Best Coffee Shops for a Latte, Cappuccino or Videnska

One of the best places to recharge in Prague during your sightseeing adventures is at a kavarna or coffee shop. Check your email, keep up with social media or simply browse your guidebook over a coffee served in a large mug, almost as big as a soup bowl. In addition to delectable pastries, cakes, and apple strudel, many cafés also offer hot lunches. If you are not a fan of lattes, espressos, or cappuccinos, don’t worry—every café also serves beer.

5 Coffee Shops in Prague

Coffee enthusiasts will find plenty of places to indulge their cravings, as coffee shops are scattered throughout Prague. Coffee is hugely popular here, and the Czechs proudly claim theirs is the best—even during Communist times, when beans were imported from Cuba. In Communist days, coffee houses were popular meeting spots for politicians, artists, and dissidents who were closely monitored by the Secret Police. Nowadays, for the price of a small coffee, students and young professionals can settle in with their laptops, take advantage of the free WiFi, and stay as long as they like without disturbance.

Be sure to try Videnská káva (Viennese coffee), a rich blend topped with whipped cream and served in a tall, vase-like glass. For something a bit different, sample Alžírská káva (Algerian coffee), featuring a generous splash of egg liqueur.

You might not have time to explore all coffee houses listed below, but even if you visit just one, it will make your trip to Prague truly memorable.

1. MamaCoffee

If you search for fair trade coffee or tea, Mamacoffee is your place. Choose from a wide range of quality roasted beans brought from all over the world. Freshly ground, they make supreme cappuccino or latte. Ginger ale or ice mint rooibos are the perfect summer drinks and go very well with a vegetable quiche or bulgur with mixed vegetables. Once you have experienced this family-friendly café, you will come back again and again. If you do not have time to sit down, beans or ground coffee are available to carry home as well as ceramics and knick knacks.

Address: Mamacoffee, Vodičkova 6, Nove Mesto, Prague
Open: Monday to Friday: 08.00-21.00. Saturday and Sunday 09.00-20.00

2. Café McQueen

Tucked away in a courtyard off Narodni street, Café McQueen is a popular coffee shop. The coffee is 100% Arabica, strong and robust. If all seats are taken, share a table with a local or another tourist. This is very common in Prague. Feeling a little hungry? Freshly toasted beagel oozing with cream cheese and chives tasted perfect with your latte or cappuccino. Or do you rather have carrot cake or banana bread? And what about choco muffins? Don’t despair, you can come back every morning and try them all.

Address: Café McQueen, Pasaz Platyz, Národní 37, Nové Město, Prague
Open: Monday to Friday 08.30-21.00, Saturday and Sunday 10.00-21.00

3. Café Nona

Café Nona is the perfect fuel stop when shopping and sightseeing in the New Town, Nove Mesto. The café is located in the foyer of Nova Scena, known for Laterna Magika performances. The building is remarkable, to say the least.
Cafés that do not double as restaurant are quite rare in Prague. Café Nona is an exception to this rule. Any time of day you drop in just for coffee without ordering a meal. To tell the truth, they don’t serve full meals but only snacks. Take a window seat and watch the crowd in busy Narodni Street, clanking trams and just a glimpse of the Vltava River. The coffee and tea menu is in Czech only but not difficult to understand. Besides, each member of the staff speaks English.

Address: Cafe Nona, Narodni 4, Nove Mesto, Prague
Open: 10.00-24.00 Sunday from 11.00

4. Cukravalimonada

Tucked away in a small side street in the Mala Strana district, Cukrakavalimonada is a combination of restaurant, wine bar and patisserie. The painted wooden ceiling blends well with contemporary furniture. This is the ideal place to refuel before you climb up to Prague Castle. Sit outside and discover that a café latte goes fabulously with fluffy meringue kisses. The hot chocolate with cherry cake tastes heavenly and is almost a meal in itself. The mint-lemon-elderberry drink is deliciously refreshing. If you drop in at lunchtime, homemade pasta, salads and pancakes will seduce you.

Address: Cukrakavalimonada, Lázeňská 7, Malá Strana, Prague
Open: daily 09.00-19.00

5. Café Savoy

Enjoy your Viennese coffee in Prague amidst the Art Nouveau elegance of Café Savoy. Take a seat on the balcony overlooking the main floor to appreciate the intricate period details and sparkling chandeliers up close. Situated near the Vltava River and Kampa Island, Café Savoy was originally designed as a copy of Viennese coffeehouses.

It gained a reputation as a gathering place for dissidents following the Velvet Revolution in 1989. If coffee isn’t your preference, Savoy is worth a visit just to marvel at the hand-painted ceiling. Café Savoy is the perfect stop for morning coffee. Be sure to try their Savoy Café au Lait—espresso with milk and sprinkled with cinnamon—or the Alžírská káva, which is a mix of espresso, egg liqueur and whipped cream. Savoy is an ideal spot for a gourmet lunch. Be sure to book a table as many tourists have discovered this gem.

Address: Café Savoy, Vítězná 5, Prague
Open: Daily 08.00-22.00, Saturday and Sunday from 09.00

Next article: Alchymist Coffee Museum more than just another museum
Previous article: Madame Tussauds Wax Statues Museum Prague

photos: Marianne Crone