Best Cafes in Prague — Coffee and Pastry Guide 2026

Prague's café culture runs deeper than most visitors expect. This city has been obsessed with coffee since the 18th century, when the first kavárna opened and intellectuals started arguing over espresso instead of beer. The tradition survived Habsburg rule, two world wars, and forty years of communism — and now a new generation of specialty coffee roasters has layered modern craft on top of that history.

The result is a city where you can drink a perfectly pulled third-wave espresso in a converted industrial space, then walk ten minutes and sit under a gilded Art Nouveau ceiling with a Viennese-style melange and a slice of medovník. Both experiences are genuinely Prague.

We send our guests to these cafés regularly. Some are for the coffee. Some are for the setting. A few manage both.

Grand Cafés — Coffee With History

Café Savoy

Vítězná 5, Prague 5 (Malá Strana side)

The most beautiful café interior in Prague, and it is not close. The neo-Renaissance ceiling — painted in 1893 and meticulously restored — makes you feel like you are having coffee inside a palace. The pastry counter near the entrance displays croissants, větrníky (Czech cream puffs), and medovník (honey cake) that are baked in the basement kitchen.

The coffee is solid — proper espresso, well-made cappuccino — though Savoy is not a specialty coffee shop. You come here for the full experience: pastries, eggs Benedict, the ceiling, the morning light.

A coffee and pastry runs about 200–250 CZK (as of 2026). Weekend brunch is popular — book ahead or arrive before 10:00.

Insider detail: The back room of Café Savoy is quieter than the front. Regulars head straight there. The front section near the windows is prettier for photos, but the back has a gentler energy — better for actually enjoying your coffee and a newspaper.

Café Louvre

Národní 22, Prague 1 (New Town)

Franz Kafka, Albert Einstein, and Karel Čapek all drank coffee here. The café opened in 1902, was shut down by the communists in 1948, and reopened in 1992. The space has been beautifully maintained — high ceilings, marble tables, large windows overlooking Národní třída.

The menu is full café-restaurant — breakfasts, Czech lunch specials, Viennese-style coffee — and the quality is above average for a place this famous. The billiards room in the back is a holdover from the original layout.

Coffee and cake 180–240 CZK. The location on Národní is central but not overwhelmed by tourists in the way Old Town Square is.

Kavárna Obecní Dům

Náměstí Republiky 5, Prague 1 (Municipal House)

The café inside the Municipal House is Art Nouveau at its most extravagant — designed by the same architects who created the concert hall upstairs. Stained glass, mosaics, painted ceilings, and ornate fixtures surround your table. The coffee and cakes are fine, not exceptional — you are paying for the room.

Coffee and dessert 250–350 CZK. Worth it once for the setting, especially combined with a guided tour of the Municipal House itself.

Specialty Coffee — Third-Wave Prague

Prague's specialty coffee scene has exploded in the last decade. These places roast their own beans or source from top European roasters, pull precise espresso shots, and take milk texture seriously. If you care about coffee quality, these are your stops.

EMA Espresso Bar

Na Florenci 3, Prague 1 (New Town)

Small, focused, and serious about coffee. EMA was one of Prague's first specialty cafés and still sets the standard. The espresso is consistently excellent — single-origin beans rotated regularly, pulled with precision. The flat white is the drink to order.

The space seats maybe 20 people. Pastries from local bakeries rotate on the counter. No food menu beyond that — this is a coffee bar, not a restaurant.

Espresso 70–90 CZK, flat white 110–130 CZK.

Můj Šálek Kávy

Křižíkova 386/105, Prague 8 (Karlín)

The name translates to "my cup of coffee," and the café lives up to it. Located in the heart of Karlín's transformed restaurant district, Můj Šálek roasts in-house and the quality is consistently among the best in Prague. The pour-over menu changes weekly based on what is freshly roasted.

The space is bright and minimal — white walls, wooden tables, natural light. It doubles as a roastery, so the smell when you walk in is reason enough to visit.

Espresso 65–85 CZK, filter coffee 90–120 CZK.

Insider detail: Můj Šálek Kávy supplies beans to several of Prague's better restaurants. If you find a coffee you love, they sell bags to take home — fresh-roasted, properly labeled with origin and processing method. It is a better souvenir than anything you will find in a tourist shop.

Doubleshot

Komunardů 30, Prague 7 (Holešovice)

Prague's pioneering specialty roaster, operating since 2010. The café in Holešovice is attached to the roasting facility. The single-origin filter coffees are outstanding — bright, clean, and far from the bitter dark-roast stereotype. The espresso blends are carefully balanced.

The location in a Holešovice side street is not convenient for casual tourists, but coffee enthusiasts make the trip. Combined with a visit to the DOX contemporary art center nearby, it makes a good Holešovice morning.

Filter coffee 90–130 CZK.

Mamacoffee

Multiple locations (Vodičkova, Londýnská, Náměstí Míru)

An ethical-sourcing pioneer in Prague that buys directly from farms in Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, and India. The coffee is reliably good across all locations. The Londýnská branch in Vinohrady is the nicest — a calm, airy space with a garden courtyard.

Mamacoffee also runs barista courses if you want to bring skills home along with beans.

Espresso 65–80 CZK, latte 100–120 CZK (as of 2026).

