Levitate — Restaurant in Prague

We have visited this restaurant three years ago. Since then, the menu has changed as have the prices and the concept. Now there are only two menus - elite with 12 courses and mystery menu with 18 courses. As we go quite often for good dinners (Michelin restaurants but fine dining in general) I think we have good comparison possibilities around Europe.

First of all I personally don’t like these mystery menus as I would like to know what we will be getting before I have to make a reservation with a pre payment of 1500CZK per person with the official statement that a free cancellation is only possible until 72h prior to arrival. After I checked with them I was told 24h is also possible but 72h is a little over the top. It’s not a 3 star restaurant in New York. […]. On the other hand I understand that they have only five tables and want to keep it exclusive but for tourists it’s not easy to decide for a reservation in this case.

The amuse bouches are served in the entrance area together with an aperitif (a glass of champagne for 500CZK is crazy!, the gin tonic for 240 was very good). They have a water flat rate of 100 CZK per person that is also fine. The first three greetings from the kitchen (aqua, flora and fauna) were very good - BUT are the first three courses already. The concept is explained once more during the aperitif (aqua flora and fauna themed dishes in several courses).

To be honest we haven’t been in a fine dining restaurant so far that are counting three bite sized amuse bouche as three courses already. Bread was not served.

The service is excellent. Friendly. Professional. Multi lingual. Very good.

The food itself is also very good - but - when making a reservation you really must list all the ingredients that you don’t like in general as they don’t publish the menu which makes it quite complicated in my eyes.

The portions are very small - yes. To be honest after twelve micro courses we were not really full at the end of the evening. On the other hand guests cannot be forced to take the large menu which is 3300 CZK per person with 18 mini courses. Wine pairing for 2700 CZK is also overpriced in my opinion.

Definitely the quality of food is very good as well as is the presentation of the food. I understand that this all has to be paid - but - there were not really three main dishes so it’s really not enough food in the end - for us as guests it was also not clear how the dishes are connected - if it’s more like six starters, three mains and three desserts ? This is also not communicated from the staff and definitely leads to misinterpretations and false expectations from the guests. In our opinion. For sure there can be six starters but the main dishes shall be somehow clearly to identify.

Overall - service 10/10. Food quality very good - but concept not clearly communicated and portions too small. No drink list - aperitifs really overpriced - wine list huge but also on the high price level - we paid over 300€ and had only the small menu, one bottle of wine and two aperitifs which for Prague is way too much. We would be cheaper in other Michelin starred restaurants and would not go out hungry after the dinner. I don’t think we would come again. Unfortunately as the ambience is very nice as well.

Last point - it is nice that they only served Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk - but most of the guests would prefer maybe an espresso or some other hot drink. I know the chef is from Vietnam but in my opinion the standards shall be offered anyway. They can offer the special coffee as signature drink but to offer ONLY this makes no sense to me.

I think that most of the guests are tourists that come once, during our visit only English speaking people were there, no Czech people which is a pity. Price value ratio is not on the best side. We had far better dinners for this money paid, especially when considering this dinner was in league....

-sexism My biggest problem was with the waiter (asian male if the restaurant cares) who would only talk to my company (male) and not to me (female). Whenever they brought a dish or drinks, the waiter/waitress would tell us a little bit about it -where is it from, what it is, the story behind it etc. And I was sitting there as a woman, looking at the waiter of course, since he was talking about my dish I paid for, and was completely ignored by him, as he was literally looking and talking only to my partner. He(partner) noticed that too and so we decided he would be looking and noding at me as to acknowledge my presence and that we BOTH are listening. To no use. This is how women were treated centuries ago and this experience was at least outrageous, more like absolutely unacceptable. ☆On principle I would never go there again, and I wouldn't advice anyone to dine there either.☆

-food and communication Food was delicious of course, you have never tasted combinations like that, can't be described in a google review. Unfortunately only vegetarian and meat options. When making the reservation I asked in the note/comment section if they were able to make it vegan and ☆never got an answer☆. That is truly the least they could do, to answer. There are amazingly succesfull fully plant-based 5 star restaurants around the world Levitate could be inspired by. Nothing sexier that taking responsibility for the world we live in:)

-drinks, non-alco pairing I wasn't fan of some of the drinks (nonalcoholic pairing), personal taste. And water for 200 czk was a bit too much for even this restaurant, especially when not mentioning it will be extra cost. (as we thought it was included in the wine pairings, or for free-which is the norm in many restaurants)

-atmposhere Impacted by the sexist behavior, yet I want to acknowledge the ☆beautiful and clean interior☆. What was interesting to me were other guests who would be on their phones and never say thank you to the staff. But that is definitely not on the restaurant's side. Just sharing my experience with anyone reading:)

Overall, incredible food,...

Simply put, the best meal I have ever experienced. Levitate offers two versions of their chef’s tasting menu, one longer and featuring more dishes than the other. Their offerings are based on Vietnamese cousine crafted from ingredients local to the Czech Republic and then prepared in the Nordic style (meaning an emphasis on no waste and sustainable sourcing). For example, an early offering was an artichoke root foam soup, over which they had saved the peelings from the root to be turned into flavorful crisps and the ashes sprinkled over top—delicious.

The longer “Mystery” service consists of about 18 separate offerings ranging from a single bite of something delightful to a small plate of tasty items. Each round is beautifully plated and presented with appropriate drama. At one point we delighted in a mushroom soup, based on four different varieties found locally, presented along side a mossy bowl containing pickled mushrooms to complement which then were surrounded by a cloud of fragrant cool mist to evoke “the forest in the morning”. It tasted great and looked stunning.

By coincidence we are at Field the night before, a fabulous restaurant in its own right that has already earned a Michelin star. That meal was great but this was better.

Levitate will soon be moving to a new and larger location which promises to feature an even more engaging culinary experience. But I’m proud to say I enjoyed their first location, an intimate basement setting with less than a dozen tables and an attentive staff. The wine pairings are top notch, and my wife raved over their non-alcoholic pairings blended onsite by their skilled sommelier. At the end of our meal the executive chef stopped by our table and chatted for a good bit of time, telling us about the food, his plans and the history of his restaurant.

If you are in Prague with the time for a leisurely dinner of the highest quality, make a reservation at Levitate. You will wonder why the Michelin Guide has not favored them with...