Letná - the Mecca of hipster bistros, pubs, and cafes. The concentration of modern roasters and progressive coffee styles initially suggests that Letná's establishments might have coffee down to a fine art. But is that really the case...?
After a successful first edition of our coffee tour, where we evaluated takeaway coffee in a cup, we continue with one of Prague's most important coffee zones, Letná. We are here to climb the coffee hill and then gradually descend it again, thus completing an imaginary circle of selected cafes recommended by friends and gastro professionals or simply those cafes we know, where we like the coffee and maybe they have great reviews from visitors online.
This time the editors have invited very different individuals to the jury. In one Letná street, there were coffee lovers and those who turn up their noses at almost every coffee, there was a chef and an editor, and (thank God) coffee roasters and baggers joined in.
Who we evaluated. Within it, we took a peek at Kolektor cafe, and our steps from there led to Cafe Mug, Ye's coffee, Cafe Tvaroh, Cafe Letka, Dos Mundos, Cobra, and Kafe Francin. Cafe Nacafe was closed at the time of our visit, even though we found no such notice on the website and it looked like they were open. Costa Coffee we... eventually gave up.
What we actually reviewed: We ordered an espresso and a flat white at each cafe - how else, we are in Letná. We evaluated the quality of the drink preparation, the porcelain used, the complete service, the taste characteristics, and of course, we were interested in the barista's skill in latte art.
COLLECTOR
Impression:
Uffff... First stop and immediately such great coffee! We drank El Salvador here from the roaster Rusty Nails. Chocolate and nuts in the aroma, and that's exactly what the coffee tastes like. The drink has great fruitiness, yet also sweetness. The subtle hint of tannin is a positive finding, and the balance between acidity and sweetness is what makes this coffee interesting, somehow alive. Flat white? Wonderful! Professional milk work, creamy, modern coffee that you expect to find in Copenhagen. The milk is the right temperature, it's well-whipped, a little higher foam, which is good in this case, with the coffee, the milk is perfectly integrated. TOP flat white in Letná and probably also in Prague. The bar is set very high.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
CAFE HRNEK
Impression:
Kind of a speakeasy cafe in the middle of the hill, which is easy to miss if you don't know it or aren't deliberately looking for it. Very friendly place and staff, the coffee is great, especially the espresso, which you should definitely go here for. They had coffee from the Adun Coffee roastery on the grinder in the Mug. Again, the espresso has a lovely aroma, even a little fruitier on the first sip than it was at the first place. The sweetness is again pronounced, the bitterness is basically absent, this espresso has a nice medium body and becomes the TOP espresso of our tasting tour. Flat white at a very high level, latte art hilarious, the problem is the high temperature of the drink, where you burn your tongue, which shouldn't happen, and also the visually spectacular but not very functional porcelain, which is too thin to maintain the temperature of the drink. It then cools quickly, which is a detriment to the cause. Otherwise, the Mug is a great establishment.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
YE'S KAFE
Impression:
Sympathetic service brings you drinks in original, impressive china. The heavier espresso is more overworked than previous establishments, lacking fruitiness and lightness. But it's not bad coffee, it just goes more into bitter notes. The flat white doesn't offend, you can feel the underlying notes of chocolate and nuts, the temperature is right, the milky drink is fine but we don't need to go back for it. The coffee on the grinder was from Bonanza Coffee Roasters.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
CAFE TVAROH
Impression:
The address where Oldrich Sahajdak and his wife used to run Bistro Milada is now Café Tvaroh. The fancy floor we remember from Milada remains. The espresso here is the worst we've had a chance to taste so far. Apart from the bitterness after drinking, nothing comes out of the drink, there is no sweetness, no fruitiness... It seems that the raw material on the grinder is not in optimal condition. In the case of the flat white, the milk covers the taste of the coffee, which is a pity. We praise the really beautiful porcelain, we would all like those cups! Karolína Jeřábková, congratulations on your beautiful work!
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
CAFE LETKA
Impression:
We were really looking forward to this well-attended cafe with a beautiful interior, it was supposed to be one of the highlights of this trip. And it wasn't. Unfortunately. We waited for a long time, which can be excused with the busyness of this popular place, but to be brought an espresso totally devoid of foam is no longer forgivable. Either the baristas didn't extract the drink properly or the coffee sat on the counter long after it was prepared and then brought to the table. While there are hints of fruitiness and sweetness in the taste and aroma, the overall espresso comes across as artisanal. Lacking fullness, lacking aftertaste, very short on flavor. The flat white looks much better at first glance, but in the end, it doesn't impress. The temperature is good, but the barista has failed to connect the milk with the coffee, the two ingredients remain almost unconnected in the cup. Overall, a disappointment. Four out of five baristas would recommend starting with a different milk.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
CAFÉ LETNÁ - DOS MUNDOS
Impression:
A representative space right under the wings of the famous Dos Mundos roastery. The interior is fresh and nice. And look out - India was on the grinder! Espresso very good. We were scared of the stronger roast at first sniff, but the taste is absolutely fine. Porcelain right, balance in taste, definitely go here for an espresso without hesitation. It does. The flat white is very pleasant to drink, you can smell a distinct fruitiness, probably the most of all the cafes we've visited so far. There are better or more interesting coffees in Letná, but Dos Mundos knows coffee and you should go here for a coffee.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
COBRA
Impression:
The all-day operation - from morning coffee to lunch to the evening cocktail bar is very much a challenge and we say bravo! They have very good, above-average coffee at Cobra in the same way you might go there for a good drink in the evening. Although the espresso doesn't have a particularly strong aroma, the taste makes it a really nice drink. Sweetness and acidity in relative balance, as if it wasn't even a hipster place. Flat white has well-whipped milk, interesting fruitiness, it's a very pleasant drink. Well-prepared and quickly dispensed coffees, pro service... nothing to add, Cobra is a pretty good place.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
KAFE FRANCIN
Impression:
And a surprise at the end! The last cafe and roastery of our tour today is a place we would love to return to. The grinder is a local City Blend. The setting is admittedly unhipster, un-Letná, the espresso is pleasant in aroma but the spices are most prominent in the taste, the aftertaste is long, it's a pretty good espresso. Flat white visually perfect, great whipped milk very well blended with the coffee, great for a first sip. City Blend means a mix of Arabicas from Brazil and Tanzania, complemented by a "super quality" robusta, something you don't see much of at coffee shops with choice coffees. Which makes this place all the more of a surprise for us. In the end, if we were to recommend to our readers where to go in Letná, we would recommend Cafe Hrnek for an espresso, Kolektor in Veletržák for a flat white, and Kafe Francin for the best comprehensive coffee offer. The coffee here is very well roasted (including the surprising robusta) and prepared for the guest.
Detailed pictures in the gallery below the article.
