The design shop within the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague 7 stocks stunning glassware, porcelain, jewelry, lighting, furniture and other work by a number of leading contemporary Czech designers.
This bright white, airy, almost clinical space is a refreshing change to some of the more traditional Czech gift stores in central Prague and is still a great place to pick up a souvenir. How about a stylish Czech made mechanical pencil by Versatil or a Merkur construction set?
There’s a lovely café with outside seating, where you can admire your purchases afterwards. Oh yes, and a world class museum of contemporary art is downstairs. Just in case.

www.dox.cz/en/
DOX, Centre for Contemporary Art
Poupětova 1, Praha 7, 170 000
+420 774 145 434
Nearest tram: Ortenovo náměstí (trams 5, 10, 12, 15, 54)
Nearest metro: Nádraží Holešovice
Google map: bit.ly/zcl7y7

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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Part café, part shop, part postcard museum. Choco Café is definitely one for all chocoholics.
Set in the Old Town, Choco Café offers the widest variety of chocolate and chocolate drinks I have ever seen. Its offerings include chocolate with quinoa or pineapple and hot chocolate served with ginger or chili.
Be prepared, the hot chocolate is pretty much just melted chocolate – rich, smooth and thick enough to stand a spoon in. 55 CZK for the standard. Whipped cream and other ingredients such as chili, fruit, and alcohol are extra.
Choco Café accommodates non-chocolate fanatics as well, offering a small non-chocolate menu including teas, and some food. A good central lunch stop.
Café Chocolate also operates as a postcard museum and shop and a chocolate shop. It sells some of the most beautifully presented chocolate bars you’ll ever see – mainly by Italian chocolate company Stainer. Each wrapper is a work of art in itself, and the chocolate is delicious.
Cosy and snug in the winter. The back opens onto a small garden for fresh air in the summer.

www.choco-cafe.cz/
Liliová 4/250, Praha 1, 110 00
+420222222519
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 10:00 – 20:00
Nearest metro: Staroměstská or Mustek
Google map: bit.ly/tTlXuf

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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The name Čajovna Ve Věži (the tearoom in the tower) gives you a fairly big clue as to what to expect. A tea room right at the top of the remarkable tower at the edge of Letna park. The whole way up, you will be wondering if you have come to the right place. Don’t worry, you have. Just keep going right to the top.
As well as a special location, Čajovna Ve Věži's boasts a lovely herbal smell throughout and a cosy ambience - decor includes mismatched chairs and tables, Persian rugs, a large Buddha and several small oriental wall hangings. Like a favourite teddy bear, everything looks a little tired but well loved.
The menu is only available in Czech, although as most teas have Japanese or Chinese names, this is not too tricky. Staff speak some English but a phrase book might be useful.
Čajovna Ve Věži offers over 80 teas (from 40 to 115 CZK) from India, China, Japan, Turkey, Nepal, Vietnam and Tibet, as well as some fruit teas and non-caffeinated teas. A small selection of soft drinks is also available, as well as wine.
Light snacks are also offered – nuts (from 30 CZK), sandwiches (35 CZK), corn on the cob (44 CZK) and sushi (85 CZK).
Slightly slow service is more than compensated for by the location, atmosphere, and the excellent teas.

www.dojo.cz/cajovna/rozvrh/index_eng.html
Na výšinách 1/Korunovační, Prague 7
+420 724 593 215
Nearest tram: Sparta (trams 1, 5, 8, 25 or 26).
Open 16:00 - 22:00 in winter and 17:00 - 23:00 in the summer.
Google map: bit.ly/vbodTC

