I always order it with relish, and many people love it in Prague. It’s smažený sýr, also known colloquially as smažák, a breaded and fried cheese, most often served with French fries or buttered potatoes and the inevitable tartar sauce (sometimes with a little cranberry jam). A calorie bomb, as you’d expect! Admittedly, it’s not the most refined of dishes, and for many it’s akin to junk food, but it can be delicious. In any case, it’s «gourmand». I recommend you try it at least once during your stay in Prague. It’s my favorite dish, along with roast duck, which the Czechs often cook very well.
It’s THE dish for gourmands who don’t watch their figure!
In this article, I give you my top five restaurant addresses in Prague where you can eat a good smažený sýr.
Tip: I highly recommend smažený sýr made with camembert (or pseudo camembert called hermelín), which is much more melting and runny than eidam or gouda, which harden quickly. A variation with 3 different cheeses is sometimes offered.
1- Restaurant Masaryčka
Right next to Masaryk station, a modern restaurant with a lovely decor. Their recipe for the best fried cheese in Prague? A 45% quality gouda fried in butter, coated with homemade breadcrumbs and served with an absolutely perfect tartar sauce
Havlíčkova 2
Mon.-Thu. 11am-11pm; Fri. 11am-11.30pm; Sat. 11.30am-11.30pm; Sun. 11.30am-10pm
2- Stará Praha Restaurant
In Malá Strana, the traditional Czech hospoda. A restaurant that hasn’t changed in decades (and which, incidentally, goes by the name of Old Prague), which is becoming increasingly rare in many parts of Prague. And here, smažený sýr is usually «camembert»! You’ll easily find the restaurant on the 22 tram route to the Castle
Vítězná 1
Daily 9:30am-10:30pm
3- U Kroka
A family-run restaurant already recommended in my article on Vyšehrad Hill. Excellent Czech cuisine in very quiet surroundings. Their fried cheese is perfectly crisp, served with homemade tartar sauce and fresh French fries. Large portion!
Vratislavova 12
Daily 11.30am-11pm
4- Lokál U Bílé kuželky
We’re still in Malá Strana, but this time on a small, winding street, with this Lokál restaurant from the Ambiente group, where tourists and regulars also meet. Beer has been brewed here since 1862, and it’s excellent. The smažený sýr is served, as at the previous address, with melting potatoes in butter, but here the cheese is eidam from an organic farm. A more modern address than Stará Praha and very popular with young Praguers.
Míšeňská 12
Tlj. 11h-0h (23h Sun.)
5-U houbaře
Eidam again for the smažený sýr at this Prague 7 establishment, a short trip to a more authentic part of the capital. It serves the famous Pilsner Urquell beer that everyone must try during a stay in Prague, as well as the brown Kozel.
Dukelských Hrdinů 30
Tlj. 11h-0h (23h dim.)
Bonus- Café Velryba
This student café in the center of Prague is best known for its burgers, one of which contains the famous fried cheese. After all, smažák is sometimes served between two slices of bread in small kiosks in stadiums or bus stations. Homemade rolls, good Gouda, fresh vegetables and homemade tartar sauce… It’s excellent here! If you can’t do without fries, you’ll have to order them separately, but the burger is hearty.
Opatovická 24
Mon.-Sat. 11am-11pm (Sat. 5pm)