Kavarna Slavia

Kavarna Slavia is an institution in Prague and the place to be for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea. Be sure to order crispy apple strudel or chocolatey Sachertorte to accompany your cappuccino or Videnska kava, strong coffee topped with whipped cream. Located opposite Narodni Divadlo, National Theatre, Café Slavia is the perfect spot for lunch or just a drink before or after a theater performance.

Kavarna Slavia: Viennese Coffee House

The history of Kavarna Slavia dates back to 1891 when it opened as a coffeehouse in imitation of those in Vienna. Over the years the café has changed appearances more than once – from Art Nouveau to Social Realism which resulted in the Functionalist interior with Art Deco wall decorations of today. The eyecatcher is the painting of an absinth drinker and his vision of an alluring green maiden.

Intellectuals and Artists

Writers, artists, revolutionaries and ordinary citizens came here for a coffee and to participate in debates. The audience of the National Theater came during the interval and the actors and musicians after the performance. Kavarna Slavia was the meeting place of the Czech Avant-Garde in the early twentieth century and of dissidents during the Communist regime. Musicians like Bedrich Smetana and writers such as Karel Capek and Jaroslav Seifert were regulars. Human rights activist and former president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel, was a frequent guest.

Kavarna Slavia: Coffee with a View

Grab a seat at the panoramic windows with a view of the Vltava River and Prague Castle in the background. Café Slavia is the favourite spot of coffee lovers. Try frothy cappuccino with a sprinkling of cacao or Vídenská kava, a tall glass of strong coffee topped with whipped cream. Eat it with Sachertorte or crispy apple strudel and you can skip lunch.

Piano Music and Dinner

Kavarna Slavia is not only the perfect place for a morning or afternoon coffee this café is also excellent for diner. Every evening from 5 pm until closing time you can listen to a professional artist playing the piano. Slavia excels in Czech cuisine. Roasted duck, red sauerkraut and potato dumplings with fried onions or old Prague beef goulash with onions, pepperoni, bread dumplings are difficult to resist.

The painting of the absinthe drinker

The Absinthe Drinker is a painting by Viktor Oliva has been on the wall café Slavia since 1920. It shows a intoxicated absinthe drinker sitting at the table with a ‘green fairy’, which is another name for this strong alcoholic, hallucinating drink.
Viktor Olivia (1861-1928) belonged to the ‘Parisian Bohemians’, as Czech artists from Bohemia who lived in Paris in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were known. It was in Paris that Olivia discovered the joys of absinthe.

Getting there

Addres
Kavarna Slavia, Smetanovo nabrezi 2, Nove Mesto, Prague

Opening Hours
Monday – Friday: 08.00-24.00
Saturday and Sunday 09.00-24.00