Field, Radek Kašpárek’s restaurant. Adorned with one Michelin star since 2016, it is the showcase of Prague fine dining. Under the baton of the famous chef, creations are born here that push the boundaries of modern Czech cuisine to a world-class level.
However, the wind blows hardest at the summit, and more restaurants are sharpening their teeth for that one star in the next Czech Michelin guide. Instead of defending his position, Kašpárek has ordered an attack. He wants the first two-star rating for Prague and is betting on the experience.
Almost all dishes are now finished at the table in Field; the guest becomes part of a masterful culinary performance.
Field Restaurant ⭐, Prague
When Radek Kašpárek opened the Field restaurant in Prague’s U Milosrdných street together with manager Miroslav Nosek in 2014, many tapped their foreheads. The location in the Old Town sounds prestigious, but at that time it was a street where the foot of a gastronomy lover rarely stepped.
Today, a decade later, Field is a household name. It is one of only two Czech restaurants that have managed not only to gain a Michelin star but, more importantly, to defend it year after year. In gastronomy, where the lifespan of some trendy establishments is often measured in single-digit years, Field is a constant.
The Choreography of Perfection
The change that Field has been undergoing in recent months is not merely cosmetic. While previously everything took place behind the closed doors of the kitchen and the waiter was merely a courier carrying a work of art, today the boundary between the kitchen and the “floor” in the best restaurants in the world is blurring.
(Not only) Kašpárek realizes that a Michelin inspector doesn’t just judge taste. They judge emotion, story, and consistency. That is why trolleys with ingredients, sauces, and accessories now move around Field with the precision of a Swiss watch. The staff finishes the plating, mixes emulsions, or flambés meat right before the guests’ eyes.
It is not theater for theater’s sake. This approach allows the food to reach the guest at an absolutely ideal temperature and condition. The sauce is not poured onto the plate in the kitchen, where it could lose its shine or temperature on the way to the guest, but lands on the plate just seconds before the first bite. It is a risky game – every mistake is visible, there is nowhere to hide.
But it is precisely this risk that can distinguish a one-star from a two-star.
Ingredients from the Field
Field’s philosophy remains true to its name. It is still about the “field”. About rawness, brutalism, and a return to roots, but in an execution that resembles a surgical procedure rather than country cooking. A perfect example is the course “Duck, plum, black garlic, verbena”.
A visual work arrives at the table that balances on the edge of art and provocation. On a moss pillow lies a cast of a duck head and leg – a raw reminder of the ingredient’s origin – together with a bonbon of fine duck pâté, complemented by gooseberry gel and duck prosciutto.
On the adjacent plate, Kašpárek and his team serve duck hearts grilled over a fire with tamari glaze. Forget the tough consistency known from homemade broths; thanks to precise preparation, the hearts are incredibly tender and shatter established Czech stereotypes about offal.
In the autumn menu, this will undoubtedly be a course that balances on the edge. The realism of the plaster cast is so high that many guests who have never seen a whole duck ready for kitchen processing may mistakenly consider it a real skeleton; the beak, which is artistically – and anatomically inaccurately – rendered here as bone, will give a hint only to some.
Equally uncompromising is the ingredient itself. The specific consistency of the hearts may be too surprising for some. It is a dish that can reliably divide a table: I was thrilled, but my companion was the only one who did not finish this plate from the entire tasting menu. However, I believe that exactly such controversy was Field’s intention.
Finishing dishes before the guest also means multiply higher demands on the staff. A waiter at Field can no longer be just a “plate carrier” and storyteller; they must also be partly a cook. And their concentration during this final phase of service is absolutely incredible.
Two Stars
Why all this? Radek Kašpárek is not the type of person who would be satisfied with maintaining the status quo. In the Czech pond, competition has risen dramatically in recent years.
Gaining a second Michelin star means, in the language of the famous guide, that the restaurant is “worth a detour”, not just a stop. It means moving Prague to the next level. It is an ambition that transcends the walls of one restaurant in U Milosrdných street and which I like incredibly. If Field gains two Michelin stars, it will raise the prestige of the entire Czech gastronomy. But it is also a risk.
Liquid Alchemy
However, the road to the second star does not lead only through plates. In gastronomy set up this way, the content of the glass must be an equal partner to what is happening on the fork. Top restaurants are adapting to times that no longer belong only to alcohol.
The non-alcoholic pairing, which I fully focused on, combines, for example, the taste of plum with chamomile, quince with hazelnut, sour cherry with lemon thyme, or cranberries with pine needles.
And in the case of Field, it is almost a full-fledged alternative to wine. I must write “almost” because I had the opportunity to taste wine pairing “B” as well. That is indeed perfect at Field.
Field’s sommelier bet on exemplary examples of individual varieties and regions. Silvaner from Johann Ruck or Riesling from the Austrian winery Knoll were the exact definition of what these wines should look like – fresh, mineral, with a clear varietal character.
At Field, even within the basic wine pairing, wines with pedigree and nobility are served with the food. Chablis from Droin, Pagodes de Cos from the French winery Cos d’Estournel, or Crémant de Bourgogne Jacqueson confirm the impression that nothing was left to chance here.
Prices in Field
A look at the menu leaves no one in doubt that Field is aiming for the top league. The ten-course tasting menu costs 4,600 CZK (184 EUR), its vegetarian version is three hundred crowns (12 EUR) cheaper. If you decide for the top wine accompaniment (Pairing A), you will pay an additional 6,800 CZK (272 EUR). An excellently composed choice is wine pairing B for 2,450 CZK (98 EUR), or the sophisticated non-alcoholic pairing for 1,350 CZK (54 EUR).
The guest at Field does not pay only for ingredients, albeit top-quality ones. One pays for the aforementioned choreography. Moving the service from the kitchen directly to the table requires not only more staff but primarily staff with higher qualifications and training. You are paying for dozens of hours of preparation. Field is not selling “food”, it is selling a ticket to a three-hour performance in the front row.
Whether it will be enough for the second star will be shown on December 11, 2025, at the Michelin gala evening in Mariánské Lázně.
I keep my fingers crossed for Field.
Restaurant website: fieldrestaurant.cz
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