Nobody Told Me the Czech Republic Was a Coffee Country

Nordic-style roastery from brothers Martin and Karel Kozel, built inside an abandoned train station hall with Nordic wood paneling, a communal table, and a glass wall looking straight into the working roastery. Precisely roasted coffee that traveled well, still delicious weeks after crossing the Atlantic in my luggage. The in-house bakery, run in part by the founders' mother, turns out kolaches as good as any in the country and locally famous blueberry dumplings. A complete coffee experience. Heavy Hitter.

All-day café and gastropub on Široká street in Liberec's historic center, anchored by a striking custom steel bar. Mornings bring coffee and breakfast, evenings shift into a lively local bar scene with nachos, pub snacks, and a big cocktail and gin menu. Coffee was solid, not craft-obsessed, but the latte art, swans and seahorses, showed real barista training. A versatile neighborhood staple built for the long day, not a specialty coffee destination. Solid.

Family-run coffee shop tucked into a residential Brno neighborhood, Honza on espresso and Vendulka on pastry. Not a roastery, sources from local heavyweights like Fiftybeans and guest roasters like 3FE. Perfect cappuccino, well-made cortado, but the real draw is Vendulka's pastry case, the best kolache we had in the country, plus custard tarts, profiteroles, and elevated chlebíčky. Eclectic, pink-hued space with cookbooks stacked on the walls and warm wood seating by large windows. Heavy Hitter.

Founded by multi-time Czech Barista Champion Adam Neubauer on a steep, diagonal street across from the Capuchin Crypt. No Wi-Fi, no corporate distractions, just precision espresso and filter coffee, Neubauer's own Monogram roasts alongside rotating European guest roasters. Small, minimalist, warm space with flower arrangements that make it feel cozy rather than clinical. Friendly, sharp baristas. A complete surprise for a city Brno's size, and one of the best coffee stops in the entire country. Heavy Hitter.

Founded by Antonín Kokeš, the man behind Czech board game giant Albi, after he noticed Prague lacked the artisan bakery standard he found traveling through Germany and France. Scratch-made, no shortcuts, no frozen dough. The flagship on Náměstí Míru sits in a building with restored 19th-century murals depicting old spice trade routes. At this location, the kolaches were fluffy, chewy, sweet and savory in one bite, and the sandwiches traveled perfectly on a road trip. Solid.

Founded by Jackie Tran in a former car repair shop turned minimalist Scandinavian sanctuary, complete with an indoor garden and live trees. Functions as a working micro-roastery and tasting lab, Tran finished 6th in the world at the World Brewers Cup and the team builds its own brewing hardware. Their beans travel well beyond Prague, I've bought bags in Chicago and found them again in Istanbul. Precise, well-handled coffee in a space that runs more clinical than cozy. The craft carries it. Heavy Hitter.

Tiny specialty bar on a cobblestone Old Town street, built by Adam and Zdeněk around one idea: no distractions, just the coffee. Beans come from Round Hill and their own roastery, Candycane Coffee, pulled through a Kees van der Westen machine. Nordic-style cups, acidic, berry forward, built to showcase the fruit rather than roast over it, a real departure from Prague's dark-roast default. A couple of window seats, a few pastries, nothing else needed. Best coffee in Old Town.