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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Don't let the fact that Dobrá Čajovna is located on tourist-heavy Wenceslas Square dissuade you. Credited with being the lynchpin of the 1990s revival of Czech tea houses, Dobrá Čajovna is a refreshing change from some of the other international or tourist-priced options in the area. Tucked away off Wenceslas Square, it is hidden from view in a little courtyard, the entrance to which is marked by a discreet sign. It is a quiet, still haven, not drowned out by the hustle and bustle of Prague’s main street.
The menu (available in English and Czech) is fantastically informative and includes over eighty loose-leaf teas. With a three or four line description of each tea, the menu reads more like a novel and includes “a good tea to drink whilst reminiscing” (The Calling for Nepal), tea that is “suitable for drinking when returning from a walk in the park at twilight”, (Silver Monkey’s Paw), and tea “for a quiet meeting with close friends” (Sencha Kyoto). Dobrá Čajovna also has a small food menu offering snacks such as nuts and Japanese rice crackers. Savoury dishes including couscous and hummus are also available. Soft drinks are offered and are, happily, limited to exotic sounding chilled fruit juices – no crowd-pleasing Coca-Cola!
Dobrá Čajovna has inside seating as well as an outside area with bamboo sun umbrellas, low tables and stools, and is non-smoking throughout. Excellent service - attentive and very well informed.
Dobrá Čajovna also has a shop selling leaf teas, teapots and cups.

www.tea.cz/cajovna/
Václavské Náměstí 14, 11100 Prague 1
Open Mon-Fri 10:00 to 21:30, Sat-Sun 14:00 to 21:30
Nearest metro: Mustek
Google map: bit.ly/uKditw

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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MamaCoffee is a great example of the growing interest in Fair Trade in the Czech Republic. With five branches in Prague, MamaCoffee was the first Fair Trade coffee roaster in Central Europe and it is fair to say, remains one of the most popular.
Its largest café on Vodičkova off Wenceslas Square is always busy, its two stories frequented by locals, expats and tourists alike. Table service is offered by helpful staff who are will offer advice on their range of Ethiopian, Honduran and other coffee beans and Fair Trade Teas, which are all also available to buy. They are also happy to leave you to relax, or work on your laptop (offering free Wi-Fi upstairs).
MamaCoffee offers good quality snacks – cakes, brownies and sandwiches. I had the best spinach quiche of my life here, which was an unexpected perk.
Floor to ceiling windows and a non-smoking policy make this a lovely, bright place to relax or work, and offers high quality Fair Trade coffee at reasonable prices.

www.mamacoffee.cz/
Vodickova 6, Prague 1
Nearest metro: Mustek
Nearest Tram 3, 9, 14, 24 or 91 (to Vodickova)
Mon - Fri: 8:00 - 22:00, Sat - Sun: 10:00 - 22:00
Google map: bit.ly/vgIibU


* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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This cute café in Prague 2 has a range of attractions: newsagents (“trafika”), shop and tobacconists up front, with café behind, piano in the corner, occasional music events and small vinoteka.
Like a much-loved teddy bear, local favourite Dobra Trafika is a little worn around the edges, which makes local residents love it even more.
The menu includes several pages of teas and coffees, cakes and delicious stuffed pitta breads, at cheap-as-chips prices.
Delightfully scruffy, living-room-cosy and great value.

www.dobratrafika.cz
Korunní 42, 120 00 Praha 2
+420 737907635
Nearest metro: Jiriho z Podebrad
Cafe open Mon-Fri from 7.30, Sat from 8.00, Sun from 9.00, until 23.00 each day.
Google map: bit.ly/qG6G2d

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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Czech tea houses are a relatively recent development. Local legend claims that a good cuppa was unheard of in the Czech capital until 1848 when Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin requested tea in a Prague café and was met with blank faces.
Fast forward 150 years and the tea drinking, which took off at the end of the 19th century but subsided under the communist regime, has flourished once more. Prague boasts innumerate independent čajovny as well as one small tea chain, each with distinct character and appeal but all offering a wonderfully relaxed environment in which to while away a few hours.
Čajovny serve čaj in abundance – fresh loose teas from across the globe. Most offer extensive menus (around 60-80 tea varieties is a standard) and some offer hookah with flavored tobacco.
Čajovny are casual, hippified places, popular with Czech students, offering a relaxed, chilled-out vibe. A great antidote to an afternoon of sightseeing!

