F OOD AND DRINK


Eating and drinking in the Czech capital is being transformed by a new breed of restaurants and bars


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LEFT: La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise ABOVE: Lidová jídelna Těšnov


busin e s s t r a ve lle r . c o m


hen the Czech Republic was born in 1993, dining at Hamburk pub offered an all too familiar Prague culinary


experience. Te meat-and-almost- no-veg fare could be euphemistically described as hearty, the ambience smoky. Twenty-five years on, a respected Prague restaurant group runs its reincarnation, Lokál Hamburk. Te fug has vanished, but the convivial atmosphere remains, and the pub stands in once grungy Karlín, now abuzz with new eateries.


CHANGE IS BREWING Prague’s Habsburg years bequeathed it a Viennese-style café culture, notably at Café Savoy, Café Louvre and Café Slavia. The scene thrived during interwar Czechoslovakia, but inevitably suffered during communism. In the post-1989 revival, the


above are facing some healthy competition from cosmopolitan young entrepreneurs. “I think that Prague is up there with Copenhagen and London when it comes to coffee,” argues Jan Valenta of Taste of Prague Food


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For these days, a food revolution is sweeping Prague, just as it did when Czechoslovakia emerged from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. No longer just about dumpling


mountains or heſty slices of pork, dining in the city now entails a rediscovered pig breed, Michelin stars and bustling farmers’ markets – to name a few. “When I got here in 1990, eating for us newly arrived Westerners was a big problem. Now the choice of good restaurants is


Tours. Must-tries include city centre EMA Espresso Bar and, in the inner districts, Coffee Room in Vinohrady and Můj šálek kávy in Karlín. Cafés also offer a good place to


try Czech wine, which is coming into its own. “Wine consumption is actually increasing in the Czech Republic, whereas beer consumption is declining,” explains Isabelle du Plessix, who runs wine tours in Bohemia and Moravia.


→ JUNE 2 0 18


IMAGES LIDOVÁ JÍDELNA TĚŠNOV, FILIP ŠLAPAL FOR AMBIENTE


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