Cafe Karel honours the man with the velvety voice

Café Karel in Prague’s Dlouhá Gourmet Passage pays homage to the Czech singer Karel Gott. Small and intimate with only a few tables, this is the perfect place for Karel Gott fans. Café Karel is filled with Gott memorabilia, including vinyl records, photos and other mementos from his career. Soft music from the “man with the velvety voice” is playing in the background. The menu features the singer’s favourite dishes and drinks.
The cafe is called Karel and not Karel Gott for copyright reasons because his widow, Ivana Gottová, owns the rights to her late husband’s name.

CAFE KAREL IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Who was Karel Gott?

Karel Gott is a singer of schlagers, popular light music and sentimental lyrics. During his career he released more than 200 albums and won 42 times the Český slavík prize, which is awarded annually to the most popular singer in the Czech Republic.
In addition to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, he was also popular in Germany and sang in German. In 1968, he represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with Tausend Fenster and finished in thirteenth place.

Karel Gott, popular schlager singer

Karel Gott can best be compared to Frank Sinatra. The “man with the velvety voice” made his name in 1963 with his version of Henry Mancini’s “Moon River”, and as the years progressed, he achieved success in all genres from pop, rock and country to opera and swing. He sang as easily in Russian, English, German and Italian as in his native language, Czech. Not only was he popular in Eastern Europe but also in Western Europe and the United States.

In the early 1960s, he studied singing at the Prague Conservatory. After the great success of his version of ‘Moon River’, he abandoned his studies and quickly built an impressive career as a singer and composer. In 1967, he signed a contract with Polydor/Deutsche Grammophon, where he would remain throughout his professional career. He released more than 100 albums and sold an estimated 50 to 100 million.

Karel Gott lived in Smichov in the Malvazinky district of Prague. His grave in the Smichov cemetery in this neighbourhood is still covered with flowers.

Location and address

Café Karel is located at 39 Dlouhá street in Dlouhá Gourmet Passage, a culinary hot spot.

Dlouhá Gourmet Passage for Foodies
This gourmet dining passage is a must-go for foodies. Here you will not only find Czech products and delicacies, but also international specialties.

1. Sisters, a healthy fast-food café, run by the author of the well-known Czech cookbooks “Zpátky domů” (Home Again) and “Recepty z farmářského trhu” (Recipes from the Farmers’ Market).

2. Bokovka Wine Bar, where you can taste Moravian and European wines by the glass and then buy them by the bottle.

3. U Mouřenína Wine Shop, specialized in French and Italian wines and French cognac.

4. Butcher Naše Maso, who sells grilled sausages with bread and mustard in addition to fresh meat. You must have tasted the chlebíčky, open sandwiches with potato salad, egg, salami and ham!