Prague in 48 hours: The food

Before I got to the city, food was definitely *not* the first thing I thought of when I imagined visiting Prague.

Of course, it was the city’s many sights that initially sprang to mind. The orange rooftops, a castle on the hill, the Astronomical Clock and the many spires – these are the things I daydreamed about.

When I did finally make my trip there, the whole visit was a surprise, as my boyfriend planned it all for my birthday. Thanks to reading plenty of other travel blogs, I had an idea of what I wanted to see while there. Little did I know, though, I would be left as equally (and pleasantly) surprised by the city’s food as I was by the attractions.

Over the course of those few days, we encountered traditional Czech dishes – from sweet treats to street food to hearty stews.

If you’re heading over to Prague soon, I’ve rounded up my favourite dishes and drinks I sampled while in the city. As a bonus, I’ve picked three superb places for an authentic dining experience.

Read on, but beware – this post may leave you feeling hungry!

If you’ve travelled anywhere in Eastern Europe before, some of these dishes may sound/look familiar. To cope with the cold winters, meaty stews and dishes involving potatoes feature strongly on menus and beer is the drink of choice for locals.

But there’s so much more than this; whatever your preference, I guarantee that at least one of these dishes will pique your interest.

I’m a Pole, so I’m very familiar with dumplings, namely pierogi. In Prague, however, dumplings take on a number of different forms.

The most common one doesn’t look like a dumpling at all. To me, knedliky resemble slices of white bread with the crusts cut off. This breadlike appearance aside, these dumplings are dense, made up of wheat or potatoes and are perfect for mopping up those meaty stews I mentioned before.

Since our visit was in winter, the goulash-and-dumplings combo became our go-to when hiding out from the cold weather outside.

You can also get stuffed dumplings, which turned out to be my favourite kind. Bacon lardons and sauerkraut inside potato-based dumplings? Heaven.

Say it with me: Deep. Fried. Flatbread.

And then just to quadruple the temptation, cover all of this with grated cheese and tomato sauce.

We tried langos for the first time when we spotted a crowd around one stand at the Prague Christmas market. Intrigued, we decided to order whatever they were selling, and we ended up with this.

Do not let the langos’ humble appearance fool you – this is indulgence at its best. Made up of a simple dough that’s then deep-fried, langos can be served in a number of ways. Sometimes there’s sour cream, sometimes there’s a meat topping and, although we didn’t find this, you can also get sweet versions of langos.

If you, like me, find yourself craving snacks of the deep-fried variety from time to time, the salty and cheese-covered langos will be the perfect answer.

This was another similarity we spotted with other Eastern European countries, as Prague seems to be as focused on having the widest array of cured meats and sausages possible.

Even as we sat in restaurants, waitrons would ask us whether we wanted a side plate of sausages while we waited for our mains. Since Chris is a meat fiend, I think he was rather happy with this arrangement.

Although I don’t think vegetarians will struggle in Prague (there are plenty of vegetarian restaurants and menus that cater for this), many signature Czech dishes do involve meat.

Roast pork, schnitzels and cooked ham can be found on most traditional menus, while you can also sample more expensive meats like wild boar. I avoid game meat completely, but I loved all of the other dishes we tried while there.

Be prepared though – the portion sizes are very generous!

Although this dish is said to originate from Romania, you’ll find trdelnik stalls and takeaway shops all over Prague.

But what is it? Trdelnik is a sweet dough that is cooked by wrapping it around a rod or stick and then turning all of this over a flame. The baked dough is then covered with sugar and chopped nuts. My top tip is to eat trdelnik while it’s still warm; it’ll taste like the best doughnut you’ve ever had!

For the life of me, I have no idea how to pronounce the name of this dish, which is undoubtedly my favourite item on this whole list. I insisted on referring to it as ‘turtleneck’ because that’s the closest English word I could come up with at the time. While travel bloggers are full of useful advice – DO NOT follow my lead on the pronunciation here. (#fail)

So now you know some dishes that you’d like to try, but where do you start? We went to a number of different restaurants while we were in Prague, but the following three were our favourites. All serve authentic and tasty cuisine – and none will make a massive dent in your funds.

Where: Dlouha 33

When we asked around for a good place to eat, Lokal was a name that popped up again and again.

We got to the restaurant and could immediately see why. With a hip interior of white and black, coupled with the long communal tables, this is a popular spot for bigger groups of people.

There’s a strong focus on beer and the waiting staff are happy to provide recommendations on which beer to try out of the many types on offer.

While Lokal is a great place to visit for a drink, its food menu is just as impressive. Drawing inspiration from traditional Czech dishes, roast meat, dumplings and sauerkraut all feature, although some may take on a modern twist.

I had roast pork with a divine cranberry sauce that I still daydream about on colder days.

NOTE: If you’re planning to visit Lokal, make a booking; it can get busy on weekends!

Where: Kremencova 186/7

With its wood panelling and wall-mounted TV sets, Svejk may not look like the grandest of dining options. Rest assured, though, we had some of our best food here.

Those stuffed dumplings and goulash I showed you earlier? Both of those dishes came from Svejk, which were accompanied by a fair bit of Pilsner Urquell, my favourite type of Czech beer.

This was also one of the few places we went to that had a prominent gluten-free menu.

For a relaxed evening of traditional fare, Svejk would be the first place we’d revisit in Prague.

Where: Jecna 14

As the name may give away, Pivovarsky Dum is – first and foremost – known for its beer. After all, this venue is really a microbrewery, and specialises in a number of different types of beer, including flavoured ones like banana and nettle.

While you should definitely order a taster round of these beers, don’t ignore the food menu. Some of the dishes, which also draw on traditional Czech cuisine, even incorporate beer in their sauces, such as the pork I ordered. With the massive portions and excellent beer on hand, you’ll leave Pivovarsky Dum feeling completely satisfied.