Prague’s best new restaurants and food events to try this April

The Coffee Cube community has been on a quiet expansion run lately, and its latest outpost proves less is very much more. Dlouhá 22 has landed on Dlouhá, just a short walk from Old Town Square, with handful of tables, a small bar, and properly made coffee. A selection of sweet treats are on hand to accompany your morning cuppa.

Over in Letná, Red Door Café brings a slice of Wallachia to the neighbourhood. Valašská pražírna, the roastery from Valašské Meziříčí, has opened its Prague outpost opposite the Stromovka shopping centre, and the red door in the name is impossible to miss. Their signature is the Fresa — a lightly strawberry-inflected coffee — and since they've made the journey all the way from Moravia, they've had the good sense to bring frgály along too.

Yaki-Pan translates simply as "baked bread," but this tiny bakery on Mělnická Street delivers considerably more than the name suggests. Behind it are Hoan and Duy, who bring genuine craft to the project; Hoan trained under a respected Japanese baker known for fermentation techniques and novel approaches to dough. The display case is full of anpan buns with red bean paste, shokupan sandwiches in both classic and Hokkaido cream versions — mango-mascarpone and matcha on the sweet side, tonkatsu and tempura prawn on the savoury — fried tan tan balls, and sweet roulades. To drink: classic espresso, Vietnamese coffee, or matcha and hojicha specials.

The matcha scene in Prague is well established by now, but UC Matcha arrives with a different provenance: their tea is sourced directly from China, where the green powder actually originates, imported by the local team and used across everything from the classic latte to more playful fruit combinations. The cakes reportedly deserve equal attention. They've opened two locations simultaneously; one near Malostranské náměstí, the other in OC Nový Smíchov.

Prague's Korean dining scene has never been busier, and The Kimchi, freshly arrived near Masarykovo nádraží, is already making a strong case for itself. Rice bowls, rice burgers (with meat or tuna), and signature Korean fried chicken anchor a menu built around food that's properly addictive without tipping into punishing heat. The interior is stylish, table-mounted ordering remotes keep things moving, and kimchi and Korean drinks feature throughout.

The most flamboyant arrival of the season belongs to Route 54, which has taken up residence in Karlín's Pulse8 hotel on Sokolovská Street. The concept comes from Israeli chef Gal Ben Moshe, the same man behind the Michelin-recognised Parzival in the Old Town. The name references the highway running between Illinois and New Mexico, and the menu follows that geography: Texas barbecue and ribs, Chicago deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, smash burgers, fried pickles, mac 'n' cheese and apple pie.