My favourites include:
Dobra Čajovny on Wenceslas Square – www.tea.cz/cajovna/
Nearest metro: Mustek or Muzeum

Tea in the Tower
www.dojo.cz/cajovna/rozvrh/index_eng.html
Na výšinách 1 / Korunovační Prague 7
Nearest Tram: Sparta (1,5,8, 25 or 26)

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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This modern, cheerful café in Vinohrady is very close to the National Museum. Bright, airy and colourful, when you walk inside you will feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
A very fresh interior with blocks of pastel colours on the walls is complemented by genuine Art Deco tables, chairs and light fittings.
Attracting Prague’s young hipsters, this café is a great place to relax any time of day, offering a good breakfast menu (including excellent scrambled eggs), salads, toasted sandwiches, pastries and generous portions of cake. Kaaba also offers an excellent range of coffee and other soft drinks and has a well-stocked bar.
Offers free WiFi and friendly staff.

www.kaaba.cz
Mánesova 20, Prague 2 - Vinohrady
+420 / 222 25 40 21
Mon- Fri from 8am, Sat from 9am and Sun from 10am
Nearest Tram – No. 11 Italská
Nearest Metro – Namesti Miru
Google map: bit.ly/oonky9


* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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When you step into Café Louvre on Národní, it is as if you step back in time. Opened in 1902, Louvre has always ranked highly in Czech kavarna culture. For a time it was the meeting ground of philosophy groups whose members included Franz Kafka and Max Brod. Many key players in the European literary scene of the early twentieth century spent time here, including Czech the Čapek brothers and Otto Pick.
Although the café closed for several years under the communists, its interior underwent considerable reconstruction in the 1990s. Today visitors will still get a feel of the grandiose café scene that existed at the beginning of the last century, as they walk up the wide staircase with marble walls and an iron handrail. The main room of the café, overlooking Národní below, boasts high ceilings, large windows and huge mirrors, which makes this one of the most splendid locations to drink caj or kava in the whole of Prague.
Louvre does offer full savoury meals, including soups, salads and pancakes. However, the best reason for a visit is the magnificent coffee and cake menu. Their homemade cakes, strudels and waffles will satisfy even the sweetest tooth – the blueberry cake on linz dough with vanilla ice-cream (65 CZK) keeps me coming back again and again.
An impressive drinks menu makes Louvre a winter time favourite – hot chocolate with rum and whipped cream (59 CZK) will keep you warm when it’s cold outside.
For good quality coffee and dessert set in historic opulence, look no further.

www.cafelouvre.cz/
Národní 22, Praha 1, 110 00
+420 224 930 949
Nearest metro: Narodni Trida or Mustek
Nearest tram: Narodni Trida (6, 9, 18, 21, 22 or 91)
Mon-Friday: 08.00 to 23.30
Sat-Sun: 0900 to 23.30
Google map: bit.ly/mQerhN


* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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Prague is full of places claiming to have been frequented by Kafka, Max Brod and the like,
but in Café Montmartre you really believe it.
Walking through the door is like stepping back in time (aside from the laptops set out by the
modern crowd who now sit where Kafka used to) to the beginning of the twentieth century,
when the café regularly held literary events, debates and dances. Founded in 1911, the café
was closed in 1937 and only reopened fairly recently. Great care has been taken to recreate
the kavarna’s original character, with kitch, mismatched chairs, threadbare sofas and faded
photographs of the original clientele.
Good coffees and cakes and a well-stocked bar, for reasonable prices in the city centre. This
cosy gem will appeal to those looking for something authentic and not too sterile.

