Food to try and places to eat in Prague
There’s plenty of great food to try in Prague. Czech cuisine may seem like a mashup of neighbouring specialities, but you certainly won’t go hungry.
If you are on a health kick, Prague may not be the destination for you. The Czech Republic is known for being one of the unhealthiest countries in the world and with beer that flows like water and rarely a menu item that isn’t meaty, covered in cream, fried or all three it isn’t hard to see why.
But if it’s comfort food you’re after, this is the place. Stews, fried goodness, pastries, and thick hot chocolate are among the must-tries. Here’s my recommendation for what food to try in Prague and some great places to eat.
Food and drink to try in Prague
Trdelník
Trdelnik is hands down the best food to try in Prague! The Czechs make these delightful desserts by rolling pastry around a stick about the size of my arm and then grilling it over hot coals. The result is a hollow, doughnut-like treat sprinkled in cinnamon and sugar. They taste amazing on their own, but for an extra treat try it with extra fillings and toppings.
My favourite was the trdelnik coated with Nutella and I walked around eating it while sightseeing. Inevitably, I ended up with chocolate all over my face and hands. Other varieties are smothered in spreads like pistachio or even filled with ice cream. A savoury version also exists which come with a range of fillings like pulled pork. Although I didn’t try this, having filled up on too many sweet versions.
A plain one will set you back 60kc (about £2). I actually filled up on them for lunch one day. Later, I heard about an Aussie guy that basically lived off of them his whole time in Prague, tucking away about seven a day!
Beer
Prague is famous for the stuff and on many menus it’s cheaper to get a 0.3L glass than it is to get water (seriously). Pilsners are everywhere and taste so fresh. I quite like beer (more than wine, I know I’m odd) so couldn’t wait to have a nice glass or five. Even if it isn’t your usual drink, if you are able to have it, I’d definitely recommend at least trying a brew while you’re there.
I was travelling on my own but really wanted to check out the local brews and found a great solution: a Beer tour! I took this one from Sandemans and it was one of the highlights of my trip. Book ahead as it is just a small group per daily tour (which leaves from the Old Town Square at 6 pm). It was a friendly group of us from the UK, US and Brazil ranging in age and we ended up having a great time.
Our tour guide took us to three bars where we tried a range of lagers (included a nettle infused one and a honey one), two 0.3L in each of the first bars and a pint in the last one. At the first bar, we had a little history lesson of beer in the Czech Republic while we sipped and then it was mainly a lot of chatting at the next two!
Hot Chocolate
Prague has some amazing hot chocolate! Found in many of the cafes, the best is super rich, almost pure hot chocolate. The best I had was from Cafe Louvre, a small cup of thick hot chocolate with a bowl of whip cream to add yourself. Yum!
Mulled Wine
Not just found at Christmas in Prague! I visited in March, and while the weather was unseasonably warm, there was a biting chill to the wind, and sometimes one just needs to grab a mulled wine from a street stall to keep them warm!
Schnitzel
I’m a fan of chicken schnitzel, it is such a great comfort food. The thin meat is breaded and fried in butter, usually served with lemon to squeeze over top. I had some from Lokal (see restaurant recommendations) with some amazing potato salad to go with it.
Goulash
Ok, sorry Czech Republic, but I did not like goulash! But it’s such a famous dish I had to try it and it could have been that I got it at somewhere random rather than a restaurant I knew would have good reviews (I was starving so popped in the first place I spotted). It’s was a bit too rich and salty for my taste. It’s such an iconic dish that it’s a must try for non-veggies, so go somewhere highly rated to try it.
The dish is usually made up of braised beef in a thick, gravy-like stew, served with onions and bread dumplings.
Restaurant recommendations
Lokal
I kept hearing about this casual restaurant serving up Czech classics done right. Located on Dlouhá street, Lokal is reasonably priced and so good.
I’d recommend going for lunch. When I stopped by at dinner time it had an hour wait but was able to go right in for lunch.
Cafe Louvre
Cafe Louvre is an institution of the city, having opened in 1902 and having entertained many a famous guest over its many years, including Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka.
Yet it’s surprisingly affordable, but with incredible food. I opted for the homemade gnocchi with salmon in a pesto cream sauce, which tasted fresh yet indulgent. This was followed up with one of the richest hot chocolates I’ve ever had for dessert.
