Bohemia Bagel is something of a Prague institution. If you’re looking for gigantic bagels, American-style brunches, a decent burger, or just free refills on drinks, then this is the place to come. The Bohemia Bagel branch on Masná (just off Old Town Square) is most popular with tourists, but there are other locations about town in Malá Strana and Holešovice as well. More on the subject of best bagels to be had in Prague here.

Other Recommendations: Coffee Fellows / Beas / Govinda / Au Gourmand

Avoid like the plague: U Dvou koček / Terasa Hotel U Prince (terrible food, even worse service in both cases).

The area round Muzeum is pretty thin on the ground when it comes to good eats, but Dobrá Čajovna at Václavské Náměstí 14 is for me something of an oasis when it comes to sitting down for a nice cup of tea chosen from their biblical menu and a light bite of furikake (Japanese tea rice, rice prepared with green tea, seaweed, sesame, wasabi, dried tuna, soy sauce, pickled ginger and daikon radish) at 105kč, pita with sweet cheese and raisins or balkan cheese and roasted vegetables (75č / 105kč), baba ganoughe or houmous with 85kč, or simply a plate of pistachios, sesame seed biscuits, pumpkin seeds or crystalized ginger at 20 - 30kč per plate. I also highly recommend their Chai Chai Chai – truly a cure for all life’s ills.

At the upper end of Wenceslas Square is a gastronomic breath of fresh air in Half & Half, a half Mediterranean snack bar serving tasty gyros, pizza by the slice, generous portions of pasticcio and moussaka, and half confectionary serving ice-cream, medovnik and milkshakes. A small seating area is available upstairs. Brewsta does a full write up on the place here.

Not necessarily the cheapest lunch option available, but definitely one of the most tasty is Modrý Zub at Jindřišská 5 (another branch at Spálená 29 at Národní třída), which serves up a variety of noodles, Thai curries and soups, dim sum and sushi. Particular favourites for me are the Tom Kha Kai and beef Rendang curry. Another Brewsta write up on the place can be found here.

This little hole in the wall on the corner of Vodičkova offers of a wide range of ciabatta and panini as well as sweet and savoury crêpes from about 59 – 89kč a pop. They also do ice-cream and a small range of cakes. No seating area available, but a good place for a quick and tasty bite on the hoof.

A sausage at Wenceslas square is a Prague rite of passage, and though it took me four years here to finally get round to it, I am now a true devotee of the Pražská klobása in particular. Full write-up of the many and various sausages available can be found here.

Though a little bit hit and miss in terms of service, Malý Buddha is still one of my top places in Prague and certainly one of the best bets in the otherwise tourist trap glut that is Hradčanská as a whole. Offering up a wide range of teas, fresh juices and Thai / Vietnamese fare in atmospheric environs, Malý Buddha is a true oasis from the tourist crowds and just a stone’s throw from the castle itself. Reservations definitely advised.

Not far from Malý Buddha is Gopál, a Hare Krishna run vegetarian Indian restaurant serving up tasty thalis at 150kč a pop, as well as barfi sweets and nice yogi / ginger tea. They also have an outdoor courtyard for sunny days.

A short walk from the Castle area is Le Bistro Kampa, a delicious patisserie-café by Malostranská metro serving up a vast variety of croissants, cakes, crêpes, salads, sandwiches and baguettes. A nice spot for a light lunch and sit down on the way from Old Town up to the Castle or vice-versa.

I mention U Kocoura, situated at the bottom of Nerudová, mainly out of sentimental reasons, namely that my friends and I stopped in here on a weekend trip from Germany in 2001, where we were living as students at the time. As I recall, back then the place was packed with Czechs tucking into tasty stuffed meat dumplings and duck with sauerkraut for 99 – 150 odd crowns a meal, and you had to wait for a table at peak times. These days the prices sadly no longer fall within such modest a price range and the custom is seemingly 50/50 split between Czech and tourist, but out of sheer nostalgia I’m still going to tentatively recommend giving the place a go.

Being owned by the same people as the Bohemia Bagel franchise, it’s perhaps not surprising that the menu at U Malého Glena is dominated by tasty and generously portioned bagels, burgers and Tex Mex cuisine, with breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner options all available. The downstairs area of U Malého Glena hosts popular jazz evenings on Thursday, Fridays and weekends, which can be enjoyed with ten kinds of beer or a cocktail off their copious drinks list.

Other: Bohemia Bagel / Starbucks (if you can’t possibly go a holiday without your standard gande double-shot skinny Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino, that is).

Avoid like the plague: Anywhere with “Old Bohemia” and “Staročeský” in the name.

Ok, that’s as much as I can come up with for now – hope this is of help to any prospective visitors and, above all, have a good trip!!