Café U Kajetána — Restaurant in Prague

2,5 stars in fact. Here's why.

Very nice place with very nice food. We entered on our way back from the castle to have a small break. Of course, prices are a little high due to the location (mala strana quarter), but I dropped my review to 2,5 stars because of the service.

I was surprised to see so many negative comments on TripAdvisor, mainly concerning the service, and unfortunately, I have to say there's still progress to make there.

The waitress brought us the note because they were about to close. We paid separately, with 40CZK more than we should have, because we didn't have any small money. We waited for the change (we didn't say anything when the waitress took it, neither did she except thank you)... It never came! So we went to the register, explained we were still waiting for the change, and it took the waitress 3min to understand it was not an intended tip! She apologised and gave us the money back, but if it was just for that, I wouldn't be upset. What upset me, is the comment her colleague had to make in Czech in front of us, sth that didn't sound very positive (but who knows?)

It may seem a little detail, but it ruins an experience. So please, when training your personal, teach them those few things (I worked in a restaurant so I know how tough it can be but):

never assume sth is a tip! If not told so (like "keep the change it's ok"), you ALWAYS bring back the change. People will decide upon themselves if they want to tip you or not, it is not YOUR decision to make. Plus, it's written on your menu that service is not included, so if you didn't force my hand, I would have left one! Plus, as foreigners, we don't really get the value of 10CZK in comparison to a waitress' gross salary, so we have no ideas if 40CZK is a big, normal or small tip. Never forget that either.

NEVER, NEVER EVER make comments about customers in front of them, just because you think they don't speak your language! First, a day will come you'll face someone bilingual (and there my friend, good luck). Otherwise, just because you don't get the language doesn't mean you can't read an atmosphere. Anyhow, it is a very rude attitude, you're playing dumb with a customer. Say anything you want once the customer is gone, but not while he/she is still there.

A very long review here, but I hope it could help you improve your service skills somehow, because it is your big weakpoint...

I had an appalling experience at this place on Sunday afternoon February 2nd and I feel compelled to share it. The male staff member on duty was not just unprofessional—his behavior bordered on outright discrimination.

When I tried to pay with my card, he rudely pointed at the card reader, telling me to tap my card. But of course, it didn’t work !because he hadn’t even entered the amount!! It’s basic knowledge that a payment can’t process without this step. Was this incompetence or intentional? I’ll let you decide.

Since I didn’t have Czech currency, I offered to pay in euros, and he randomly charged me 5 euros for an ice cream trdelník. That price seemed completely arbitrary, and I highly doubt it’s accurate. It felt like I was being overcharged just because I’m a foreigner.

But it didn’t stop there. When I asked if I could sit inside, he blocked my way and claimed all the seats were taken. However, when I went to use the restroom as he allowed I clearly saw empty seats. Why lie about that? Was it because of my ethnicity? It certainly felt that way.

I left feeling humiliated and disrespected. This was one of the worst service experiences I’ve ever had, and I will never return. If you’re a tourist or anyone who expects basic courtesy, avoid this place...

The people working there seemed like they had just came there for their first day of work without any help to get them going.

We had to tell them our order (cappucino, tea, trdelnik) 3 separate times until they finally remembered the whole order. Then it took them 5 minutes to come up with a price for the order (which was 4€ + 4€ + 4.50€) and finally then they told us that its cash only because their card reader wasnt working.

Then when we were standing there with our coffee, tea and trdelnik they told us that apparently they were full and it was takeout only (bear in mind this is a cold day in Janury).

I finally get to pay the 12.50€ by giving them 13€ in cash and the server starts running around the cafe for a few minutes until he finds the register and starts collecting some small coins to pay the change. I told them keep the change and we got out, we ended up dumping the tea cause it was filled to the brim with no lid and trying to walk with it was a DIY 3rd degree burn experiment.

1/5 would not recommmend. The trdelnik we got was decent and they offered vegan options but it seemed like they barely knew they had vegan options so I wouldnt even...