Pauseteria
Hungry after an early morning exploring, I was craving some brunch (you can take the Londoner out of London…) and found this modern little cafe not far from the old town. My chai latte was wonderful and it serves up a great avocado on toast!
Cafe Savoy
To satisfy coffee cravings and your sweet tooth, go to Cafe Savoy in Malá Strana. They have fabulous pastries to fill up on, perfect if you are planning a walk up to the castle afterwards! Really Instagram worthy treats, if you don’t start digging in before getting a snap (yep, that’s what I did).
Modry Zub Long Street Food
After so much comfort food, I was craving fresh flavours one night so I popped into this casual restaurant serving street food from all parts of Southeast Asia. I went for Vietnamese Bun Nem and it was delicious.
Have you been to Prague? What food did you love? Or what would you be most wanting to try on a future trip? Let me know in the comments!
21 Comments
Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle
I didn’t know all this about Prague at all. Very informative read. 🙂
Anaïs N.
I’ve been to Pragues only once when I was 18 and it was with school so I didn’t really discover the food there as we ate at the hotel or fast food hahaha but would love to go back and try all of these!!! Seems delicious, yum yum
Off a Small Island
It’s worth it for the trdelnik alone!
entermyworldweb
I really want to go to Prague, and this was some great places that I can add to my list whenever I go! Also it has made me very hungry haha xx
Jenny in Neverland
I love posts like this! It makes me wanna jet off and try ALL the food. I’m not a drinker but I’d love to try the hot chocolate and definitely the schnitzel!
Jenny in Neverland
Hannah Read
That beer tour looks great! As does as all the food. I’ve never been to Prague but it’s good to know that they have some lovely-looking meals out there – I’m not massively into food from that area of the world which has put me off going but I think you’ve convinced me 😊
glowsteady
The Trdelník looks so so so good. Definitely sounds like quite an indulgent place in terms of what to eat. Thanks for the recommendations x
Sophie
bournemouthgirl
It all looks lovely, thank you for sharing x
Thesacredspaceap
Oh wow! This has made me hungry. It all looks delicious. I have never been but I want to now!
Thank you for sharing with us
Alyssa
Thesacredspaceap.com
sapphireroses
It’s decided. My mission is to try Trdelník!
Lucy Earnshaw
That chimney cake type thingy looks immense! Next time you have one go for the Lotus Biscoff spread inside it’s life changing!
Off a Small Island
Omg I didn’t see that! I love that spread too! That’s it, I need to go back just for that now!
justnatonya
I never been to Prague before but the food sounds phenomenal! I wanna check out a schnitzel recipe🍗🍴 thanks for sharing this guide with us 👌🏽😊
Natonya | https://justnatonya.wordpress.com
jasonlikestotravel
I’ve been wanting to go to Prague forever but still haven’t got around to it. I can’t say it’s somewhere I’d instantly think of for schnitzel (Austria) or Goulash (Hungary) but interesting that you tried it in the Czech Republic.
I think the beer interests me more than anything haha. I’ll be checking out that Sandemans tour when I get around to visiting. Great read!
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Seeking Wonderful
Trdelnik is the best dessert ever! I was so happy when one store opened up in Ljubljana last year. Heaven. Prague has some really amazing places to eat, one of our favourite ones was Nase Maso, which is like butchery place with food. Very small, kind of a bistro place with really amazing and cheap food.
ourcrossings
Great post and fantastic photos, would love to visit Prague one day, it looks and sounds like an amazing city to explore! Desserts made from rolled pastry would be a very welcoming addition to everything else😀
Fernweh
I did not know any of this about Prague! My great grandparents were from Prague, maybe that’s why I have such a hard time eating healthy, it’s in my DNA 🙂 Great post, I hope to visit prague in October 2019, and will definitely use this for reference before my trip!
Helen
I hadn’t realised that the Czech Republic had a reputation for being so unhealthy, although it certainly makes sense! Not an easy country to be a vegetarian in, and I struggled even as a pescetarian! Lokal is so good, and there’s a great atmosphere there, although as a non-beer drinker I think I was missing out a little (although I did try the really foamy pour, because, well, when in Rome!). I particularly liked the carp, and the dumplings are so much ligher and fluffier than you’d expect.
I went on a food tour with Taste of Prague, who were really great, and took us to some places I don’t think I would have found otherwise. They did admirably well finding non-meat menus for me at some quite hip places (although one stop was literally a butchers!).
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