There is something about an artistic, beautiful piece of cake being whisked to my table in a 1930s cafe that fulfills a need deep inside me that I can't even articulate. Cafe culture is a quiet and centering experience. It isn't a pub. People don't speak loudly. Friends lean over their coffees and whisper secrets and hopes. That cake takes an hour to eat because each bite is savored. The fork slides slowly through the chocolate mousse and lingers in the mouth. Coffee is sipped. Minutes float on.
Here are a few of my recent haunts:
La Creperie
www.lacreperie.cz
Come here to find yourself in France. The staff is friendly and busy, but the crepes come in their own time. Don't come here for a quick lunch, but for a lazy afternoon. The savory crepes are delicious, but it is those sweet caramel and dark chocolate crepes with ice cream that will draw me back to this little creperie.
Erhartova Cukrarna
www.erhartcafe.cz
You will go broke buying the most beautiful little cakes and torts and pies and bonbons and and and...that you have ever seen. Every mouthful of creation is delicate and delicious. Don't count calories here, it is worth the indulgence!
Cafe Slavia
www.cafeslavia.cz
Here is one of my lasting favorites. Slavia sits across from the National Theater and is a great place to admire the beauty of the Vltava River, Charles Bridge and Prague castle at one table. A pianist plays melancholy tunes on a baby-grand. I recommend the hot chocolate with whipped creme.
Cafe Imperial
www.cafeimperial.cz
Imperial is right! This place is pure 1920-1930s Art Nouveau. It is covered in tiles from floor to ceiling. I don't go here for the coffee, although that is nice too; I go here to feel just a little bit like Audrey Hepburn. It just does that to me...
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