (pictured), although had to lean out the window. The hotel was comfortable, well-appointed and had friendly staff, and was surprisingly peaceful given its proximity to the bridge. The location worked well for us too: we were 15 minutes' walk from the castle and 15-20 minutes walk from most of the attractions, cafes and restaurants we wanted to visit in the Old Town (Staré Město) and New Town (Nové Město) across the river. There aren't any good coffee shops in the immediate vicinity, but Café Lounge and Original Coffee are under 15 minutes on foot.

When to come. We were a little unprepared for quite how busy the city was, especially on Friday night when we walked around for over an hour trying to find somewhere for a casual dinner. On Saturday morning, sprawling tour groups replaced the fabled stag dos, but the latter were out again in full force on Saturday night. Sunday was slightly quieter and Monday was calmer still, but I get the impression that the comparatively compact Old Town is rarely quiet. If you don't like crowds, you will probably want to avoid Friday night in the city — unless you've booked a cool restaurant in one of the more residential neighbourhoods, of course. The late April weather varied from cold (6 degrees C) and sleety on Saturday to warm (15 degrees C) and sunny on Monday. We were glad we came prepared for all weather types!

Things To Do
Charles Bridge and the Old Town. As we were staying so close to the Charles Bridge, we crossed it many times and the only time it wasn't incredibly crowded was when I went for a run at about 7:00 on Monday morning. You have to do it at least once but that might be enough. My favourite views of the Charles Bridge were from Legií bridge to the south and the riverside space near the Kafka Museum to the northwest (near the swans).

The crowds on the bridge also highlight the huge numbers of tourists visit Prague's relatively small city centre each day. We walked through the Old Town Square a few times — usually en route elsewhere — and glimpsed at the astronomical clock (NB: the hourly chiming isn't really worth sticking around for).

Prague castle (Pražský hrad). Our plans meant that Saturday was our only available day to visit the castle. We had heard that the queues were epic and tried to arrive early on Saturday morning, hoping the cold weather and rain would mitigate the crowds. But after a long breakfast a Café Lounge and a steep climb up the steps to the castle, it was 11 am by the time we arrived. We queued for about 30 minutes and the queue was much longer by the time we got in. We paid 350 CZK for the 'extended' ticket, which gives you access to more buildings, but the basic 250 CZK would probably suffice.

We had to queue for another 20 minutes or so to get into the famous St Vitus cathedral, which had been closed for a service all morning, but the stunning architecture and stained glass made it well worth the wait. We spent about two hours in total exploring the grounds and exhibits. Golden Lane was a little disappointing at peak time with so many visitors (and shops in the buildings). Don't miss the great city view from the rooftop of the Starbucks near the main entrance (don't worry; you don't really need to buy a coffee!).

Jewish Museum in Prague. Prague seems to like its combo tickets, and at the Jewish Museum, you can opt for a 330 CZK ticket that allows you to enter four synagogues — including the stunning, ornate Spanish Synagogue and the sobering Pinkas Synagogue, which is a memorial to the 80,000 Jews from Bohemia and Moravia who died in the Shoah — and the Ceremonial Hall and Old Jewish Cemetery. If you want to go into the Old-New Synagogue too, you'll need to upgrade to the 500 CZK ticket. It took us about two hours to visit the sites and it was truly fascinating and informative. We went late on Sunday morning and it was also very busy, particularly as there were so many big tour groups. NB: the sites are closed on Saturdays, of course.

Museum of Communism. The entrance to this small and dusty but fascinating museum located on the first floor inside a passage just off Na Příkopě, a major shopping street. At the top of the stairs, turn left for the museum...and right for a casino... Entrance to the museum is 190 CZK and you can easily spend an hour there learning about the history of Communism within what is now the Czech Republic and viewing the miscellany of objects on display.

St Agnes Convent. The impressive gothic convent now houses the national gallery. It's closed on Mondays, which meant we couldn't go inside but we walked around the gardens to admire the buildings and the modern art.

St Cyril and Methodius Cathedral. We had two reasons to visit the orthodox cathedral and its crypt, located near Jiráskův Bridge and the Dancing Building (pictured), south of the city centre. First, my grandfather is named Cyril and we wanted to take a photo for him, and second, the crypt had an important (and tragic) role in the WWII Operation Anthropoid (depicted in the films Operation: Daybreak and, more recently, Anthropoid, which I now want to watch).

