La Bodeguita del Medio Praha — Restaurant in Prague

La Bodeguita del Medio – Prague

As a Cuban who travels across Europe in search of authentic Cuban cuisine, I can honestly say that La Bodeguita del Medio in Prague has been by far the worst experience I've had.

From the start, it’s obvious that this place is designed purely for tourists. The service is poor, impersonal, superficial, and disconnected from Cuban culture. The staff consists of young, well-dressed women and men clearly chosen for appearance rather than knowledge or authenticity. No Cuban presence whatsoever. It feels like a staged version of Cuba made to look good in photos, not in flavor.

The food? Absolutely terrible. Completely unrecognizable as Cuban cuisine. The recipes, the seasoning, the ingredients, none of it resembles what you’d find in a real Cuban kitchen. The portions are tiny, the flavors flat or extreme in some cases, and the prices unjustifiably high. Honestly, you’re better off grabbing a KEBAB or a slice of PIZZA.

Just to compare: Less than two weeks ago, I visited QBA and Pequeña Habana in Berlin, and the food there was miles better, truly flavorful and rooted in Cuban tradition, and shockingly cheaper. That’s what real Cuban food tastes like. Location, entertainment, drinks may be Ok, I am not really sure but If you care at all about authentic Cuban cuisine, AVOID this place!!!

P.S.1: This was actually my second visit to the place, the first one was back in 2016. That night, I had a few drinks (acceptable), there was music, and the overall atmosphere was somewhat pleasant (nothing over the top). However, even back then, the food was very mediocre, and unfortunately, the others in our group shared the same impression.

P.S.2: I’m also uploading pictures of the food to be specific. The Ropa Vieja was oddly spicy, which is highly unusual in Cuban cuisine. The Potaje (black bean soup) was more like a thick paste, no sauce, just a starchy, dry bean mash. A complete failure in terms of this traditional dish. The chips were inedible: clearly pre-cooked (I saw them sitting out on a counter in the kitchen when we left), flavorless, cold, and hard enough to break a tooth, absolutely unacceptable.

The second dish featured what was supposedly Masas de cerdo con mojo (pork chunks with mojo). In Cuba, we never serve that kind of meat with a tomato-onion sauce, and we definitely don't call that mojo. Honestly, it was a culinary mess. I was burping up raw onion until the next day. The portion of rice served in the covered pot was tiny, maybe six spoonfuls, and again, those terrible chips made another unfortunate appearance.

P.S.3 Lastly, the Czech server was... strange. Both my wife and I wondered if she was feeling well, she didn’t seem quite present. Worse, she showed no empathy at all. When I complained about the food, she didn’t even apologize; she simply walked away. When I told her to let the chef know how disappointing the food was, she responded with a sarcastic “jo, jo, jo” and a smirk. On a positive note, there was a Slovak lady who greeted us at the entrance and took us to the table, she was genuinely friendly and professional. It's unfortunate that the other (blonde) waitress, who seemed to be in her 30s, ended up being the one responsible for our table.

Visit date: June 16, 2025 Time:...

Chef Intimidated Us, Guard Waved Pepper Spray

Update: Thank you for your response, but it does not reflect the reality of what happened. We did not “try to follow” — we simply asked if both of us could take a quick look downstairs before deciding to buy tickets. The guard physically blocked my wife with his hand, raised his voice aggressively, and then told us to leave when we asked him to calm down. After reading the owner’s reply, it saddens us even more that the situation was minimized as a “misunderstanding.” It saddens us that it came to this, and we will no longer be visiting what used to be our favorite place in Prague for a night out.

On 20 September, after over seven years of visiting, we had a shocking experience at La Bodeguita del Medio. We politely asked to see the downstairs area before buying tickets, but the guard blocked my wife with his hand, shouted aggressively, and then told us to leave. As we exited, he waved pepper spray at us while a chef stepped forward to intimidate us.

More to the story but this is a highlight of our night out at La Bodeguita.

After celebrating birthdays here and joining 20+ local friends over the years, we will never returnand warn othersof this behaviour. No guest should ever feel threatened in such an...

I recently had dinner there and overall, it was a very pleasant experience. The food was great and the service was also nice. The ambiance of the restaurant itself was lovely, with nice decor and a generally inviting atmosphere.

However, there was one significant issue that truly detracted from our experience: the live drum performance. While I appreciate the effort to create a lively atmosphere, the drumming was incredibly loud and relentless. It wasn't just background music; it was a powerful, percussive sound that made it genuinely difficult to have a conversation at our table. After a while, the constant, booming rhythm actually started to give me a headache. It was very unpleasant and made it hard to fully relax and enjoy the otherwise fantastic food and service.

I would recommend the place for its culinary offerings and great staff. However, I strongly urge the management to reconsider the volume or even the presence of the drum performance. Perhaps a different style of music, or a much lower volume, would allow diners to fully appreciate the dining experience you offer without the discomfort of...