| Suggestions for Dining in the Czech Republic |
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If you were to listen to some people, you could believe that about all you will be able to find to eat while in the Czech Republic will be pork, cabbage and beer. However, that is not the case at all. Czech cooking has come a long way and the range of ingredients and cooking methods has been vastly expanded and improved. Check the following for some additional information. While much of it is for Prague, it will also serve most of the rest of the country as far as for the information contained. Click Here for Cheap Eats in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest
Czech Food
Restaurants
Pubs and Beer
Wine
Czech Food
Outside of Prague, traditional Czech cooking prevails in most restaurants.
You will always be able to find pork, dumplings and cabbage are ubiquitous, and so is goulash; you will also find schnitzel, chicken prepared in
various ways, svícková; fried cheese, and freshwater fish (trout, carp, etc.). Vegetarians will find a
variety of salads and meat-less dishes, such as the traditional potato pancakes
(bramboráky), thinner and spicier cousins of the popular latkes. The
best news is that restaurants outside of Prague tend to be very inexpensive; a
good, full meal can be had for as little as $3. You’ve also got to try at least a few Czech
desserts when visiting—from summertime treats like fruit dumplings,
fruit-filled crepes and tarts to various elaborate layered cakes, bundt cakes,
poppy seed-filled pastries and strudel. Sound tempting?
Czech
cookbooks in English are available. Dobrou
chut’!
Restaurants
Check the Prague
Restaurant and Bar Guide as it is quite
comprehensive, searchable, and offers links to the restaurants’ own web sites.
You can also find reviews of selected Prague restaurants
are available on-line from the
Prague
Post.
Prague, almost
any kind of food can be had with traditional Czech and French being the most frequent.
There are also lots of
Italian, Mediterranean, and Asian (Chinese, Japanese, and Thai) restaurants. You
will find quite a few Tex-Mex, Cajun, and all-American restaurants in case you
felt homesick.
And, you can’t even count the pizzerias and fast food joints. For a small
selection of Prague’s fine restaurants, check out Condé Nast’s
Cities
to Dine For.
If you are looking for an authentic dining experience, even in touristy Prague, try a Czech hospoda, which means pub. In Prague, the Zizkov district is a particularly good area to look. How do you know if it is authentic? When there is no English menu! Just order some beers (pivo) and one of the following standbys: gulas (goulash), svickova (beef sirloin with dumplings and cream sauce), vepro-knedlo-zelo (roast pork, dumplings, and cabbage), smazeny syr (fried cheese), or (if you’re feeling brave) utopenci, sausages pickled in vinegar and spices. You should also sample at least a few of the many outstanding brands of Czech beer--or, if you are a serious afficionado, consider going on a beer tour (offered by Summit International Travel or Weber's Travel Bureau).
Wine
Czech and especially Moravian wines can be outstanding and are often sold at bargain prices. Although you can find wine in the supermarkets, for quality wine, go to a specialized store. And, if you are really into wine, or would just like to learn more about Moravian wines, you will quite probably enjoy this web site.
There are also several wine tours available both to, and in, the Czech Republic. If you are interested in a specialized wine tour, check one of the following:
American Tour Operators:
Beer-oriented tours are offered by at least two US tour operators, Summit International Travel and Weber Travel Bureau.
Czech Tour Operators:
Both wine- and beer-themed tours are offered
by Greenways Travel
Club, a Czech tour operator with extensive experience in
special-interest travel. Another
Czech tour operator,
E-Tours,
offers tours featuring two irresistible combinations, Birds & Wine and Birds
& Beer.
