Story and Photos By Jennifer Schlueter
The Czech Republic’s cuisine is a not a light, but a delicious one. Just like other central, eastern, and Northern European countries. Czechs love their bread, meat, and potatoes – so prepare yourself for a mouthwatering carb load! To try various types of dishes, a food tour is your best option.
And a food tour claiming that I can “take a break from being a tourist” sounds even better to me, especially when they promise you a local guide and local dishes at non-touristy restaurants.
Around 12.30 p.m. on a Saturday, our group of six met Eva, our guide from Prague. She started us out at the Gingerbread Man’s Dream, or Perníčkův sen, a bake shop specializing in – surprise – gingerbread. The cookies come in all shapes and sizes – bees & bunnies, cats and cars, hearts & hedgehogs, and so on.
They served us koláč, or kolache, the typical Czech rounded cake with a poppy seed filling with gingerbread instead of yeast dough, vanilkový rohlíček (same as the German & Austrian Vanillekipferl), and sakrajda, which can be translated to “Dammit cake.”
After a short walk, we stopped at a passage where we tried from the next two venues: yummy elderberry lemonade and gourmet appetizer sandwiches with a variety of spreads, veggies, and meat from the tiny Sisters bistro followed by fresh cuts of ham and sausages from Naše maso from a celebrity butcher.
After these three places, we were able to give our bellies a 30-minute digestive rest as we walked through Prague’s Old Town listening to Eva’s informative nuggets of the city.
Our next culinary destination was a restaurant known for romantic dinner occasions, Zvonice. Located on the 8th floor of a tower, this small, rustic, and cozy place had some sweet views of Prague from above. Here, we were brought Old Bohemian soup, or staročeská zelnice, cooked with sauerkraut, mushrooms, and topped with a green pesto.
Then, Eva showed us my personal tour favorite Styl and Interier, a courtyard cafe in New Town combining an exclusive furniture shop with exquisite cuisine, where you will feel as if you’re taken outside of the bustling city for a moment. Along with a fantastic (my favorite) black currant wine (which they sell as well!), we tried a pork belly spread (Bůčková pomazánka) on freshly roasted garlic bread.
Last but not least, we had our final dish of the day at Cafe Louvre, which, in business since 1902, has been a favorite of Einstein, Kafka, etc. Our final, and biggest, meal of the day was svíčková, Czech’s national Sunday dish consisting of dumplings, braised beef, and cranberry compote.
As for dessert, they served some of the most delicious apple strudel I’ve ever tasted – freshly made – with vanilla custard and whipped cream. Ah – get in my belly!
So now, if your mouth is watering and you’re in Prague or you know you will be there soon, head over to Eating Prague Tours and book a tour with them! I highly recommend it.
I would not recommend this tour if you’re on a diet 😉 Eating Prague tours also caters to vegan and vegetarians, who will be able to try other dishes.
Click here for information about this awesome tour! Watch out for my review of their Amsterdam food tour coming within the next few weeks.
