Prague may not drink as heavily as it used to, but the country still ranks third in Europe alcohol consumption. This comes, in part, from pride in pilsner, invented in Czechia, but also the communal role pubs have played for centuries, serving as social hubs for its neighborhoods. As such, these beer, wine and cocktail bars offer an excellent window into the personalities of the capital’s major districts.
These eight Prague bars — chosen from local recommendations and personal testing during a six-week summer stretch — capture the flavor of the neighborhoods they live in. They may not say everything about them, but they’ll certainly give you a taste.
Staré Město (Old Town): Black Angel’s Bar
The tourist torrent that floods Old Town Square for the hourly ringing of the Astronomical Clock also mixes a cosmopolitan cocktail of nations. Mere steps away, down a dark flight of stairs, that same spirit manifests in the mixology at Black Angel’s Bar, a leading contender for Prague’s best cocktail bar. Both modern and ancient, the subterranean bar claims origins as a 12th-century monastery, with Gothic and Romanesque masonry play off speakeasy-esque leather and glass. Its chief inspiration is Alois Krcha, a legendary Czechoslovak bartender from the early 20th century, whose handwritten cocktail diaries were discovered during renovations. Plaudits have been many for Black Angels, including a spot on the 2025 top 500 bars in the world list.
Nové Město (New Town): Náplavka Riverbank
Founded in 1348 by Charles IV, “new” town covers much of the Vltava River’s east bank between Vyšehrad and Karlin, except the Old Town core. It’s also where Prague is its busiest. Day and night, it’s a whirlwind of activity, with trams, taxis, scooters and pedestrians crossing here and there amid the shops, sights, restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs. At happy hour, many make their way to the Náplavka Riverbank for the daily end-of-the-workday drink. Between Myslíkova and Trojická streets, find a line of beer boats anchored to the stone promenade that turn up the taps as the sun goes down. Take your pick and step on board for cold pilsner against a postcard backdrop of Prague Castle.
You Are Here: Prague
All the best parts of Prague, according to someone who used to live there and goes back frequentlyMalá Strana (Lesser Town): U Hrocha
One element of Lesser Town that’s definitely less is the noise. While the east bank of the Vltava River hums with activity day and night, the west tends to keep things quieter — and behind closed doors. Perhaps the best place to toast this interior world is at U Hrocha, aka “At the Hippopotamus.” The nondescript, olive-gray exterior does not actively invite you in, but step through the archway, and the vibe changes immediately, bursting with communal energy, sloshing pints and ice breakers, forced by rules that plunk you into any available seat in the small, vaulted, centuries-stained space. The pilsner here is poured by people who care about getting it right, so it might be the best one you drink in all of Prague.
Vinohrady: Vinotéka Noelka
Bourgouis by birth and appearance, Vinohrady remains a coveted address of Praguers today. That particularly goes for well-enough-to-do expats, who’ve spawned many cool, chic bars and made English the neighborhood’s lingua franca in some sections. However, as the name reveals, the roots of Vinohrady are wine, as the land was once covered in royal vineyards, some of which still remain in Grébovka Park. This vinous spirit is alive and well at Vinotéka Noelka, a disheveled, dusty and closet-sized wine shop kitty corner from the main square of Jiřího z Poděbrad. And it comes with a distinct Czech accent, both in the all-Moravian inventory and the clinking glasses of locals milling about the sidewalk with full glasses after work.
Vršovice: Café Bar Pilotů
Just south of Vinohrady, this neighborhood feels like a little pocket of cool, hidden down a slope that relatively few expats and almost no tourists have discovered. But young Czechs have given its little warren of streets a sense of homegrown cool. That the neighborhood’s indie cinema, Kino Pilotů, still lacks an English page reflects the Czech focus. The attached Café Bar Pilotů, a word-of-mouth favorite for high-quality cocktails, has also helped keep locals from having to leave the neighborhood. The cocktails pay tribute to neighborhood businesses in their names and flavors, deepening the reflective surface. The half-library, half-lounge setting — festooned in vintage music posters and worn leather armchairs — swizzles in additional charm.
Holešovice: Bar Cobra
Many cities boast that derelict industrial district that artists moved into and turned cool, attracting waves of hipsters followed by another of developers. In Prague, that’s Holešovice. The slaughterhouses, mills and factories that once filled the blocks are now home to vintage boutiques, contemporary art galleries, fancy restaurants, cheese and wine shops and open-air markets. The combo has helped rank Holešovice among the coolest neighborhoods in the world. All that energy comes together in in Bar Cobra, whose distressed, vaulted ceilings cap an industrial chic space peopled 50/50 by 20-something locals and expats, as well as the highest number of man buns in Prague. It helps that the bar serves some of the best cocktails in the entire city and a short but tasty menu of mezzes and snacks.
Karlin: Veltlin
Probably no Prague neighborhood has had as big a transformation as Karlin has in the past two decades. Considered dingy and dangerous by many at the turn of the 21st century, it took a Mike Tyson-sized uppercut in the 2002 flood, which collapsed many buildings. Since then, the neighborhood has turned into a glass and steel business district with more new buildings than anywhere in the city. With the new look came a classier vibe, manifesting in chic restaurants, cafes and wine bars like Veltlin. This focus here is natural wines of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and expeditions are very much in the hands of the staff, who decide that day’s open bottles. It fits the spirit of owner, winemaker and award-winning poet, Bogdan Trojak
Žižkov: U Vystřelenýho Oka
Žižkov is Prague’s most contradictory neighborhood, often expressed as upper and lower Žižkov. The first, bordering Vinohrady, could easily be mistaken for said neighborhood, as it has the same posh and chic cafes, boutiques and markets. The second is gritty, sooty and shadowy, reflecting the “real” Žižkov and its artsy, rebellious soul. Indeed, the district is named for the one-eyed rebel leader, Jan Žižka, whose massive bronze statue on Vitkov Hill dominates lower Žižkov. U Vystřelenýho Oka — which means “at the shot-out eye” — captures this spirit, with its scrawled graffiti, crumbling concrete, a beheaded statue and clientele bedecked in dreads, tattoos and piercings. But the community is winning and affecting, especially after a few pilsners.
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