Řetězová 7, Prague 1
+42(0)222 221 244
Google map: bit.ly/qEjxTb

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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If you fancy brunch with the girls a la Sex and the City, Café Amandine might be right up your street. Not the cheapest but not eye wateringly expensive and certainly one of the loveliest.
The purple and green boutique interior is lovely, and the pastries excellent. Service could be quicker, but you’re here to linger so it doesn’t really matter.
Breakfast and brunch set menus are available every day, including “Parisienne” (croissant and coffee) or “Bonne Santé” (Greek yoghurt and muesli), as well as an a la carte menu offering a good variety of eggs – scrambled, poached and boiled. Café Armandiene also offers a weekend brunch special – a glass of something fizzy, coffee or tea, juice, and mini viennoiseries, eggs and breads for 295 CZK.
Quiche, tartines, sandwiches, hot dishes, salads, pancakes and blinis are also available throughout the day.

www.cafeamandine.cz‎
Na Moráni 1689/17, 120 00 Praha 2 - Nové Město, Czech Republic
+420222524305
Google map: bit.ly/q8Z7wW

Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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In the middle of one of Prague’s beautiful nineteenth century parks, Hlavickovy Sady, there is a gorgeous café situated in a Victorianesque pavilion. Previously a bowling alley and games room for the beautiful Grebovka Villa next door, Grebovka Pavilion offers a relaxed atmosphere and its ancient trees provide welcome shade in the summer.
Grebovka Pavilion is a great place to sit and relax following a gentle walk around the sloping park, which is also home to a vineyard, a Neo Renaissance palace and a grotto. It has inside and outside seating and offers coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, and snacks including massive waffles and delectable ice-cream.
A wonderful place to spend a summer afternoon.

www.pavilongrebovka.cz/
Pavilon Grébovka, Havlíčkovy sady 2218,
120 00, Praha 2
+420 725 000 334
Open 10 .00 to 20.00 every day.
Nearest metro - Namesti Miru. Nearest tram - 4 or 22 to Krymska
Google map: bit.ly/nYP1dH

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This is a great place to have breakfast, lunch or dinner (vegetarian meals are included, a rarity in Prague). There is a large non-smoking room upstairs, which is very nice, as cafés and pubs in Prague tend to get very smoky and uncomfortable.
This place serves top quality coffee, including Viennese coffee, Algerian coffee, Mafioso (cappuccino with Amaretto), and various types of hot chocolate, with coffee, with ice cream, with rum and whipped cream, with egg liqueur and whipped cream, you get the idea.
I ordered a double espresso and a warm apple strudel with vanilla and chocolate sauce and whipped cream – the pastry was light, flaky and not too buttery; the minced apples had just the right blend of cinnamon, sugar, and nuts, and the whipped cream, oh, the whipped cream! Light and airy, it melted in my mouth as soon as it reached my tongue. This dessert wasn’t sweet or heavy, and the mix of vanilla and chocolate sauce was perfect.
Café Louvre is open from 8am every day; and offers morning newspapers.
Free wi-fi is also available.

Národní 22, Praha 1, 110 00
+420 224 930 949
www.cafelouvre.cz
Google map: bit.ly/jsXOmW

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Located steps from Wenceslas Square, this place has some of the most beautiful and tastiest desserts that I’ve tried in Prague.
Established in 1904, it quickly became a legendary sweet shop and continued into the communist era; but the building collapsed in 2006, and it took almost three years to renovate and restore it.
Although the extensive menu was not available in English, we were fortunate enough to sit within perfect viewing distance of where the the pastry chef created her magic.
I ordered a latte and an exquisite masterpiece that several people were ordering, the Wenceslas Crown: made of dark chocolate and filled with a trio of gelato: bittersweet chocolate with a lovely smooth texture and so dark it looks like tar, cappuccino so rich it can stand on its own, and vanilla bean, all topped with whipped cream made right before my eyes, a few berries, and a light drizzle of caramel sauce.
Our barista, an award-winning latte art master in Europe, made me the most original latte I have ever seen.

