Prague Explorer: A Futuristic Prague Market, Cosy Café, Tattoo from a Mom and More

What are some great, lesser-known Prague markets, parks, restaurants, cafés, events, or artists? Let’s discover Prague together! Here are some ideas I collected for you in the past weeks that you need to check out including a futuristic Prague market and more. 

Prague Market: Manifesto

A sudden breeze makes me shiver, but the heating lamp above my head balances it out in a second. The rain pours, and we frown at it from our dry seats in the food court. The smell of oranges and cinnamon tickles my nose. We all turn our gazes to the red waterfall. Káťa fills our glasses with hot sangria. “It’s nothing like the weak svařák you get at Václavák,” the bartender educated us.

When we all have a hot beverage in front of us, Harry looks around, “Don’t you feel like in the setting of Blade Runner?” He nails it. This hospitality project from a landscape architect Martin Barry is one of the first completely cashless markets in Europe, which sounds pretty futuristic and on the theme. 

In front of me is an Indian stand, behind me Mexican, and here goes Matt with “Faency” fries. I turn around to check how much some tacos would cost me. I stare at the price for a bit. Then I slowly turn back and, with a sigh, steal a fry from Matt’s plate and take a sip from my cup. But the hot sangria is pretty good indeed.

Manifesto Florenc closed at the end of last year to be re-opened at a new location. In the meantime, we can enjoy the project, Manifesto Andel. 

🍸 Open daily 11 AM – 10 PM (and sometimes longer)

📍 Ostrovského 34, 150 00 Praha 5 – Smíchov

Prague Café: Kavárna Orient

Hundreds of tiny lights line my way to the courtyard of the community space Dvůr Kobylisy. I turn left to the wooden stairs. Miau, the local furry cutie I call Fatty, looks at me. I open the door and let the lady in first. The crackling spreads through the warm room. I see a girl putting logs in the stove. “What can I get you?” Her colleague smiles at me from behind the bar. “Just ginger tea, please.” I resist the selection of cakes. “Take a seat. I’ll bring it to you in a second.” I start walking. 

By the window, a girl types on her laptop. From her eagerness, I conclude that the cup of coffee next to her is cold. An old lady in an elegant dress sits at the next table and scans the room. I’ve seen her before; she likes to chat with people. She looks at me without recognition and smiles. There are two moms with a stroller in the corner. They watch an older kid destroying the place. A young couple chats over a glass of wine directly opposite. All seats inside are taken. 

I exit through the back door onto a covered wooden patio and find a seat under a heating lamp. “The ship is arriving, ” the waitress jokes as she pushes the tea tray across the table. I take a sip and look through an industrial-looking window that shields me from the wind. Some more lights frame it. “I should come here more often,” I think. 

Kavárna Orient is a small café where you can taste selected coffees from the Holešovice’s Mezzo Caffe roastery.

☕ Open MO-FR 7 AM – 8 PM; SA 10 AM – 8 PM

📍 Klapkova 1035/28, 182 00 Praha 8 – Kobylisy

Prague Art: MamaTattooPrague

Ring. Buzz. Squeak goes the door. I look down the wooden staircase winding to a Karlin’s cellar. As I step down, the warmth and smell of lemongrass remind me of going to a spa. In fact, I’m visiting a new Mamatattoo studio of a Prague tattoo artist and mom, Katerina Gromanova.  

Katka’s colorful paintings decorate the brick walls. In the corner hang t-shirts and tank tops with her designs, and shelves display painted shoes and hats. “Hi!” We shake hands. “You can take off your jacket and come sit down with me,” she points at her desk next to the reception. When seated, I quickly skim through a form and sign it while Katka prints in different sizes the design she prepared for me – David Černý’s babies. 

I stand in front of the mirror in the backroom, where the magic happens, and decide what size of the tattoos to choose. Katka, in the meantime, is preparing her workstation and installing a new gadget to try on me. It’s a lamp with a phone holder. “For making time-lapses for Instagram reels,” Katka explains. 

I climb on a black plastic-covered chair and offer my arm. “Are you ready? Let’s do it,” Katka looks at me, and I nod. She keeps me engaged in a conversation so that I don’t have time to analyze shades of pain. “Women generally handle the pain more gracefully,” she admits. “And we’re done,” she announces finally. I look at my arm, “Already! Oh, how cool!” 

Katka poses me in front of a white wall and takes some photos and a video of her work. “Have you ever tried a protective tattoo film?” She asks and then explains how to take care of my new tattoo. We finalize with contactless payment, and a beep on my phone announces I’ve received my personalized invoice. No wonder, with such a great business mindset and customer care, MamaTattoo enjoys recognition for her work.

Mamatattooprague

📍 Sokolovská 111/36, 186 00  Praha 8 – Karlin

📧 mamatattooprague@gmail.com

📞 +420 775 167 276

Prague Musician: Moving On – Heyme About Going Solo and His New Albums

A master of improvisation, and a multi-instrumentalist, Heyme spent the 90’s touring Europe with various bands, performing at festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, and opening for musicians such as Iggy Pop. In 2019, Heyme released his first solo album full of cozy sax tones and naked feelings. Last year, he prepared a new sensory experience for us.

In his solo project, Heyme leverages his improvisational background to bring unique freshness and authenticity to each song. He builds tracks using his loop station and improvises over riffs with various instruments. Heyme’s tracks set you up for an atmospheric experience that will leave your universe in a perfect balance. Surrender to the unique jazzy vibes.

Prague Producer: New Whimsical Surprises from the Unconventional Music Producer Nicco Lupen

Music producer Nicco Lupen unceasingly pushes his limits and surprises his audience with new collaborations and genres, taking your experience to a new level. 

Italian native Nicco Lupen cultivated his love of music with a bass guitar in his hands, playing in a punk band in his teenage years. He then moved to Spain, and the diversity and overlap of musical genres he encountered seduced him. He spent his twenties DJing and experimenting with music styles at parties in Spain and playing at some of Europe’s biggest festivals, such as the Rototom Sunsplash.

Nicco, now settled in Prague, began writing a new chapter in his music career, driven by a desire for creative freedom. He produces mood-based tracks that fall outside genre labels. “I really love that I’m finally free to create songs according to my current mood without getting stuck in a genre.” His music is like the proverbial Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates… you never know what genre or mood you’re gonna get. Just hit PLAY to go down the rabbit hole.

Don’t Miss Out

I hope you found something that you like there; if you have some cool tips, please leave a comment here or on Facebook or Instagram and follow my social media accounts to check out the discoveries as I post them in real-time. And for even more exclusive tips, subscribe to my newsletter:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn