"A grand 1914 Art Nouveau hall serving Zdeněk Pohlreich's polished Czech cooking — braised veal cheeks and the Imperial cake under a mosaic ceiling."
Café Imperial sits at Na Poříčí 15 in the New Town of Prague, part of the Art Deco Imperial hotel and open since 1914. It anchors part of our Prague coverage as the city's grandest room for traditional Czech cooking.
The kitchen is run by Zdeněk Pohlreich, the country's best-known television chef, and the restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide. Kafka and the composer Leoš Janáček both drank coffee here in its early years.
Pohlreich keeps the cooking Czech and seasonal, made from scratch daily. The signatures are braised veal cheeks in a glossy red-wine reduction and braised lamb shank, finished with the Imperial cake — a house dessert that has become a Prague institution in its own right.
À la carte main courses sit in the mid-range for a grand Prague room, with longer tasting menus available for those who want the full sweep. The food is refined comfort rather than experiment — done properly.
The room is the headline: a soaring hall lined floor to ceiling in original 1914 ceramic tiling, topped by a mosaic ceiling, all late Art Nouveau with a Cubist edge. Few dining rooms in Europe look like this.
It is buzzy and bright at lunch, more romantic after dark. Book at least a week ahead and dress smart casual; the space rewards the effort.
Café Imperial suits a grand-room anniversary, a memorable first date or a birthday dinner. For other Prague tables, compare Café Savoy, Kantýna or Lokál Dlouhááá.
Not for diners after quiet minimalism or cutting-edge tasting menus — it is a grand, busy, traditional Czech hall built on comfort cooking and spectacle.
Its grand 1914 Art Nouveau dining hall, lined in original ceramic tiling under a mosaic ceiling, and Zdeněk Pohlreich's polished Czech cooking. Signatures include braised veal cheeks in red-wine reduction and the house Imperial cake.
Zdeněk Pohlreich, the Czech Republic's best-known television chef, who oversees the kitchen with his team. The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide.
At Na Poříčí 15 in Prague's New Town (Nové Město), inside the Art Deco Imperial hotel.
À la carte main courses sit in the mid-range for a grand Prague room, with longer tasting menus available; breakfast and lighter options are also served.
Yes — reserve at least a week ahead, especially for evenings and weekends. Smart-casual dress is recommended.
Book at least a week ahead and dress smart casual. Find it at Na Poříčí 15 in Prague's New Town.
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Café Imperial anchors part of our Prague guide — Zdeněk Pohlreich's grand Czech restaurant in a 1914 Art Nouveau hall, famous for braised veal cheeks and the Imperial cake.
See the Prague guide →