Vodičkova 31, 110 00 Praha 1
+420 731 653 814
www.cukrarnamysak.cz/
Google map: bit.ly/mF7hqh

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Located minutes from Old Town Square, I found this gem after a morning of wandering the Jewish Quarter. Tired and needing a quick energy fix, the coffee here was a perfect pick-me-up. Bakeshop Praha soon became my every day stop for a cup of consistently good coffee and the opportunity to rest in a non-smoking zone, something that is very difficult to find in Prague.
Everything in the shop is baked daily, including their famous sourdough bread, with varieties such as walnut, potato dill, rosemary olive oil, and black olive.
Their display cases showcase loaf cakes, savory pies, canapés, quiches, sandwiches and even wedding cakes.

Kozí 1, 110 00, Praha 1
+420 222 316 823
www.bakeshop.cz
Google map: bit.ly/mxanfL

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The hot chocolate at Choco Café is seriously the best I’ve ever had. It is pure alchemy: 100 grams of decadent, delicious chocolate so thick you can eat it with a spoon.
This is a nice quiet place to get away from the hordes of tourists in the Old Town. The cosy café has tables and couches set in a relaxed atmosphere. You are encouraged to sit, relax and pass the time away. The long list of hot chocolate varieties include: spiced ginger, sea salt, chili, rum or fresh fruits. My favourite is the hot chocolate with chili. I love how the bittersweetness of the chocolate blends nicely with the hot chili kick - very nice. Try it!

Liliová 4/250, Praha 1, 110 00
+420222222519
www.choco-cafe.cz
Google map: bit.ly/irmI0Y

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As well as larger museums and galleries, Prague is chock-a-block with smaller and more intimate spaces. The Leica Gallery Prague is one such gallery, run by a not-for-profit organization with the aim of providing high quality photography exhibitions and workshops, seminars and lectures.
The small but airy gallery space is well accompanied by a book shop and small café serving very good coffee as well as other soft drinks and wine.
Its very full exhibition schedule and central location means this is a great place to see the work of some Czech and international photographers and enjoy a drink and browse some art books.
Entry is usually 50 CZK.

Skolska 28, Praha 1
+420608963523
Nearest Metro – Musek
Nearest Tram – 3, 9, 14 or 24 – Vodickova
www.lgp.cz/
Google map: bit.ly/meH6Hp

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Bio Zahrada (meaning Bio or Eco Garden) is a shop and café with an emphasis on fresh and organic food, moments from Namesti Miru.
Enjoy brilliant fresh coffee in the non-smoking café (with small outside terrace) behind the shop. Different fresh soups and main meals are available daily (if you weren’t hungry when you arrived, the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen will probably entice you) and a good range of cakes.
The shop sells a good range of organic produce including locally produced vegetables and organic meat.

Belgická 33, Praha 2
+420603752468
Nearest Metro – Namesti Miru
www.bio-zahrada.cz/en
Google map: bit.ly/l8qT81

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Two minutes from the Old Town square but tucked away on a side street this place has everything - a restaurant, a wine bar, a café and a food shop.
On winter evenings it’s a lovely place to go with friends for wine of varying prices but consistently good quality. Many are available by the glass. During the summer, sit in the peaceful courtyard at the back of the restaurant for al fresco dining.
The evening menu is very good but the real bonus is the daily lunch menu - choose between two and three courses, with or without wine, and you will have change from 200CZK.
Expect European cuisine with a twist of Czech including duck, rabbit and dumplings.

Havelská 500/25, Praha 1
+420 226 006 122
www.uzavoje.cz/cz/
Nearest metro: Mustek
Google map: bit.ly/krtkqp

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This gorgeous cafe came with an unexpected surprise: my hot chocolate was a cup full of smooth melted chocolate! They also do lovely pastries and have chocolates, postcards etc on sale as gifts.

Liliová 250/4
110 00 Prague-Old Town, Czech Republic
+420 222 222 519
Google map: bit.ly/ijngon

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