Michelin-starred & Bib Gourmand restaurants in Prague in 2024

In 2024, the Michelin Guide mentions 26 Prague restaurants. Although the Czech Republic section of the Michelin Main Cities of Europe guide currently evaluates only restaurants in Prague, many restaurants of the same high level exist outside Prague, especially in Brno or Olomouc. Certainly, Brno’s Ateliér or Olomouc’s Entrée could also have a chance.

Michelin restaurants in Prague: table of contents

What is the Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide is a prestigious restaurant guide first introduced in 1900 by Michelin (yes, the tire company). Originally for car drivers, to motivate them to travel (and wear out tires), it provided information on places to eat, sleep, and similar.

The most famous award of the Michelin Guide for restaurants and chefs are the Michelin stars, but there are more awards by Michelin and restaurants mentioned in the guide:

Michelin Star – the most prestigious award for outstanding kitchen quality. A restaurant can earn one, two, or three Michelin stars, with 3 stars being only for very exceptional restaurants.
Bib Gourmand – an award for excellent food at affordable prices, given since 1997. Besides the evaluation of food and environment, it also considers the price for which one can dine in the restaurant. The price limit varies depending on the region and local price levels.
The Plate – an award for restaurants that do not meet the criteria for a Michelin star or Bib Gourmand but still offer great food worth attention.
Green Michelin Star – an award given since 2020 to restaurants significantly committed to sustainability. It can be awarded concurrently with one of the previous three awards. Globally, 490 restaurants hold this award.

How I use the Michelin Guide when traveling

Usually, I don’t specifically seek out Michelin-starred places, but I often check them out for inspiration. However, I tend to skip over the Michelin stars, as they’re more fine-dining, which I prefer for special occasions. On my travels, my typical targets are mostly Bib Gourmand restaurants, which are excellent but not overly expensive. I also look through The Plate restaurants, but here too, the restaurants are generally in the higher price range or places where you’d want to spend an entire (celebratory) evening rather than just going out to eat. The same applies to restaurants in Prague.

2 Michelin stars in Prague

Two restaurants that have maintained their previously acquired Michelin ratings are La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise and Field. Both restaurants are about 600 meters from the Old Town Square. Each has one star, which signifies a “very good restaurant in its category”.

La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise

“La Degu” is part of the popular Ambiente restaurant group, with Oldřich Sahajdák as the head chef. It focuses on a modern interpretation of Czech cuisine, cooking with local and seasonal farm ingredients. It has held a Michelin star since 2012.

For dinner, it offers a five-course tasting menu for 2450 CZK (excluding drinks, with the option to add wine or non-alcoholic pairings). You can also come for lunch for a three-course menu.

Field

This restaurant focuses on modern cuisine and unembellished presentation of ingredients. The head chef is Radek Kašpárek, known as a judge on the popular cooking competition Masterchef and also recently on another world-famous show, Hell’s Kitchen. It has held a Michelin star since 2016.

The restaurant offers a ten-course tasting menu for 4000 CZK, or a shorter six-course for 2900 CZK. Both are available with the option of wine or non-alcoholic pairings and a vegetarian variant. For lunch, there is a choice of a two or three-course menu.

Prague restaurants with Bib Gourmand awards

Another Michelin accolade, the Bib Gourmand, awarded to restaurants with “exceptionally good food at reasonable prices,” is held by 5 restaurants:

Divinis – an Italian restaurant by Zdeněk Pohlreich, with Miro Čornanin as the head chef.
Eska – a restaurant with a bakery in the Ambiente network. Martin Štangl is the head chef here, and perhaps the most famous dish is potatoes in ash with smoked fish. I enjoy going to Eska mainly for breakfast and occasionally for some baked goods or a cream puff.
Na Kopci – Czech and French cuisine, headed by chef Petr Vlk. When I used to live and work on the other side of the river, I frequented this place quite often, especially for their excellent steak tartare.
The Eatery – based on traditional Czech cuisine, with Pavel Býček as the head chef (formerly the head chef at the Michelin-starred Alcron).
Dejvická 34 – modern cuisine, especially Italian. The head chef is Tomáš Černý.

Prague restaurants with The Michelin Plate award

The Michelin Plate – given for interior, quality of service, and atmosphere, with less emphasis on haute cuisine (high-end cooking) – was awarded to 25 restaurants in Prague. The highest achievement was for Alcron with 3 covers (symbol of fork and spoon) out of a maximum of 5, while both Michelin-starred restaurants only received 2.

