When we talk about Tomas Karpisek, the founder of the ubiquitous Ambiente group of restaurants, on our Prague food tours, we often describe him as the “Steve Jobs of the Prague culinary scene”. Sure, it's overstatement, but it’s not that far off. If there is anyone who sets food trends in the Czech Republic, it’s Tomas. The appearance isn’t that far off, either: we’re yet to see Tomas in something that even barely resembles a business suit. He’s more of a jeans-and-a-t-shirt guy. Also, just like the late Jobs, he’s a visionary of sorts and has a bigger plan, too. And he’s undoubtedly one of the most respected personalities on the food scene, as witnessed by our interview with Hana Michopulu, the owner of the popular Sisters bistro.

What does not stick in the Jobs analogy is the demeanor. Despite his achievements, Tomas is one of the humblest and most approachable people we know. He also clearly thinks a lot about his job, and it is hard to catch him off-guard with anything food-related. But interviewing him is fascinating: he’s very open and his twenty-plus years in the business mean he has stories to tell. 

Interviewing Tomas now is more interesting than ever: the Ambiente group is now on the cusp of a generational shift marked by the openings of the Eska restaurant (this interview was held two weeks before it opened last week) and the Bokovka wine bar, both co-created and run by a young generation of chefs and managers, a trend started by the Nase Maso butcher shop over a year ago. 

We met over coffee to discuss a few things. We planned for an hour. We ended up rushing the last questions after nearly two. We talked about the past, the present, and the future of Ambiente and Tomas, too. This is what he told us. 

Keep Austin weird. We’re not sure we’ve seen any major weirdness in Austin, but the truth is we had fun in the Texas capital. We stayed for four short days and found Austin to be a city of contrasts and unlike the American cities we’ve visited before. Here’s some tips for a visiting European.

In the second part of our three-part series of our New York City Food Report, we did make a point of visiting some NYC institutions. We just wanted to benchmark the classics against what we have in Prague. And eat some great food, too. This is where we went. (To see part I, please click here.)

Two Michelin stars. The foundation of David Chang’s status as a chef and empire as a businessman. 13 courses. A bill for two equal to more than one half of the monthly average income in the Czech Republic. Worth it? Would we go again? Yes please!!!

We’re in New York City. We promised ourselves we would come back soon after we left last November. No matter what you may think of it, the city is undeniably cool and you can’t argue with the food and the shops and the people and the sights and all. We love it. So we’re back.

Where other restaurants come and go, Aromi has been a staple on the Prague dining scene. One of the first good Prague restaurants that could be called a "destination dining” place: more than just a mere neighborhood Italian place, Aromi has been attracting successful locals from near and afar despite being located in a residential district far from the areas exposed to mass tourism. It was also the place that gave birth to Riccardo Lucque’s empire of Italian-themed restaurants and bistros. And now, after ten years of its existence, Aromi has moved to a new location, taking over the space left by Sahara Cafe next to the Vinohradské divadlo theatre.

A while ago, we wrote a post about our Prague Foodie Map. So? What’s up with it? 

Well, we have an announcement to make. The time has come. The map is ready. As of today, we have it ready for you, and you can find it in a few selected establishments we will reveal as we go. 

It’s an extension of our blog. On paper.

It’s funny how times change. A few days ago, a guest of our Prague food tours tweeted, having visited the Prague Coffee Festival, "Prague is becoming one of the world's coffee capitals.” Now, while this may be a bit of an exaggeration, the truth is that we are not longer traveling for great coffee outside of Prague. Oh no. Today, we are coming back to Prague for great coffee.  

Cafes in Prague have gone a long way in the past few years. While it was nearly impossible to get filter coffee in Prague a few years ago, today it’s an item that goes without saying. Acidity in coffee has become an accepted characteristic and the variety of styles offered in Prague is quite overwhelming. And while we had to cherry pick and travel for good coffee in Prague, specialty coffee in Prague has today entered just about every Prague’s district, if we discount the outskirts.

What is nice about third-wave coffee in Prague is the lack of attitude and pretentiousness. The community around specialty coffee is inclusive and wants to make friends, with very little foes and enemies within it. The baristas in general don’t have attitude and don’t ridicule the customers for lack of knowledge, instead explaining and helping them navigate Prague’s coffee culture.

This is the third edition of our little Prague Coffee Guide. We’re talking thirty good cafes, up from maybe less than ten some three years ago. We have divided them into three groups for you, depending on how much time are you spending in Prague, and how much coffee you want to drink: "Must-visits", the cafes you should not miss, “Other favorites”, the cafes we like to frequent, and “Other good cafes”, the cafes we visit when we’re in the area.

So, there you have it. What follows is our list of the Best Cafes in Prague.

If you’re arriving in Prague in October and wish to taste some Prague food with Prague locals, you’re in luck. Yup, food events are just THE thing in Prague right now, and if you thought you’d go on a diet after a busy street food summer, Prague’s answer is a resounding NO. 

This is a small recap of the most interesting events coming to Prague in October. There’s food, coffee, and we’ve added two events that are not related to food but can build and appetite. And that’s good enough for us. The variety is great: healthy apples, healthy coffee (ahem), some Vietnamese flavors and a "hip hop chip shop" at a sneaker festival, so there’s absolutely no excuse for you not attending. This is where you go.

Yeah. We know. We’d like to know, too.

We have to answer lots of questions during our Prague food tours but some of them are asked more often than others. “Why do they only play old American music in restaurants here? And why is it 80s or 90s music?” Oh, if we had a nickel for every time somebody asked us this question on the tour, we’d have… well, it would be enough to buy a discounted Ace of Base CD for sure.

The truth is that if Prague lags behind other cool cities around the world in something, it’s the soundtracks played in Prague restaurants. Whenever we travel abroad and visit a cool place, that’s the first thing that hits us. Sure, there are exceptions: The Tavern plays a killer soundtrack whenever we come in, and SaSaZu can play some cool tunes on a night (and pretty bad ones on another). Kavárna Místo can find a nice playlist on most of the days. But the rest? It gives you the standing to sue for pain and suffering. At least if you are as sensitive to it as we are.

But it’s high time somebody did something about it, or at least identified the worst crimes against taste and humanity committed in Prague restaurants and cafes. And offered suggestions. That’s what we’ll try to do in this post.