Prague’s Cafes – Part 1

How things have changed!

In the past number of years, Prague’s ‘third wave’ coffee scene has grown from strength to strength. Where once there were only a few main contenders, the likes of mamacoffee, Můj šálek kávy and a few others, there are now cafes popping up all over Prague. From the more upmarket areas of the city, like Vinohrady, to the trendier areas of Holešovice or Vršovice. Cafes continue to appear, some in areas of more sparse caffeine options, to areas like Jiřího z Poděbrad square, for example, that will soon have a cafe for every day of the month.

There are of course, too many good cafes to list here, thanks to this recent boom. But, here’s a run down of some of the best, newest and most unique coffee offerings. (Be sure to check out Part 2 for more cafes in other parts of Prague)

Vinohrady

mamacoffee

One of Prague’s first speciality coffee outlets, mamacoffee first opened shop in 2007. They now have four cafes under the mamacoffee brand with further projects under different names. They also roast coffee, selling beans through multiple outlets and via their online shop. The Jiřího z Poděbrad has a small space of 3 or 4 tables (more outside in summer). Espresso based drinks and batch brew, tea and soft drinks, plus a selection of cakes, are all available.

Getting there: Metro – Line A – Jiřího z Poděbrad, Tram – 11,13 – Jiřího z Poděbrad

Best for: Coffee and cake

Opens: Mon-Sat: 8am-7pm, Sun: 9am-7pm

La Bohème Café

Another of Prague’s main coffee roasters with cafes to boot. Their flagship premises is located on Sázavská street in Vinohrady. A large well-designed space with real attention to detail. The ground floor forms the cafe-space while upstairs houses their office. A wide selection of different beans are available to choose from with both espresso based drinks as well as different filtered options. A selection of pastries and light meals are also on offer, as well as several good quality teas. Be sure to check out there other outlets; in Vinohradský Pavilon, as well as the brand new one on Kozí street.

Source: prague.eu

Getting there: Metro – Line A – Náměstí Míru, Tram – 11, 13 Vinohradská tržnice

Best for: Coffee (esp. filters) and light bites

Opens: Mon-Fri: 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun: 10am-8pm

Coffee Room

Opening it’s doors in the summer of 2014, Coffee Room has become a popular Vinohrady coffee option, located on Korunní street. Drawing inspiration from your typical ‘third wave’ coffee culture, (think London, Melbourne, etc.), the menu offering is the usual mix of avocado toast and poached eggs, with a mix of vegetarian and vegan options. A good selection of cakes are also up for grabs. They have also recently opened a donut shop in Jiřího z Poděbrad square – definitely worth a visit for a sugary treat, and of course, good coffee too.

Getting there: Metro – Line A – Jiřího z Poděbrad, Tram 10, 16 Vinohradská vodárna

Best for: Brunch and coffee (esp. espresso based)

Opens: Mon-Fri: 8am-6.30pm, Sat: 9am-6pm

Cafefin

What once housed a french bistro and patisserie, now accommodates Cafefin, a Vietnamese style cafe. Owned by the Vietnamese take-away a few doors down, this large cafe has become super popular with locals and foreigners alike, particularly the insta-blogger generation. Coffee options include espresso based, filtered and Vietnamese options. Breakfast and lunch menus include Vietnamese dishes like Banh-Mi and Bún bò Nam Bô.

Getting there: Metro – Line A – Jiřího z Poděbrad Tram – 11,13 – Jiřího z Poděbrad

Best for: Breakfast / Lunch

Opens: Mon-Sat: 8am-9pm, Sun: 10am-7.30pm 

Karlín

Můj šálek kávy

Owned by double shot coffee roasters, Můj šálek kávy is one of Prague’s longer standing speciality coffee shops. Occupying a decent sized space in Karlín (Prague 8), the cafe offers espresso based, and various filtered coffee, drinks, with an ever changing selection of beans. Breakfast and lunch menus change every few weeks and include a mix of different dishes, with ingredients sourced locally wherever possible. Double Shot also have a cafe in alza.cz-Holešovice as well as a further premises in Dejvice.

Source: mujsalekkavy.cz

Getting there: Metro – Line B – Křižíkova, Tram – 3, 8, 24 – Křižíkova

Best for: Brunch on the weekend

Opens: Mon-Sat: 9am-10pm, Sun: 10am-6pm

Kafe Karlín

Although smaller than most, Cafe Karlín has a good coffee offering, especially popular with local office workers for takeaways throughout the day. A selection of cakes are also available. You’ll likely catch there coffee stall in the JzP farmer’s market as well as next to the river on Náplavka.

Getting there: Metro – Line B – Křižíkova, Tram – 3, 8, 24 – Karlínské náměstí

Best for: Coffee to go

Opens: Mon-Fri: 7:30am–6:30pm

Be sure to check out Part 2 soon, for more cafes in other parts of Prague.

In the meantime, enjoy!

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Author: Míša Benešovská

I’m a freelance journalist and copywriter, mainly covering IT industry. I’ve been fascinated by it for nearly a quarter of a century (or since I dismantled my first computer). I worked for Seznam.cz, Unicorn Systems or Mafra publisher. In my spare time, I love game consoles and keep perfecting a recipe for the best pumpkin risotto in the world.