Other restaurants awarded the Michelin Plate include:

Aromi – an Italian restaurant with head chef Riccardo Lucque, focusing on fish and seafood.
Benjamin – old Czech regional recipes in a modern and unconventional presentation, a small experiential restaurant where fine-dining is done “at the bar,” with only 10 seats and reservation required. Behind the restaurant is Štěpán Návrat (also of Cafe Buddha and Pru58).
Bockem – a blend of traditional and modern methods. For me, a great place for breakfast, they have the best semolina porridge here.
Café Imperial – traditional Czech cuisine in a historic Art Nouveau interior. The restaurant is part of the Imperial Hotel and offers a breakfast buffet in the morning (also for non-hotel guests), as well as a la carte breakfast. A great spot for brunch.
Café Savoy – an Ambiente network restaurant, notable also for its Art Nouveau interior and breakfast menu. The menu predominantly features traditional Czech cuisine. The restaurant also has its own patisserie, where you can see the pastry chefs preparing desserts through the glass.
Casa de Carli – Italian head chef Matteo de Carli and his authentic Italian cuisine.
CottoCrudo – a modern Italian restaurant in Prague’s Four Seasons Hotel.
George Prime Steak – an American steakhouse offering prime steaks.
Grand Cru – modern European cuisine.
Kalina Anežka – innovative interpretation of traditional Czech dishes. The head chef is Mirek Kalina.
Kampa Park – a restaurant on the banks of the Vltava with a beautiful view of Prague Castle. The head chef is Marek Raditsch.
La Finestra in Cucina – an Italian restaurant, like Riccardo Locque’s Aromi, but here they specialize in aged meats. Right next to the restaurant is also the Italian shop La Bottega di Finestra.
La Veranda – modern European cuisine.
Monarch – American steaks from aged meat.
Portfolio – international cuisine.
Pot au Feu – French cuisine.
Salabka – a winery and restaurant designed as a cozy attic, surrounded by vineyards, with a beautiful view of Prague.
SaSaZu – Asian fusion at Holešovice Market.
Spices – a restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Malá Strana, serving Asian cuisine.
Terasa U Zlaté Studně – international cuisine with a great view of the whole of Prague.
V Zátiší – Czech and international cuisine.
Yamato – a Japanese restaurant where you can have sushi, Kobe steak or sake.
Zdenek’s Oyster Bar – the ideal place for seafood, oyster, and champagne lovers.

Czech chefs with a Michelin star

The creative direction of the kitchen and the final dishes are determined by the head chef, and while the Michelin star is awarded to the restaurant, it is a recognition of the art of the head chef and their entire team. They are seen as the key figure who led the restaurant to earn the star, but when they leave the restaurant, the star remains with the restaurant. The related “fame,” however, continues to carry their name forward.

So far, three Czech chefs have earned a Michelin star for their restaurants in Prague. No Czech head chef has been awarded outside of Prague or the Czech Republic, although many Czech chefs have worked in Michelin-starred restaurants.

Roman Paulus – Alcron Restaurant (2012)
Oldřich Sahajdák – La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise (2012)
Radek Kašpárek – Field (2016)

In December 2023, Radek Kašpárek opened his second restaurant in Prague, 420. It is located directly in the Old Town Square in a very nice space with a glass roof, and it likely will have a chance to earn a Michelin star in the future.

Restaurants I Would Award a Michelin Star

I’m not sure exactly what the criteria are for selecting restaurants that receive a Michelin star and other awards. Nobody knows because it’s not public. But if a Michelin inspector asked for my opinion, I would also send them to:

El Camino – a Spanish tapas restaurant near Jiřího z Poděbrad,
Dian – an Asian restaurant including cocktails, a bit further from the center in Brumlovka.
Alma – a restaurant focused on creative fusion of Czech and international cuisine.
420 – Radek Kašpárek’s new restaurant opened in December 2023 in a beautiful space right opposite the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square.

Prague’s Michelin scene in the context of Europe and the world

There are around 3,500 restaurants worldwide that have one, two, or three Michelin stars. The most stars are in France, Japan, Italy, Spain, and the USA. There are only 142 restaurants in the world with three stars.

In the Czech Republic, Michelin awards are currently only given in Prague. In gastronomically more significant countries, the distribution is geographically more diverse, hence they have more stars overall. With its two stars, Prague is far from the top; its gastronomic scene is significant, but it does not have as much diversity and range as in other European metropolises. Tokyo, Japan, has the most Michelin-starred restaurants of any city, almost a hundred times more. Other giants in this regard are Paris, Kyoto, Osaka, New York, and Hong Kong.

History of Michelin Restaurants in Prague

The first restaurant to receive a Michelin star was Allegro at the Four Seasons Hotel in 2008, under the leadership of head chef Andrea Accordi. This restaurant was awarded a star three times but was later closed. In 2009, the restaurant Maze at the Hilton Hotel with head chef Gordon Ramsay also received a Michelin star, but it closed before the award announcement. Alcron had a Michelin star for six years (2012–2017) but lost it in 2018. No restaurant in Prague (and thus in the entire Czech Republic) has ever received more than one star.

Sansho lost its Bib in 2021, and Bistrøt 104 in 2019. Sasazu and Aureole lost their Bib Gourmand in 2018. Maso a Kobliha closed in 2018.

In 2023, there was a passionate debate in the Czech Republic about the Michelin Guide because the state hesitated whether to pay 10 million crowns per year for Michelin inspectors to visit and for Czech restaurants to be in the guides. A large part of the public was against it (because why should “their money” pay for some profit for restaurants they don’t even visit).

Eventually, the state paid, and it could potentially mean more awards for restaurants outside Prague.

More information about Michelin restaurants in Prague can be found on the Michelin Guide website.