Café-Bakeries — Where Coffee Meets Pastry

Cukrárna Myšák

Vodičkova 31, Prague 1 (New Town)

A Prague institution since 1911. Myšák is a patisserie first and a café second — the display case of cakes, tarts, and Czech pastries is the main attraction. The větrník (caramelized cream puff) and the Pražský dort (Prague cake — a chocolate-hazelnut layered confection) are signatures.

The interior has been renovated but retains its early-20th-century feel. Come mid-afternoon for coffee and cake — the Czech equivalent of British teatime.

Coffee and cake 180–250 CZK.

Antonínovo Pekařství

Multiple locations (Holešovice, Vinohrady, Dejvice)

The best bread bakery in Prague, and their café sections serve excellent coffee alongside the loaves. The sourdough is outstanding. The cinnamon rolls sell out by late morning on weekends. The pastries are less sweet than typical Czech bakery fare — more Paris than Prague.

The Holešovice branch on Janovského street has the most seating and a relaxed Saturday-morning atmosphere.

Coffee and pastry 120–180 CZK.

Insider detail: Antonínovo opens at 7:00 on weekdays, and the first hour is when the bread is freshest. Local regulars time their visits — by 8:30, the most popular loaves are already sold. The cinnamon roll (skořicový šnek) in particular goes fast.

Cafés With a View

Café Platýz

Národní 37, Prague 1 (New Town)

A rooftop terrace hidden inside the Platýz arcade, a Renaissance-era courtyard passage that most people walk through without looking up. The café is on the top floor, and the terrace looks out over Prague rooftops toward the Castle. The coffee is standard — nothing specialty — but the view and the quiet are worth it.

Coffee 80–120 CZK.

Letná Beer Garden / Hanavský Pavilon area

Letenské sady, Prague 7

Not a café in the traditional sense, but the view from Letná Park across the Vltava toward Old Town is one of Prague's finest. Several kiosks and the Hanavský Pavilon serve coffee. Combine it with a morning walk through Letná Park for one of the best low-key Prague experiences.

Starbucks at Prague Castle

Pohořelec 24, Prague 1

Yes, Starbucks. We mention it not for the coffee but for the terrace, which has an extraordinary view over Malá Strana rooftops all the way to Petřín Tower. It is the cheapest viewpoint terrace near the Castle. The coffee is exactly what you expect from Starbucks.

Where to Work — Cafés With Wi-Fi and Power

If you are a remote worker or just need to sit quietly for a few hours with a laptop, these cafés welcome it.

Kavárna co hledá jméno (Stroupežnického 10, Prague 5) — a living-room café near Anděl. Couches, good Wi-Fi, no pressure to leave. The name translates to "the café looking for a name."

Místo (Bubenečská 12, Prague 6) — a community café in Bubeneč with a garden, solid coffee, and a relaxed approach to people settling in with laptops.

Liberal na Žižkově (Na Balkáně 2300/15, Prague 3) — cozy Žižkov café with a bookshelf exchange, quiet atmosphere, and enough power outlets.

Insider detail: Czech café etiquette around laptops is fairly relaxed compared to Paris or New York. Most cafés will not pressure you to leave as long as you order something every hour or so. Avoid peak lunch hours (12:00–13:30) if you are camping with a laptop — that is when locals need the seats.

What to Order — A Quick Czech Café Vocabulary

Espresso — standard in any café. Often served as a lungo (slightly longer pull) by default. If you want a short, intense shot, say "ristretto."

Vídeňská káva — Viennese coffee with whipped cream. The classic grand-café order.

Turecká káva — Turkish coffee, Czech-style. Finely ground coffee poured with hot water directly into the cup, left to settle. Do not drink the last sip.

Flat white — the specialty-café standard. Available at all third-wave shops, rarely at traditional cafés.

Větrník — caramelized cream puff. The Czech pastry to order with coffee.

Medovník — layered honey cake. Rich, dense, and better with a bitter espresso alongside it.

Experience Prague With a Private Guide

Our All Prague in One Day private tour passes through neighborhoods where many of these cafés are located. We are happy to adjust the route for a coffee stop — our guests often ask us to. Walking Prague with a local guide means discovering places you would walk past on your own.

Pair a day of sightseeing with an evening at the Medieval Dinner Show at U Pavouka — a five-course meal in a candlelit 15th-century cellar with live entertainment. It is the kind of Prague evening you will remember long after the trip.

See all our private tours in Prague and the Czech Republic. Just your group, no strangers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best café in Prague? It depends what you want. Café Savoy for atmosphere and pastries. EMA Espresso Bar or Můj Šálek Kávy for the best actual coffee. Café Louvre for literary history. Prague is a city where you can have several favorite cafés for different moods.

Is Prague good for specialty coffee? Excellent. Prague has a mature third-wave coffee scene with local roasters like Doubleshot and Můj Šálek Kávy. Specialty espresso runs 65–90 CZK — a fraction of London or Scandinavian prices for comparable quality.

How much does coffee cost in Prague? Standard espresso at a traditional café costs 55–80 CZK. Specialty coffee runs 70–130 CZK. A coffee and pastry at a grand café like Savoy is 200–250 CZK. Prague remains very affordable for European coffee culture.

Do Prague cafes have Wi-Fi? Nearly all cafés offer free Wi-Fi. Specialty coffee shops and modern cafés tend to have the fastest connections. Grand cafés have Wi-Fi but are not ideal laptop-working environments.

Best Cafes in Prague — Where to Find Great Coffee and Pastries