Czechia is the country with the highest per capita beer consumption in the world, known for its pilsners, and any country that holds that record has to have the cuisine to balance out all that beer drinking! Czech cuisine is full of hearty dishes rich in meats, breads, potatoes, and soups, with many dishes being influenced by the surrounding nations of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary.
Tipping is not mandatory in Czechia and not included in the final bill, but it is customary and recommended to tip 10% if you were satisfied with your service. I found both food and beverages in Prague to be reasonably priced, and the U.S. Dollar goes very far – I was able to get good quality sit-down meals for under $20 USD. I had my fair share of both delicious beer (to be discussed in a separate blog post) and scrumptious Czech foods. Here are all my favorite foods that I tried in Prague!
Chlebíčky at Bistro Sisters
On my first day in Prague, my train got in right around lunchtime, so I checked into my hotel and headed right out for food. I wandered to Bistro Sisters, which sits under a 10 minute walk from Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter. Bistro Sisters is a cute casual little eatery that specializes in obložené chlebíčky, or “garnished breads,” a traditional Czech open-faced sandwich. The selections are overwhelming because they all look so good! They are almost as much art as they are food, intricately garnished with various toppings. The sandwiches are small, so I ordered two, which was filling enough for me. My choices were the Budapešť, which has pepper spread with cottage cheese, roasted peppers, feta cheese on whole wheat bread; and the Masový, baguette topped with a meat salad of roast beef and Hungarian sausage with Moravian smoked meat and pickled onions. Both were incredible!
Nakládaný hermelín and Guláš at U Parlamentu
Restaurace U Parlamentu in Old Town is a cozy restaurant that serves a menu of traditional Czech dishes. After a day of sightseeing and working up an appetite I ordered a starter of Nakládaný hermelín, a “pickled” brie cheese that is a common snack in Czech pubs. The cheese is marinated with oils, herbs, and spices topped with peppers and served with bread. I love cheese to begin with, but this was so tasty I nearly finished the whole thing myself before my entree came out. But I was glad I saved room for my guláš (goulash), beef roast stew served with bread dumplings and topped with red onion. The meat was so tender and juicy. In typical Czech fashion I washed my meal down with a refreshing Pilsner Urquell, the traditional Czech pilsner known to be the world’s first pale lager.
Větrník at Cafe Savoy
Cafe Savoy sits on the Malá Strana side of the Vltava River and serves up traditional regional cuisine in a refined atmosphere, but is perhaps better known for its selection of sweets and pastries. The restaurant can be a hopping place, but if you are only in search of a coffee and/or a sweet treat they luckily have a little takeaway window on the sidewalk. I walked here after having a light lunch while exploring Prague Castle to get an afternoon snack. I got a Větrník pastry to go and walked a few minutes to find a quiet bench in a little park along the river where I could stuff my face with no judgment. I devoured that pastry. Větrník are traditional Czech delicacies made of choux pastries filled with cream like a little sandwich and coated in caramel. It was fluffy and decadent. I am still dreaming about this pastry.
Old Prague Ham on Old Town Square
Spend any time in Old Town Square and you’re bound to be mesmerized by the ham spinning over a grill. The method of brine-curing and then smoking ham dates back to a Prague butcher in the 1860s, and the ham gained popularity throughout the region and became a major export in the 1920s and 1930s. The ham stands on Old Town Square may look like tourist traps, often with long lines, but at the recommendation of a friend I decided to give one a try when my dinner plans fell through one night. You buy the ham based on weight in grams. They will usually pile a few pieces on your plate and you can tell them if you want more. It’s served with bread and you can opt for mustard if you want, but I chose to just savor the ham’s smokey flavoring. The stand also serves Czech pilsners to accompany your meal. It was some good ham and definitely worth it!
Plněné bramborové knedlíky at U Medvídků
After being out all day on an excursion to Kutná Hora, I decided one night to stay in at my hotel U Medvídků and enjoy the traditional cuisine served at the restaurant. I ordered a starter house salad – I rarely ever order salads out, but with Czech cuisine being so meat-potato-bread heavy my body was craving a vegetable! For my entree I then got Plněné bramborové knedlíky – stuffed potato dumplings. The dumplings were stuffed with smoked meat and served over a bed of sauerkraut, red cabbage, and spring onions. It was delicious! Being that the hotel is a historic brewery too, I of course paired dinner with one of their signature Oldgott amber lagers. And ended up at the bar after dinner for some additional brews!
All of the delicious food I ate in Prague was just the tip of the iceberg! Read more about the things I did during my time in Prague with the below articles:
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