If you had told me 20 years ago that one day I would be recommending Prague as a culinary hot spot, I would have replied that your mind was addled by overconsumption of pork and bread dumplings. For many years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Prague’s dining options consisted of beer pubs, former dining halls for the proletariat and a handful of upscale French and Italian venues. Nowadays, local food blogs opine about the merits of the new gourmet Vietnamese spot, who has the best brunch, and if the newcomer with the Asian-Nordic-Czech tasting menu is really worth it. (It is.)

Prague has only two Michelin-starred restaurants, which indicates timidity on the part of the inspectors more than a lack of star quality. We dined magnificently during our visit; only a couple of the hotel restaurants were disappointing. Even some places aimed squarely at the tourist trade served superlative meals.

Most restaurants now have at least a few Czech wines by the glass, usually from the southern Moravia region. Wines from the Czech Republic have almost no international presence, but their quality has radically improved in recent years. Don’t miss the opportunity to try them.