A law banning smoking in restaurants and bars takes effect on May 31st 2017 – this to coincide with World Health Organisation No Tobacco Day. Similar bans are already in effect across the European Union. The Czech Republic is the last EU member to allow unrestricted smoking in restaurants.
The smoking ban will apply to all pubs, restaurants, cafes and bars. The ban will also apply to indoor entertainment facilities and spaces such as ballrooms, nightclubs, exhibition halls and concert venues.
Many Prague pubs and restaurants are already non-smoking. All of these places that I’ve previously reviewed are non-smoking:
Como Restaurant – although smoking is allowed on the outside terrace
Beckett’s Irish Pub – smoking allowed in the garden
Le Bouquet Wine Bar – smoking allowed on the few summer-month outside tables
Miky’s Food (Thai/Vietnamese)
Mesy (Thai)
Pizzeria Grosseto – although the summer garden has some smoking tables
The following have segregated smoking rooms:
Bernard Pub Bruselská – plus a large garden where smoking is allowed
Previous attempts to previously to ban smoking have failed because of amendments added to the bill. The last effort failed in May 2016 because it included a paragraph requiring pubs to have at least one non-alcoholic beverage cheaper than beer – a pretty difficult thing to do when beer is only 30Kc a half litre.
