This mod restaurant-bakery is one of the hottest openings in the city, but you’ll need to take a detour from the well-trodden tourist track in the Old Town to find it. Located in Karlin, the once gritty, industrial district that’s walking distance to the historical centre, and now Prague’s coveted hipster neighbourhood complete with cool restaurants, specialty coffee shops and boutique stays. If you go at breakfast, make the most of Eska’s freshly baked breads and cakes stacked on the counter, which are dangerously delicious.

Sisters Bistro is a popular lunch spot opposite Nase Maso artisan butcher (see below) specialises in traditional Czech open-faced sandwiches, known as chlebíčky, but with a modern twist. The glass counter is loaded with colourful combinations, such as beetroot with goat’s cheese and walnut, mackerel with pickled radish, and Prague ham with potato salad and cornichons.

Nase Maso is rightfully known as Prague’s best butcher shop with ethically raised meat and floor-to-ceiling windows so you can watch the butchers in action. You’ll smell Nase Maso before you reach the door because they have a takeaway counter where Czech specialties – and the city’s best burger – are grilled and roasted to perfection. This is without a doubt the best quality takeaway T-bone steak, burger, sausage and even steak tartare with sourdough toasts you’ll ever eat.

This wine bar is a hidden gem, set under chipped stone arches surrounding a cobblestone courtyard. It has the appeal of Budapest’s ruin bars, and despite the historic setting, it’s far from old-school. Moody lighting, dripping wax candles, exposed stone-surfaces and an impressive selection of Czech wines, selected by the team of young sommeliers who opened this drinking hotspot, make for a wine bar you’d be happy to stumble across in London or New York. Snack plates of cheese, cured meats (from artisan butcher Nase Maso, see above) and pickles complete the picture at Bokovka, and you can grab a bottle to go when it’s time to call it a night.

This bar in the old town boasts one of the largest rooftop terraces and serves up one of the best views over the city. The food is nothing fancy – think chicken salad, burgers and pasta – but T-Anker is a great place to kick back with a beer and a simple snack on a sunny day for a birds-eye view of Prague’s historic skyline.

There is no shortage of specialty coffee shops and mod cafes in Karlin, but caffeine connoisseurs will find plenty to sip on at Kafe Karlin, a minimalist hole-in-the wall all-white space devoted to the art of brewing. For a little something something to enjoy with your coffee, swing by nearby Lokal Hamburk and pick up a rakvicka – a Czech biscuit loaded with cream that literally translates to ‘little coffin’ because of it’s rectangular shape.

Known for serving the best soups in town, Polévkárna is a Czech soup kitchen and a great no-frills lunch option, especially if you are visiting during winter. The original cooks were Georgian and you can taste their influence in the vast selection of soul-satisfying soups and sides on the menu. Don’t leave without trying the famous khachapuri cheese-filled flatbread.

Lokal Dlouha is a modernist spin on a traditional Czech beer hall. There’s lashings of pilsner on tap and a drink-friendly menu of hearty Czech classics, such as goulash, roast beef with dumplings, potato salad, and cheese dumplings. This cavernous space with simple wooden tables and benches gets packed to the rafters – it’s the spot for a rowdy night out with a group of friends. If you’re after the same fare but a more intimate vibe, head to their Karlin outpost, Lokal Hamburk.

Cafe Louvre is a relic of Prague’s belle epoch cafe society heyday. First opened in 1902, this elegant coffee house-cum-restaurant, which is spread over various rooms and levels, was frequented by Franz Kafka and Albert Einstein. The menu of Czech classics is on the pricey side, so drop in for their daily lunch special, or for coffee and cake in plush surrounds.