Praha Bohemian Bakery and Cafe — Restaurant in Crozet

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I had really high hopes for this bakery and had been wanting to try it for a long time, even though it’s a bit out of the way for me. When I finally made it there, the place looked cute and cozy, with a few people working on their laptops. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended.

There were three staff members behind the counter, completely absorbed in their own conversation. They reluctantly helped one customer, but otherwise ignored me. I browsed the pastry case for several minutes, fully expecting someone to check in, but no one did. Eventually, I walked over to the counter and stood there, waiting to be acknowledged. Only after an obvious stare-down did someone finally ask if I needed help. It was clear I was a customer, yet they acted like serving me was an interruption.

I had planned to buy a box of pastries for my family, but by then I was so annoyed I just ordered a single pastry and a cup of coffee. The coffee was lukewarm, clearly sitting around for hours, and when I asked for something fresh, they gave me a slightly hotter cup, but still not what you’d expect. To top it off, they gave me the wrong pastry. At that point, I should have walked out, but I decided to give them a chance.

The pastry was fine, nothing memorable. The coffee tasted like cheap office coffee that’s been sitting on a burner all day. Honestly, I don’t understand the glowing five-star reviews unless they’re from friends of the owners. After my experience, I relate far more to the lower-star reviews.

This visit was a huge disappointment after looking forward to it for so long. I won’t be going back; I’ll stick with...

The employees at Praha have great energy and enthusiasm - they're always bubbly, happy, and helpful. Additionally, the inside of the bakery offers a very nice conversational atmosphere with an excellent music selection (with the volume never so loud as to make conversation difficult). As the food goes, the bagels are by far and away the BEST bagels you will find in Central VA! Unfortunately the other baked goods and the lattes here have been consistently underwhelming. At this point we have sampled the vast majority of their menu, and the pastries have been uniformly bland with the kolac also being overly dense and tough/chewy. The chocolate chip cookies have great spread and rise, a lovely light caramelization on the bottom, and a delightful crumb, but the flavor is bland and uninspiring. The lattes have good flavor, but have routinely been served at only slightly above room temperature (my wife greatly dislikes coffee that is at all "hot" and yet the coffee at Praha is served too cool even for her liking, though when summer heats up we will give iced lattes a go). We will continue to go back for bagels (they really are stunningly good - a delightfully thin and gently crispy crust with a light and delicately fluffy yet slightly doughy interior, and an excellent balance of flavors), but if you are in the mood for pastry, cookies, or a hot latte I feel your taste buds (and wallet) will be far better served by visiting some of the other local-area bakeries and...

I read the many positive reviews - as you undoubtedly have, too - and realize that my opinion is an unpopular one. Please judge for yourself. What we had early this morning, however, was shocking both in its poor quality and high price.

The sweet kolaches were flavorless, with a week-old, dense texture. They were SO cold. Were they defrosting from having been frozen? Sitting for days? Despite being warmed, the sausage inside the savory kolache was frigid, while the veggie egg bite tasted only of the pool of lukewarm water in which it sat. The pumpkin roll was underbaked but edible: salvaged by a slathering of cream cheese frosting.

And then - the coffee. I received mine while my partner waited. And waited. Finally, we asked and were told we had not ordered two coffees but could buy one now. We had not been offered a receipt when we paid and, in the moment, could not prove we had ordered and paid for two coffees. In doing the math after leaving - $30! - it was clear we had. We went to Mudhouse for the 2nd coffee, reeling from the wholly unhappy experience and vowing -...