The more I travel, the more I realize one rule: In the most visited tourist hotspots, you have to be extremely careful when choosing a restaurant – these areas are usually dominated by places that rely on quick profits from random passersby who will never return.
That’s why I am even more delighted when, right in the heart of Prague, at an address where you would expect a tourist trap rather than a memorable experience, there has been a restaurant doing things completely differently for the past two years.
That bold establishment is 420 Restaurant; on Prague’s Old Town Square it offers honestly prepared dishes with excellent value for money compared to other nearby restaurants, unforgettable desserts, a beautiful setting, and outstanding service.
Prague 420 Restaurant
Why Visit 420 Restaurant
420 Restaurant focuses on Czech cuisine prepared from high-quality ingredients. The project is led by Radek Kašpárek, a renowned chef whose restaurant Field holds one of only two Michelin stars in the Czech Republic. The kitchen is run by Marek Kominek, and the incredibly sophisticated desserts are crafted by Kateřina Brodnianska.
What remains from Michelin-starred restaurants are bold, concentrated flavors, but the portions are generous, the atmosphere is noticeably more relaxed, and children are warmly welcomed here.
Even the amuse-bouche – a Mettwurst with fried horseradish, pepper, and salt – lets you know right away that this won’t be an ordinary experience. Czechs know Mettwurst as a cheap “tea sausage,” but here it’s served in a truly exceptional way. It’s accompanied by warm bread rolls and crackling scones from a local bakery. Guests also receive butter with lovage and a small bowl of soup. If I were a tourist eager to taste classic Czech dishes, I’d already be applauding. For some reason, Czechs love bread rolls, and these might just be the best I’ve ever had.
As a starter from the lunch menu, I chose marinated char with chives, pickled beetroot, and salad; it’s exactly what you’d expect from this type of appetizer – light and refreshing. On the other hand, the grilled veal liver is served with a rich onion and pepper sauce, and the fries, of course, are fried in beef tallow.
The pickled venison starter from the à la carte menu is paired with wild broccoli and pickled mushrooms, and right at the table it’s finished with a spiced plum sauce. The main course from the à la carte menu – pulled beef shoulder – is enormous, and the sauce with foie gras and truffle is intensely flavorful. Your taste buds will also be delighted by bites of bone marrow and aronia berries.
There’s not much more to say about the honest and modern approach to cooking; for me, though, the truly outstanding surprise is the extraordinary execution of the desserts. Creating something genuinely unforgettable – something that sets a restaurant apart from the rest – is no easy feat, and after a while, memories of places can easily blend together.
But “Four Twenty” Restaurant masterfully sets itself apart with its desserts; the playful presentation of a pastry tube filled with caramel whipped cream as a “cigar” is simply brilliant, and the other sweet treats are just as impressive.
420 Restaurant Interiors
At “Four Twenty” Restaurant, food is just one piece of the puzzle that makes up the complete experience of your visit.
“Four Twenty” opened at the end of 2023 at one of the most prestigious addresses in the Czech Republic, on Old Town Square, directly opposite the Prague Astronomical Clock. The restaurant aims to bring locals back to a spot famous for endless crowds of tourists and eateries with questionable reputations, showing that it’s possible to enjoy quality Czech cuisine even on Old Town Square.
The restaurant is located in a historic building that has been sensitively renovated. The covered courtyard where guests dine is one of the most beautiful restaurant spaces I’ve ever seen. You’ll understand the incredible transformation of the courtyard as soon as you see a photo of its original state.
The restaurant also includes its own bakery and charcuterie, both located in the original Gothic cellar.
This very cellar may be one of the most unexpected highlights of a visit to 420 Restaurant. Few people realize that the ground floor of the building was originally much lower – over the centuries, Prague’s Old Town Square has been raised by several meters.
420 Restaurant Lunch Menu
From Monday to Friday, between 11:30 AM and 3:00 PM, the restaurant offers a lunch menu that changes every week. This is where the chefs seem to have the most room for creativity with the dishes Czechs love.
How about a wine sausage with fried sauerkraut? Dumplings with smoked carp? Cherry cake with baked cream ice cream? Or a dumpling filled with rosehip jam?
These playful twists are a huge draw for me. There are many dishes on the lunch menu I’d like to try just to see “how they do it.”
420 Restaurant Kids’ Menu
It’s great to see that 420 Restaurant also thinks of children. They can enjoy chicken broth with alphabet pasta, mini schnitzels with mashed potatoes or fries and compote, or pasta.
The kids’ dishes are thoughtfully prepared; with the experience of chefs who are parents themselves. Crayons and coloring pages in the restaurant’s style are just the cherry on top.
Prices at 420 Restaurant
At first glance, “Four Twenty” is not a budget option. Most starters on the regular menu are around 450 CZK/18 EUR, main courses are about 760 CZK/30.40 EUR, and desserts come to 260 CZK/10.40 EUR. However, the prices are absolutely in line with the Prague’s Old Town Square location, the level of cuisine, the flawless service, and the stunning interior spaces the restaurant occupies.
When it comes to the lunch menu, with starters at around 280 CZK/11.20 EUR, main courses at about 390 CZK/15.60 EUR, and desserts at 210 CZK/8.40 EUR, I’d say it’s an unbeatable value for this part of Prague’s Old Town Square.
Reportedly, guests are split evenly between tourists and locals. As always, you can’t please everyone all the time. For some Czechs, it may feel odd to pay these prices for traditional dishes they know from home, even if those classics are served here in a luxurious, elevated way.
Some of the flavor combinations on the regular menu can also be unexpectedly bold, and may catch you off guard. In my case, it happened with the side dish served with the pulled beef; the portobello with cheese emulsion just didn’t win me over.
However, those moments are more the exception than the rule.
There’s a lot you could say about 420 Restaurant.
That “420” is the international dialing code for the Czech Republic, as well as a slang reference to something entirely different. That the paper umbrellas guests receive with their ice cream sundaes are a playful retro touch. That the house itself has a long and fascinating history. That despite the incredibly fierce competition on Prague’s Old Town Square, the restaurant doesn’t add to the visual clutter of the area, and is marked on the square only by a simple white flag with a black “Czech Restaurant” sign.
Whether you’re a tourist looking to dine right on Prague’s Old Town Square, or a local searching for a spot to eat in the very heart of the historic center, “Four Twenty” is a great choice for both.
Bon appétit!
For more information about 420 Restaurant, click on the map link:
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