Best breakfast in Prague (2014)

(Please note that this is an older post on breakfast in Prague. Click here for the most up-to-date post on the best breakfast in Prague.) 

OK, so we ate lots of breakfast this week. You see, there is no better way to start a day than a good, possibly opulent breakfast. Picture this: we are writing this post from the courtyard of an unnamed hotel in Prague, having breakfast. All around us we see foreign couples and families having breakfast in the sun, looking in their guides and planning the day. Breakfast is important but it is twice as important when you travel: a good breakfast set the tone for the entire day, if not your stay. We speak from experience: breakfast spots are one of the first things we look for when we research a city, and then plan our day over breakfast. 

Truth be told, the Prague breakfast scene is still in its beginnings and not all the breakfast served in Prague deserve an unconditional recommendation. But there are places we like to visit when we feel like a good breakfast. Here’s a list of our favorite breakfast spots in Prague, again in an entirely random order:

CAFÉ SAVOY

“Restraint” is not a word you would associate with breakfast at Café Savoy. The art deco interior is nice but not overwhelming and there's lots of light inside, which is something we like. This is a great place for people watching: the crowd is a mix of elegantly dressed locals and visitors from abroad. You can have a look at the pastry shop/bakery where they prepare their delicious pastries downstairs. Book a table in advance (especially for weekend mornings) and have the French toast if you feel like sinning, one of the best croissants in the city with wonderful apricot marmalade, baked brioche bread with ham and Gruyere cheese and a poached egg, or scrambled eggs - all delicious! Jan swears by the "Savoy breakfast”: some breads, ham, cheese, soft-boiled egg, bundt cake and great (and not sweet) hot chocolate - all for very reasonable CZK 200. We are not huge fans of their coffee: they take coffee from Doubleshot roasters but their baristas are super busy and don’t have the time to pamper the beans, but we hope this will improve over time.

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CAFÉ LOUNGE

If coffee is an important part of your breakfast, then Café Lounge, just a few steps off Café Savoy, might tickle your fancy. As for breakfast, you can choose from several items that include sausages, scrambled eggs, ham-and-eggs, Bircher muesli, or you can build your own “Hunger Wall” (which actually runs through the patio of the café), i.e. you can create your own breakfast set. If you prefer a sweet breakfast, we recommend you opt for the Czech sweets - sweet buns or kolachees. We think they are superior to the pastries in the cooler. Fresh juices and a wide selection of teas are also available for the non-coffee drinkers. If the weather cooperates, definitely choose a table in their lovely courtyard in the back.

HOME KITCHEN

The “original” Home Kitchen is a small and intimate place that really feels like home: you sit at two communal tables, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The selection for breakfast is small but tasty and of high quality. Apart from eggs, you can also get pancakes and good bread with several toppings, or choose from a daily selection of three soups served with bread and flavored olive oil. The “new” Home Kitchen was recently previewed on this blog here. The new venue is much larger but the menu remains nearly the same. Great egg dishes and sweet breakfasts, too, with lighter meals and salads throughout the rest of the day. Both venues open really early (7:30 on weekdays and 8:00 on weekends) and the original one closes on Sundays. The only downside is that tap water is not served with your meal, but we still like Home Kitchen a lot.

MUJ SALEK KÁVY

Muj salek kavy is the flagship cafe of the Doubleshot roasters and it shows: espressos, cappuccinos, flat whites, drips, vacuum pots, cold brews - they have them all and they’re all good. Muj salek kavy is also a very popular place located in the Karlín district, now in the midst of a gentrification process after the 2002 floods, and is almost always packed, so reserving a table is a must especially for weekend breakfasts. And they are expanding: their barista centre just next door will open to the public in September and their new bakery creates good cakes and breads, including gluten-free options, which is still rare here in Prague. We both have favorites on their recently changed breakfast menu: while Zuzi likes their home-made muesli with Greek yoghurt and fruits, Jan always orders their version of eggs Benedict. We love their home-made lemonades, and we never leave without tasting one of their cakes. And we absolutely adore their non-smoking outdoor seating area in the summer. 

PASTA CAFFÉ

Pasta Caffé has two branches: the one at the Vezenska street (in the Spanish synagogue building) attracts an eclectic mix of shady Czech businessmen and B-list celebrities, so it makes for an interesting people-watching session, and the location is fantastic. The second branch at Vodickova st near the Wenceslas sq is more for the regular folk. Both offer a nearly identical menu: they have recently revamped their breakfast offerings and their breakfast sets are a terrific value and consist of good-quality components. We love the soft-boiled eggs with Parmeggiano cheese or fried eggs with spinach and their granola with fresh fruits, for instance. Later in the day, they focus on lighter, pasta-based dishes and salads. They also offer a nice selection of Czech and Italian pastries if you cannot imagine your breakfast without a sweet ending.