Parks. 1) Letna Park (Letenské Sady). A short walk north of the Old Town, across the river via the Štefánikův bridge, is lovely, leafy Letna Park. It's a relatively steep climb to the top but there are great views of the city, especially up by the metronome. It was sunny when we arrived on Friday afternoon, so we wandered up there after lunch and then walked through the grounds of the castle, about 10 minutes' walk west of the park.

2) Petřín Park. South of the castle on the west side of the river, Petřín Park is another large, verdant park with a central hill. The hill is so steep that there is a funicular to the top (entrance near Újezd tram stop). You can use a regular public transport ticket to use the funicular, and the ride takes about 10 minutes. There is a lot to see at the top but there is limited signage and some very confusing maps. We spent about an hour trying to find the designated "viewpoints" (it should be easy given the height of the hill but tall trees seemed to block the city view from almost everywhere).

We did eventually find one but it was facing to the southeast so we couldn't see much of the city centre or castle. In the end, we shelled out 150 CZK to climb the Eiffel-Tower-alike 19th century Petřín Lookout Tower (there is a lift if you don't fancy the 299 steps, although it costs more). The views were great, although it was pretty chilly at the top.

3) Kampa Park. The small Čertovka water inlet separates Kampa Island from the mainland and there's a small but pleasant park near the river, which is nice for a wander. You can also visit the John Lennon Wall, a constantly evolving graffiti wall / public art space.

There are lots of other fun and interesting things to do in the city that we didn't have time for, but it's always good to save something for the next trip.

The Caffeine Chronicles: Spike + Earl

UPDATE: Sadly, Spike + Earl has now closed, although you can still visit Old Spike Roastery.

I've long been an admirer of Old Spike Roastery — a roastery and cafe based on Peckham Rye that combines speciality coffee with social enterprise — and was excited when I heard that the team were opening a new all-day venue in Camberwell. Spike + Earl (motto: doing good without compromise) opened a few weeks ago in Southwark Town Hall on Peckham Road, about equidistant between Lumberjack and No 67. I didn't make it to their busy soft-launch weekend, but my good friends live just up the road, we made a beeline for Spike + Earl for an Easter weekend brunch.

The Spike folks obviously put a lot of thought into design (the retail bags of coffee at Old Spike are stunning) and the design of Spike + Earl won me over right away, from the clean lines and light colours of the interiors to the minimalist typography on the menus and on the signs indicating the main cafe-bar (Spike + Earl) and what will be the roastery and cupping room (at the back).

There are plenty of tables outside, on the grand building's large terrace, but the bank holiday weekend weather was a little too unpredictable on our visit so we took a seat at one of the high marble tables that line the main cafe area inside.

We arrived at around 11:30 am on Good Friday and it was already busy. We didn't have to wait for a table but there weren't many free seats. We ordered some coffees and dug into the food menu. There were six brunch dishes, available until 4 pm and involving various combinations of avocado, bacon and eggs served on sourdough toast.

The brunch dishes sounded nice and looked great but we were more interested in the Dutch Crunch sandwiches. We didn't know what these were — my friend wondered if Dutch Crunch was Cockney Rhyming Slang for 'lunch' (it isn't, but totally should be) — but a quick bit of Googling indicated that it was a kind of bread with a mottled crust popular in the San Francisco area. There were four fillings available, including one fish and one veggie, all of which sounded bloody brilliant. We did have to wait until noon, when the Dutch Crunch shift starts, but it was well worth the wait. Between us, we tried two of the buttermilk chicken (with crispy bacon and hot sauce) and one of the sticky Korean beef. The former was the winner — perfect crispy-juicy fried chicken that contrasted nicely with the toothsome roll — but the beef also went down very nicely. Both sandwiches were a very reasonable £7.50. Despite the wait, we were very happy customers.

The coffee was very good too. In the Dutch Crunch panic, I hadn't managed to ask whether there were any hand-brewed filter coffee options; I don't think there were, but the two piccolos I tried were well made, if lacking in latte art. An Old Spike Nemba coffee from Burundi was in the hopper and although it tasted nice with milk, I think it would have made for an excellent pourover. There are also a couple of coffee cocktails on the menu and various beers and wines.

It's still early days for Spike + Earl and the busy wait staff seemed like they had been caught unawares by the bank holiday rush, but the service was good when we visited, and the food and coffee really great. There was a lively ambiance too and I'd be interested to return at night when I think the vibe will be quite different.

Spike + Earl. Southwark Town Hall, 31 Peckham Road, Camberwell, London, SE5 8UB (Denmark Hill or Peckham Rye Overground). Website. Twitter. Instagram.