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La Lavande
Top-quality gourmet cuisine and a chintzy French farmhouse interior make this perfect for a special occasion. Choose between a room decorated with Persian rugs, upholstered chairs and mirrors and the relaxing garden in which to sample such delights as foie gras served with fig sauce, baked banana and strawberries or lamb stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, potatoes and parmesan.
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La Perle de Prague
On the 7th floor of the Dancing Building (p00), La Perle de Prague's outdoor terrace offers stunning views across the river to Prague Castle, as does its dining room to a lesser extent (smallish windows). Starchy, formal and very French, it's also very pricey. The two-course business lunch is the cheapest deal. Note to vegetarians: don't bother.
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La Provence
With its dark-wood beams, cushion-strewn benches, tightly arranged tables, dim yellow lighting and shelves crammed with cooking implements, cosy La Provence makes a good fist of passing itself off as a French country kitchen. The menu matches the décor, ranging from Boeuf bourguignon to Lapin provencal (rabbit in tarragon sauce) to Cassoulet au confit du canard (cassoulet with duck confit).
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Lary Fary
Essentially an upmarket theme restaurant, 'Hocus Pocus' is big on atmosphere with its varied Moroccan, Polynesian and 'romantic' rooms, but its food is just competent and its waiters a tad pushy. The signature 'skewer,' a giant kebab dangling from an iron stand, is fun for carnivores; pasta is preferable to the bland veggie version. Sushi and Czech staples are also served.
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Legenda
This dark, buzzy place is repeatedly cited by travellers looking for a filling, functional feed - from Czech classics to pasta or steak. There's a Kč20 'cover' charge and you'll pay for the bread unless you wave it away, but we guess that with generous portions at low prices these might be bearable inconveniences.
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Lehká Hlava
Despite some hippy talk of 'delighting your soul' and 'supporting your whole body,' 'Clear Head' proves quite chic; it's easily our favourite Prague veggie. Set in a historic house down a side street, it has colourful walls, tables inlaid with clear marbles (faintly glowing ultraviolet) and projected videos. The international menu - Mexican, Japanese, tapas etc - lives up to the setting too. The place is small, however, so you might want to book.
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Les Moules
This impressive, wood-panelled, Belgian-style brasserie serves up steaming pans of mussels in a range of sauces, as well as pork ribs, boeuf bourguignon , and lobster fresh from the vivier (live tank). They have a selection of Belgian beers, including Leffe and Hoegaarden on tap.
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Mailsi
Mailsi was Prague's first Pakistani restaurant and is still one of the city's best for authentic curry cuisine. The outside is inconspicuous, and it's only the qawwali music that gives it away. Service is courteous, the food delicious and prices modest for a speciality restaurant - though helpings are often small. Dishes with prawns are more expensive.
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Malý Buddha
Candlelight, incense and a Buddhist shrine characterise this cosy, vaulted restaurant, which hints at an Eastern tearoom. The menu boasts Thai, Chinese and - unusually for Prague - Vietnamese dishes, many of them vegetarian. Drinks include ginseng wine, coconut and mango juices and nearly 40 kinds of tea.
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Millhouse Sushi
Tired of shopping? Make yourself comfortable at the conveyor belt and help yourself to nigiri, maki sushi, sashimi, tempura and other Japanese mouthfuls in the courtyard of the Slovanský Dům shopping mall. Dishes are colour coded according to price, or for a set rate you can eat all you want for two hours. Credit cards are not accepted here.
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Mozaika
Popular with expats and business travellers, Mozaika is slick but not particularly atmospheric. Yet it's one of Prague's true shining lights because of its almost always excellent food. The contemporary bistro-style menu includes the likes of sushi, lamb confit, Thai mussels and a famous burger. Even the unlikely sounding butter-fish (with onion mash, tapenade and tomato salsa) proves delicious. Rich desserts are best shared.
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Orange Moon
Buddhist statues, oriental carved-wood panels, paper lanterns and warm, sunny colours make for a welcoming combination at this popular two-floor Asian restaurant. The menu is mostly Thai, with authentically spicy dishes. There are also some Indonesian, Burmese and Indian dishes, with both Singha beer and Pilsner Urquell to take the edge off that chilli burn.
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Pálffy Palác
Dining by candlelight among the faded grandeur of the dining room, or perched on the 1st-floor terrace overlooking the palace gardens, is a truly memorable experience. Housed in the same neobaroque palace as the Prague Conservatoire, the Pálffy is popular for weekday lunches with staff from the nearby embassies and government offices.
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Radost Fx
This veteran veggie has been around too long to ignore, and its American-style weekend brunches are still a highlight (if you're patient). Joined by a video store and club, the restaurant comprises a funky, vaguely Gothic café and a newer, more harem-like lounge. Smoothies are delicious; food is variable. Be prepared for the extra service charge on the bill.
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Rasoi
Everything from the chef down to the cutlery comes straight from India, so this is about as authentic as you're going to get in downtown Prague. All the popular tandoori, jalfrezi and biryani dishes are there, and are done well, with spice levels adapted to individual taste. The atmosphere is a little subdued though.
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Red, Hot & Blues
If you're missing Western cuisine you can get your burgers, nachos, and creole flavours here. Perhaps best of all is breakfast; their 'Home Run Special' (bacon, eggs, hash browns, pancakes and toast) will soak up the heaviest hangover, and lay a firm foundation for further debauchery. Listen to jazz in the courtyard.
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Restaurant Nebozízek
This 17th-century conservatory restaurant halfway up Petřín Hill now has a designer interior, with lots of pale Nordic furniture and Singapore orchids, as well as a menu that peppers its modern international dishes with a few Czech staples. The views are fabulous, even if the place feels very touristy.
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Restaurant Peklo
Peklo is an eerily atmospheric restaurant set in a stone-and-brick vaulted wine-cellar beneath the grounds of Strahov Monastery (p000) - it was named Peklo ('Hell') because the gardens above are called 'Paradise'. The menu of Czech and international cuisine is heavy on grilled and roast meat and filled with infernal puns, from filet mignon diavolo (flambéed steak with potato dumplings) to chicken à la Mefisto (roast chicken with caramelised onions and sour cherry sauce).
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Reykjavík
Owned by Iceland's honorary consul-general in Prague, Reykjavík serves Nordic staples such as salted herrings, eel and, perhaps more palatably, salmon and chips. The menu gives insightful titbits, such as the fact that 60% of Icelanders allegedly believe in elves, but service is slow and jaded.
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Siam-I-San
Unusually tucked away behind the glassware boutique Arzenal, this upmarket Thai restaurant is also bedecked with some of local designer Boris Šípek's unusual creations, from the Medusa-heads chandeliers to the merely decorative displays of racked glasses behind the bar. The food is authentically spicy - really very spicy - but there's always coconut ice-cream and sorbet for dessert.
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Square
The trendy Square specialises in tapas, pasta and seafood, serving such dishes as clam risotto, roast squid with saffron and duck prosciutto. English breakfasts, omelettes and the like are served until . Franz Kafka used to be a regular, back in the days when it was called Malostranská kavárna.
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Sushipoint
There are more 'designed' sushi restaurants in Prague, and some cheaper. But although it's not particularly atmospherically located, this is conveniently central and has food of a generally high standard. If you're the last customers to leave, being escorted by the kimono-clad waiter through a series of halls and back stairwells is a cinematic end to your evening.