LA BOTTEGA DI FINESTRA

This shop/bistro is a bit upscale, just like the sister restaurant next door, but their eggs Benedict are worth a visit alone. The few breakfast dishes they serve are all of very good quality, and they make full use of their own in-house bakery. The shop/bistro combo plays very well to the customer's advantage: all the ingredients are fresh and tasty. And you really can’t beat the location: both the Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge are just a few blocks away.

CAFÉ JEN

Dominka and Hanka, the Brno college friends who own Café Jen, love breakfast and are not afraid to serve it the whole day. On top of that, they offer really nice weekend breakfast specials that lure in people from the entire city. It is not just about the food: the small café (with outdoor seating in the summer) located in the Vrsovice district near the Grebovka vineyard and the hipster heaven that is the Krymska street has a welcoming, friendly atmosphere that is easy to fall in love with. If you want to have breakfast with the locals only, this is the place for you. 

LA GASTRONOMICA

This recently opened bistro that belongs to the small Prague empire of the restauranteur Riccardo Lucque (which also includes La Bottega di Finestra) has nearly everything we like in a breakfast place: modern design by the Edit! studio, high-quality a la carte breakfast dishes (incl. eggs Benedict, pancakes or fruit salads with mascarpone that are anything but healthy), charcuterie, cheeses and breads to choose from, a large variety of pastries, skilled barista (although working with what we think is a slightly inferior product) and a view of the TV Tower, enjoyed especially if you sit at the outside tables. What more would you want? Wines? Yes, they have them, too.

HOTEL JOSEF

Hotel breakfast? Yuck! Not at Hotel Josef, though. With their in-house bakery that offers a selection of nice breads and steaming hot croissants, a-la-carte egg dishes, self-service juicers and a wide selection of cheeses and charcuterie, we think their breakfast is actually a pretty sweet deal, although it may be a bit on the expensive side at CZK 500 per person. But they also have a really nice courtyard in the summer (with very weak wifi, though) and you can’t beat the location in our eyes. The downside: the eating-with-locals atmosphere is simply not there.

SaSaZu

While everybody knows SaSaZu as one of the best Asian-fusion restaurants for lunch and dinner, we always recommend their Sunday family brunch, especially if you are visiting Prague as a family. The concept is simple: you come between noon and 4pm, and in addition to the excellent Asian food, there’s an army of nannies and lots of X-Box consoles ready for the kids. The small ones can also prepare crepes and other dishes for their parents. And what about the adults? They can get a back rub from the Thai masseuse present in the restaurant. Combine this with a visit to the Dox Centre for Contemporary Arts and perhaps the ZOO and you have a family day to remember.   

Breakfast in Prague

(Please note that this is an older post on breakfast in Prague. Click here for the most up-to-date post on the best breakfast in Prague.) 

For some, it is a waste of time, and a croissant and coffee or a bit of yoghurt will do. For others, breakfast is a vital start that sets the tone for the rest of the day. We must admit we belong to the second category. For us, a late breakfast is definitely one of our favorite pastimes. There's nothing better than getting out of the bed with the promise of some scrambled eggs with bacon, fluffy pancakes, delicious coffee - okay, now we're salivating. What makes a breakfast so great is you can stop for a moment, think about all the things you did yesterday, and plan the day ahead of you. All this thinking deserves a nice meal. Whether you prefer savory or sweet, we give you a list of our favorite breakfast spots in Prague:

Café Savoy

This is one of our favorite places for breakfast. The art deco interior is nice but not overwhelming. The high ceilings are airy and there's lots of light inside, which is something we like. This is a great place for people watching: the crowd is a mix of elegantly dressed locals and visitors from abroad. When you walk downstairs to the bathrooms, you’ll pass the wine cellar and if you go further, you can have a look at the bakery where they prepare their delicious pastries. Book a table in advance (especially for weekend mornings) and have the French toast, one of the best croissants in the city with wonderful apricot marmalade, baked brioche bread with ham and Gruyere cheese and a poached egg, or scrambled eggs - all delicious! Their sausages are also nice. They also have a nice but pricey selection of teas, but we are not huge fans of their coffee, despite them having beans from local roasters - so we hope they improve on their coffee-brewing skills.

