You may have noticed we have been neglecting this Prague blog a bit. It’s a mix of various factors. First, we’re now in the middle of the high season for our Prague food tours, and our time to write about the nice places we’ve found is quite limited these days. Also, the heatwaves did not help. We get super lazy above 35C/95F, and honestly, you can’t blame us. And then there was another thing. A (not so) secret project, if you will.

It is not every day we get to introduce an entirely new product here. But this is the day. For a few months now, we have been slowly working on a small foodie guide for Prague. We’re 99% there, and with a bit of luck and effort, the guide will go to print next week. It should be ready and out some time in September. Question: have you ever worked on a project, spent seven days doing the first 80% and then the next seven months trying to finish the remaining 20%? This is that project for us. Trust us - we can’t wait to see it in print.

"If you want to get great value from your Prague vacation, you should start boozing up.” That’s what we like to say to the guests of our Prague food tours, and we still think this assertion stands. With beers cheaper than sodas or tap water, a glass of good wine for less than EUR 4, and signature cocktails in Prague's best bars well below EUR 8, it is very hard not to succumb to the temptations of the city. We repeat, very hard. We’ve been there. We actually grew up here, so we know what we’re saying.

The cheap and high-quality drinks come at a price: the mornings are sometimes less happy than the nights that precede them. And that’s where hangover food comes to the rescue. But there’s another reason we write about hangover food. Sure, we like to eat healthy, but sometimes - and sometimes more often that we’d like to - there’s a craving, an itch, that only some greasy, fatty food can scratch. And that’s where hangover food comes to the rescue, again. 

Whatever your particular case may be - hey, this site does not judge - here’s our tips for some of the finest hangover food in Prague. If we can agree that you can use the word “finest” and “hangover food” in the same sentence.

Yes, let's face it: this summer in Prague has been extremely hot so far, and is likely to remain so for at least the next week. It is hard to do anything in Prague in temperatures that reach 35C/95F: eat, walk, or even sleep. But that does not mean your vacation in Prague has to be ruined by great weather. No, we think you can use the heat to explore Prague in a slightly different way. Searching for shade can take to you places that are less exposed to tourism and more local. And that's not a bad thing. This is where we'd go.

Oh, Helsinki. We spent about four days in Helsinki, and it was not enough. We’ll say it right at the beginning: we loved our short stay. We had very little expectations coming in. (Your standard stereotypical stuff: Finnish design, long summer nights, cold, Marimekko, Mika Häkkinen, Matti Nykänen, Ittala, Tom of Finland.) One thing was sure: we would not understand absolutely anything. And you know what? It proved to be absolutely right. If you’re a European, you kinda expect to understand at least something when you travel abroad. Not in Finland. That said, English is widely spoken on the streets and in the restaurants. And the people are friendly.

Oh, the “Free Republic of Zizkov”. The Montmartre of Prague. No, this is not your daddy’s sightseeing district. It gets real in Zizkov. The district has always had a rough edge. Originally a workers’ district serving the booming industry of the 19th Century, it was seen as too hilly for high-quality architecture, and thus became home to cheaper developments with characteristic courtyards in the middle. And it has retained its edgy, working class feel until this day.

For most of the locals, Zizkov has become synonymous with Prague’s underground and classic beer pubs. This is a bohemian place that plays by its own rules, and a pub is never too far. Yes, Zizkov is definitely run down and probably not your first choice if you’re looking for a place to start a family, but it has its undeniable charm with vistas that oversee the cobbled streets and green areas. Most importantly, it can be a reality check and a more authentic alternative to the somewhat Disney-fied centre of the town that can be overrun by tourism. And today the lower rent and liberal attitudes have attracted younger crowds to move in and start new businesses. Zizkov is becoming alive again, and you can witness its rebirth in real time today. Here’s where we would go.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, we don’t have to explain who Paul Day is. We don’t have to explain that he came here from London, single-handedly put the heritage breed of the Prestik Pig back on the map, and is the driving force behind the organic butchers of The Real Meat Society. We also don’t have to explain that Prague has a sizable Vietnamese community and that we have, as a result, great access to Asian ingredients from the Vietnamese Sapa market. So what is there to explain? Sansho is, with a big degree of simplification, what Momofuku is to New York City: a place where local foodies and chefs go for great flavors served in a casual, unfussy atmosphere and environment. 

Meat and donut. What a name for what is arguably the best bistro in town. And a very apt name for that. Maso a kobliha is, at its heart, a butcher shop of The Real Meat Society, that just takes things a bit further by processing the meat into some fantastic fishes and by selling, without a shadow of a doubt, the best donut in Prague. Can you argue with that? Of course you can’t.

One has to wonder how can you put so much soul into a space that many diminutive espresso bar owners would call "too small". But Martina and Jan, the owners of the Kurator shop near the National Theatre and the Bethlehem Square, clearly can. The winner of the 2014 Czech Grand Design “Shop of the Year” award, Kurator does exactly what its title suggests: looks at young, promising or otherwise interesting designers (mostly Czech but also some from abroad), and sets up a (roughly) two-month curated selection of their work. And you can buy it all! Yay! The exhibitions are always wrapped around a theme, be it proms (during the Czech senior prom season), ethical manufacturers, flowers or anything else. 

Sure, a flower shop does not relate to food or shopping or culture, but if we were to talk about the shops we love in Prague, Metamorphosis would be near the top of the list. Just walk inside and you’ll be immediately hooked: the eclectic, run down room is dominated by a large table full of various flowers, the ingredients for the florists’ creations. Just tell them how much you want to spend, and what color and flowers do you prefer, and watch as the wooden floors cover in twigs and leafs when the florists prepare the bouquets “a la minute” for you. Romantic and beautiful? You bet. Also, we are always surprised how much beauty and flowers we get for whatever we say our budget it. 

Don’t get us wrong. Summer is great, and Zuzi is a strong proponent of the idea that the monthly average temperature in Prague should be around 25C/78F all year round. But when it gets really hot, the high temperatures make it really hard to enjoy one of our primary passions and the fuel we need to get us going: coffee. 

Luckily, Prague cafes have been working hard to resolve the issue and are offering some interesting summer coffee specials. Virtually every specialty coffee venue offers cold drips, cold brews, iced filters and espressos, and we love ‘em. (Zuzi can’t seem to go through a single day without the shaken iced Aeropress at EMA Espresso Bar.) But you can also taste bona fide signature drinks that will get you cool, caffeinated, and sometimes a bit buzzed. And we like all these three things in the summer. 

To help you celebrate coffee in Prague in the summer months, we’ve created a small tour around Prague in search of great summer coffee drinks. You don’t have to worry about feeling tired. You just have a cool coffee drink in each stop. Problem solved. (And if you overdose on coffee, we’ve heard bananas help.)