While Bohemia may not seem like the place to indulge in Italian fare, Ristorante Budino will go a long way towards changing your mind. This is an authentic, old-school Italian trattoria through-and-through. It serves rustic Mediterranean cuisine of meticulously crafted antipasti, an array of fresh mains, and plenty of daily specialities, such as risottos, fresh fish and local meats.
Ristorante Budino, Pallova 6, Pilsen, Czech Republic, +420 776 351 426
Housed in a charming 16th-century building just a short jaunt away from Pilsen’s central square, Rango offers guests some of the city’s best fine-dining Mediterranean fare. However, while serving fantastic pork-fillet pastas, seafood spaghettis and truffle-infused beef steaks, it’s the interior that takes center stage at this one. It is sprawled out between a set of exquisite belle-époque dining rooms and a series of subterranean cellars that carve their way deep into the earth below. If you’re heading in for lunch, be sure to check ahead for the specials, which change daily and with the seasons.
Hotel Rango, Pražská 10, Pilsen, Czech Republic, +420 377 329 969
Visitors fresh from the fascinating exhibitions of the adjoining Brewery Museum will find their way easily into Na Parkánu. This is a traditional Czech beer joint, which sits nestled between the historic façades of the 19th-century municipal malt house on the end of pretty Veleslavínova Street. In the early 2000s the entire place underwent a massive refurbishment, giving it its current, cozy interior of dark timber panels and vaulted arches. Most people hit Na Parkánu for the beers, but the food is also great, with a huge range of smoked meats, fresh salads and classic Czech staples to enjoy.
Na Parkánu, Veleslavínova 59/4, Pilsen, Czech Republic, +420 377 324 485
PI.JEZ.PI fuses trendy contemporary dining with the age-old traditions of Bohemian cooking. The menu changes daily, but is laid out at the start of every week. Would-be patrons would do well to check ahead for what’s on offer – whether it be the fresh roasted chicken breast or Italian gnocchi in cream. Needless to say, there are plenty of premium Czech beers, along with a range of French, Italian and regional Moravian wines.
Pi.jez.pi, Americká 38, Pilsen, Czech Republic, +420 377 331 308