Café Lounge

If coffee is an important part of your breakfast, then Café Lounge, just a few steps off Café Savoy, might hit your fancy. As for breakfast, you can choose from several items that include sausages, scrambled eggs, ham-and-eggs, Bircher muesli, or you can build your own “Hunger Wall” (which actually runs through the patio of the café), i.e. you can choose create your own breakfast set. We also like their sandwiches, especially the chicken-and-egg sandwich sandwich, or their focaccia with grilled vegetables and goat cheese or chorizo. If you prefer a sweet breakfast, we recommend you opt for the Czech sweets - sweet buns or kolachees. Definitely avoid the pastries in the cooler - they may look nice but they fall behind in terms of taste. Fresh juices and a wide selection of tees are also available for the non-coffee drinkers. When the weather permits, definitely choose a table in their lovely garden.

Home Kitchen

This small and intimate place really feels like home: you sit at two communal tables, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The selection for breakfast is small but tasty and of high quality. Apart from eggs, you can also get pancakes and good bread with several toppings, or choose from a daily selection of three soups served with bread and flavored olive oil. Home Kitchen is great for really early breakfasts, opening as early as 7:30. However, they are closed on Sundays. The only downside is that they don't serve tap water, but we still like it a lot.

Můj šálek kávy

Another of our favorites in Prague, Muj salek kavy is a lovely and a very popular place located in the Karlín district, which has witnessed dramatic renewal since the 2002 floods, and is almost always packed. We both have favorites on their breakfast menu: while Zuzi likes their home-made muesli with Greek yoghurt and fruits, Jan always orders their omelette with ham, cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes. Their coffee is delicious, and their beans, roasted in house by the owner of the cafe, the Doubleshot roasters, are served both in espresso-based drinks and in drips. You can even order a tasting set of three different drip coffees. We love their home-made lemonades, and we never leave without tasting one of their delicious cakes. Oh, and the pistachio ice-cream is finger-licking-good.

Pasta Caffé

Although the crowds - an eclectic mix of shady Czech businessmen and B-list celebrities - may not be to our taste at times, their breakfast sets are a terrific value and consist of  good-quality components. We love the boiled eggs with Parmeggiano cheese or fried eggs with spinach and onions, for instance. Later in the day, they focus on lighter, pasta-based dishes and salads. They also offer a nice selection of Czech and Italian pastries if you cannot imagine your breakfast without a sweet ending. They have another branch in the Vodickova street near the Wenceslas Square with a virtually identical menu.

Café Imperial

Being a hotel restaurant, Café Imperial offers a breakfast buffet and breakfast sets in addition to the a la carte choices. Their staff is very polite and professional, at times to the point of being a little bit stuffy. Their menu is very extensive and you will find it hard to find something missing. We liked our breakfasts (poached eggs and the English breakfast set) the last time we visited, although we must admit we would skip the croissant and jam the next time. The interior, with its high ceilings and the walls covered in tiles, is striking, but may make the impression that you are eating in a spa. :-)

Monolok

This nice café off the beaten path is located in the Vinohrady district, and its location is excellent if you want to explore the area further (which is something that we definitely recommend). They serve delicious coffee and offer a small selection of breakfast dishes: nice sausages, egg-based dishes, muesli, pancakes, fruits, and a few breakfast sets. If the weather is nice, definitely get a table in their lovely patio in the courtyard. Their baristas are really good and the staff is very friendly in general. The only problem we have with this place is, ironically, the owners - they don't seem to be interested in how their guests are doing or if they feel welcome, and just boss their employees around in front of the guests.

La Bottega di Finestra

This shop/bistro near the Charles Bridge is a bit upscale, just like the sister restaurant next door, but their eggs Benedict are worth a visit alone. The few breakfast dishes they serve are all of very good quality, and they make full use of their own in-house bakery. The shop/bistro combo plays very well to the customer's advantage: all the ingredients are fresh and tasty.

EMA Espresso Bar

OK, this is not a place for "proper breakfast" with eggs and bacon, but if you want great coffee in a relaxed and nice atmosphere, and you'll do just fine with a small sandwich or croissant, we cannot recommend EMA enough. As an added bonus, you can meet us there - we are there so often we are thinking about having our mail forwarded there ;-) No, really, the baristas are excellent, and the coffee usually fantastic. In addition to their more regular coffees, they always offer something special as their "coffee of the week", so you'll never get bored. In terms of food, they offer fresh sandwiches, one or two salads, and something sweet. They also serve fresh juices and home-made lemonades.