Roundup: Prague restaurants opened in September 2014

September usually means one thing for Taste of Prague: the climax of our summer season... and the wine harvest, which we are always excited about. However, September was a very interesting month for the Prague culinary scene, too. That’s great news: a few very promising places opened in September and despite this being our busiest month, we tried to visit them all. Oh, the sacrifices we have to make for you! :-)

We bring you a roundup of interesting placess that opened in Prague in or around September:


Prague off the beaten path: Vrsovice district

Prague is so much more than just the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle and the Old Town. We want you to see more of Prague so that you can bring home a much truer image of what Prague is and how people live here. Today’s Prague escape will take us to the Vrsovice district. Vrsovice always played second fiddle to the upscale Vinohrady district. But with the reputation of the Krymska street and the surrounding areas rising, it has recently become a hip place to be, boasting a communal spirit, restaurant days and many street events. And for a few hours’ trip outside of the tourist centre, Vrsovice with its parks and views is hard to beat. Here’s our Vrsovice itinerary: 


Meet a local: Chef Sahajdak of La Degustation

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise is the best restaurant in Prague in our book, and one of the only two Michelin-star awarded restaurants in the town (the other one being Alcron, which we have visited recently). It’s always a treat whenever we go there for a very, very special occasion. And it’s a shrine of Czech cuisine, so definitely worth a visit when in Prague.


Our favorite burgers in Prague

If you follow us on Instagram (and you should if you don’t already), you will have noticed by now that we love burgers. One of us, Jan, could eat a burger for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And repeat it the next day. Really, burgers are great. If you haven’t had one, you should give it a try. Also, burgers are a good idea if you are traveling. Why? Easy. When you have a fancy dinner in a fine dining restaurant in the centre (nothing wrong with that), you sometimes eat with other foreign travelers. However, when you go for a burger, you tend to eat with the locals. And that’s exactly what we want you to do when you are here in Prague.


What to do in Prague - Perfect Saturday Morning

Ahhh, we love Saturdays! Especially when the weather is nice and we did not stay up late the night before, Saturday morning is definitely one of our most favorite times of the week. We will reveal the secret of a great Prague Saturday morning: a visit to the farmers' market at the river embankment under the Vysehrad fortress! It's a great way to blend in with the locals, taste some great food and enjoy sights and places that only the locals (and now you) know about.


Meet a local: Bogdan Trojak of Veltlin Wine Bar

When we first scouted locations for our Moravian wine tours and talked to smaller winemakers who made natural wines and who had a great reputation here in Prague, one name in particular kept coming up: Bogdan Trojak. His recently established group of winemakers who made natural wines without any additives, “Autentiste”, started to make waves as something new and exciting both here in Prague and clearly in the Moravian wine country, as well. All of the winemakers we met talked about him and his efforts with the highest respect.


Prague restaurants preview: Grand Cru

We have been aware of the Grand Cru wine bar at Petrske namesti for a long time but never really visited the place. Recently, the wine bar opened a restaurant. We have heard good comments on the food and mixed comments on the service from our friends so we though we needed to check the place out, too. And, of course, whenever something new opens up, we can’t really miss it. 


Our dinner at Alcron

We love to travel. For food. Whenever we are, we try to splash out on a dinner in a Michelin-star restaurant and put it in our plans to get a glimpse at the fine dining scene of our destination. And because we write for people who are like us and who like similar things, we paid a visit to Alcron, one of the two restaurants with a Michelin star in Prague. We visited the other one, La Degustation, a few months ago. You can read about our visit here.

We must admit that Alcron had to put extra effort into winning us over. You see, we are a bit sceptical of hotel restaurants. They often feel less personal to us. Besides that, we do like the other Michelin-star restaurant in Prague, La Degustation, and knew that Alcron had a different focus and offered a different experience. That said, we were really eager to see what Alcron had to offer: it has always been synonymous with haute cuisine in Prague. Saying “tastes like something from Alcron” has always meant something special.


Babovka - Bundt cake recipe

Sunday is the traditional day for cooking here in the Czech Republic. Moms and grandmas gather in the kitchen and start preparing the Sunday lunch because for the older generation, Sunday is the day for a home-cooked meal. From very early morning, you can hear the unmistakeable sound of meat being tenderized for the lunch schnitzels and smell the wonderful odors of hearty Czech comfort food. And because you need to finish your lunch with something sweet, baking is an indispensable part of the whole Sunday morning cooking tradition. And "babovka", or the bundt cake, is an undisputed Sunday lunch classic.


Meet a local: Mimi of La Femme Mimi

When you meet Mimi, the designer and owner of La Femme Mimi, a popular Czech fashion label, you see a person who is always smiling, a person who just can‘t wait to share her true passions and someone with an interesting story. We sat for an hour to talk about her past, her present and a little bit about the future. But the most important question of course is: “Where do you get the best Vietnamese spring rolls in Prague?”