New York Times

For years, many of the best new restaurants have opened in residential neighborhoods instead of in the city center. But recently, a couple of great destinations have appeared on either side of Old Town Square, giving diners at least two reasons to stay downtown.

Start with something a little green. Among starters, the shaved artichoke salad feels positively virtuous, blending bitter radicchio, artichokes and pine nuts in a citrus dressing. The rich pasta dishes are not quite so salubrious. The hearty, sweet-and-salty agnolotti, stuffed with pumpkin and brightened with fragrant amaretto, is topped with strips of crispy guanciale, like bacon bits for big kids.

Meat specialties include Argentine steaks and other high-profile imported cuts, but the real winner is the pork, roasted slowly at a low temperature and served with a thick Montelpulciano wine reduction and mashed potatoes. The meat in the dish, not terribly far from a classic Bohemian recipe, was extremely tender, its richness offset by the slightly acidic blackberry-and-black-pepper notes of the glaze.

La Finestra is classically Italian, so beer takes a back seat to wine. And in a nod to local sensibilities, the owners have worked with a well-regarded Moravian winery, Nove Vinarstvi, to produce a house cuvée, an aromatic white with lovely cantaloupe and apricot notes, if a slightly thin body.

La Finestra in Cucina, Platnerska 13; (420-222) 325-325; lafinestra.cz. An average meal, without beverages or tip, is about 1,300 korunas, or $70 at 18.5 koruna to the dollar.

Low

Lokal, which opened last fall on the other side of Old Town, is like a classic Czech pub, only better. The oft-changing menus of old-school recipes would be reason enough for a visit, but the owners, who run a number of upscale restaurants around town, seem to have imported the staff from their fine-dining establishments. The downside of Prague pubs is often a surliness of service, approaching open hostility, so it’s almost unnerving to walk into Lokal, where you are very likely to be greeted by a friendly “dobry den,” or “good day,” from each employee.

And though the fare might be described as grandmotherly, the menu boasts that it is made from scratch wherever possible, a claim not often seen in this city, and that the kitchen prefers smaller, local suppliers.

Indeed, several of the starters come from the U Dolejsich smokehouse in the Bohemian town of Davle, like the “Talian” sausage, a juicy variation on the spekacka, but without the often harsh smoky flavors. And given its tear-inducing pungency, the accompanying horseradish is plenty fresh.

Then there’s the classic svickova na smetane, beef tenderloin in cream sauce. In a concession to recent traditions, it comes from a roast, not a true tenderloin, though it is still served in a pitch-perfect, slightly sour sauce, which approaches a dessert pudding in its richness and depth of flavor. It is best accompanied by bread dumplings, which are unusually thick and fluffy. Your server may ask if you’d like more sauce or more dumplings (at no extra charge). The correct answer to both questions is yes.

Lokal, Dlouha 33; (420-222) 316-265; ambi.cz/ambiente-lokal-kontakt.php. An average meal, without beverages or tip, is about 250 koruna.