Finestrina — Restaurant in Prague

Dining at Finestrina was a phenomenal experience and the perfect way to start our time in Prague. We arrived at our apartment building much earlier than check-in and, after a long flight, were both exhausted and hungry. Luckily, Finestrina was just a few doors down from our apartment entrance — and what a great discovery it was!

The food was absolutely delicious. We started with the calamari appetizer, followed by grilled octopus for the main course, and finished with one of the best tiramisus I’ve ever had. Every dish was outstanding — fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented.

But the biggest highlight of our meal was our server, Johnny Rose, who also happens to be the general manager. Johnny was amazing — warm, attentive, and incredibly helpful. A huge bonus was that he’s fluent in English, which made us feel especially welcome and at ease during our first hours in the city. He took the time to answer all our questions and offered great insights that made a real difference in our stay.

Finestrina is more than just a great restaurant — it’s a welcoming and memorable experience....

Overall, I thought this was pretty poor. Over 40 minute wait between courses and no communication of this. Fritto Misto was served without any lemon and a tiny portion of aioli - I don’t think the Japanese will be losing any sleep having seen the batter either. Pastas when they finally arrived were good.

I’m a fan of al dente vegetables but the grilled veg were so ungrilled that one side of the courgette tasted like it had just come out of the fridge - when I pointed this out to the staff they refused to admit it, before sarcastically taking the dish away, grilling the veg to within an inch of its lives and mocking us. We also ordered tap water which we were charged 100kn for.

Overall I thought this was a very disappointing experience, entirely due to the poor attitude of the restaurant and particularly the staff. Would...

Absolutely fantastic food, service and ambiance. Our server, Eric, is an all-star. So enthusiastic about food and enjoyable to chat with. He made recommendations for the best Italian food and meat that we have tasted in many years. We had the burrata peppers and anchovy starter. What an amazing combination of flavors. Followed by the dry aged filet mignon so tender it seemed to melt in our mouthes with grilled veggies. Our final dish was linguini with lobster. Not a single dish was anything but delicious. Johnny, the GM, checked in with us and couldn’t have been more gracious. He offered a top shelf barrel aged golden grappa, complimentary, that was a 100! Finestrina is better than any Michelin restaurant where we have dined. If visiting Prague this restaurant should be on your agenda. Great playlist...