Papa's Living Restaurant

Papa's Living Restaurant is the only serious Italian kitchen in Český Krumlov and the only table on the Vltava bend directly under the castle walls. The terrace hangs over the river; the view from the corner tables is the postcard shot of the town — the castle tower above, the river below, the whole medieval centre framed to the right. The pictures look staged. They are not.

The kitchen is Italian by concept, Czech-Italian by execution. Pizza comes from a wood-fired oven installed in 2018 by a Neapolitan consultant, which makes the crust easily the best in southern Bohemia. The pasta is all fresh and made daily — the cacio e pepe is the house order, the tagliatelle with wild mushrooms from the Šumava forest is the local order, and the risotto with Eggenberg dark beer and 36-month Parmigiano is the one Czech-Italian dish on the menu that works.

The wine list is serious: 220 labels split Czech and Italian, a proper Chianti Classico section, and the Czech sommelier will pour you three Moravian rieslings side-by-side if you ask. Mains run CZK 380–680 (€15–27); pizzas CZK 260–340 (€10–14). The menu is 90-per-cent Italian and 10-per-cent Czech-fusion, which is the right ratio.

The room holds 60 inside plus 40 on the river terrace. In summer, the terrace is the only booking that matters; in winter, the inside dining room under vaulted ceilings is warm and candle-lit and slightly more romantic. This is the Český Krumlov birthday dinner for anyone bored of the Bohemian heavy-meat register.

A birthday dinner needs a room that photographs well and food that accommodates everyone. Papa's gives you both: the terrace is the Instagram shot of Český Krumlov, and the pizza-and-pasta menu means nobody at a table of ten orders badly. Book the terrace corner under the cast-iron lantern for sunset in summer.