If you’re in Prague for just 3 days, your time is limited. And between a visit to the Castle and a stroll along the Na příkopě shopping street , you may want to eat something while you walk, a good way to save time and visit more things each day. When the weather’s nice, you can organize a picnic, as Prague is a very green city (one of the greenest in the world) with many parks.
Little by little, Prague is becoming a major player on the street food scene, and you can even take a guided tour in English with street food as a common thread (book here)
Small festivals have also contributed to the development of street food culture in the Czech Republic, which had long been on the sidelines. Classic food trucks and places like the Manifesto food court have also contributed to its expansion. Today, there’s not a week goes by without a new street food address popping up. I recently discovered the delicious Burger Service! Thanks to my tips, you’ll also be able to discover some of the Czech gastronomy. During your stay, use the addresses in this article, but avoid at all costs the big international chains or the classic slice of pizza.
Tip 1: Try a grilled sausage
You can eat the typical grilled sausage (spicy or not) at special events (Christmas markets, Easter markets, festivals) or at the stadium. At these times, you’ll find stalls with sausages served in a hurry on a cardboard box with a slice of bread and a little sweet mustard (you’ll also find halušky, a kind of Slovak gnocchi served with cabbage, cheese and bacon). Since 2020, the “famous” sausage stands on Wenceslas Square have disappeared as part of its redevelopment. And that’s no bad thing! Praguers only ate there in cases of extreme necessity (on their way home from a disco at 4am, for example). These stalls were very popular in the 90s, because after a certain hour, there were very few options for hungry tourists. But they soon became unhygienic places selling low-quality sausages where you could be ripped off or robbed.
Tip 2: Try chlebíčky
These are small savory sandwiches (ham, egg, cheese, fish, etc.) available from certain caterers. You have two options: eat them quickly standing up on the spot, or take them away for a modest price (usually around one euro a slice).
Czechs buy them mainly for special occasions such as birthdays and New Year’s Eve.
In many places, they’re overloaded with poor-quality mayonnaise, but if you follow the good addresses I’ve listed below, you’ll enjoy these typically Czech sandwiches!
Ovocný Světozor
Vodičkova 39 (many other stores)
Príma Chlebíček
Londýnská 69
Sisters (higher prices but great quality -and also the best Czech patisserie at the first address-)
Dlouhá 39 and Spálená 16
Tip 3: Nibble on Old Town Square
In Old Town Square, you’ll always find something to eat. For some years now, trdelník has been all the rage. (Hungary’s famous and very similar Kürtőskalács appeared in Transylvania, a Hungarian-speaking region that is now part of Romania, as early as the end of the 18th century). So much so, that a Fine Arts student paraded through the streets of Prague in a giant trdelník with the words “I’m not a Czech tradition!”) Anyway, it’s now a Prague tradition, and I recommend it “plain”, i.e. sprinkled with sugar and crushed hazelnuts, rather than filled with ice cream.
A pastry baked around a wooden skewer and sprinkled with sugar.
If, like me, you prefer savoury dishes, let yourself be tempted by another Central European and Hungarian speciality: langoš, a kind of patty fried in oil with garlic or cheese on top (avoid the addition of ketchup and watch your fingers, it’s greasy!) The history of langoš is difficult to trace, although some sources suggest they were introduced by the Turks in the 16th century. Back then, the irregularly-shaped pancakes were baked, not fried. The name lángos comes from the Hungarian word láng (meaning “flame”), as they were traditionally baked near an open flame in brick ovens. In the 1950s, Hungarians began frying lángos in oil, giving them their characteristic crispy texture. The dish arrived in Czechoslovakia after the Second World War, gaining in popularity, particularly at public events. Today, lángos remain a fast-food staple, especially at fairs, festivals and markets. Finally, there’s bramborák, a deep-fried potato pancake. Many small stalls at farmers’ markets also offer more exotic snacks such as falafel, raclette or Italian pasta.
Tip 4: Eat Vietnamese
Coming from a former “friendly” country and making up the third largest foreign community in the Czech Republic, Vietnamese are everywhere! In Prague, you’ll find plenty of restaurants serving pho – large soups with beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga).
Delicious Vietnamese dishes to eat in or take away.
These restaurants also offer egg rolls and spring rolls. More recent is the appearance of banh mi : a sandwich dating back to French colonial times, combining baguette, pâté, coriander and crudités. Tasty and fresh. Use my tips below to eat fast and cheap, and check out my article on the subject!
Banh-mi-ba
Panská 9 and Rybná 26
Pho Vietnam Tuan & Lan
Anglická 15 and Slavíkova 1
Tip 5: Switch to pastries
If you’re a sweet tooth, Czech cakes are nothing special in my book (except at Christmas). Nevertheless, the linecké, a shortbread with a heart of strawberry or apricot jam, can fill a small hunger. You’ll find it in every patisserie(cukrárna). Lukás Skála, however, has recently become a very good patisserie in Prague.
Tip 6: Eat ice cream
When the heat is on, try a Míša ice cream , which you’ll find in every small grocer’s freezer. It’s a very classic ice cream in appearance, but with curd cheese, which gives it an acidic taste to which our palate isn’t always accustomed. And it’s very good! Otherwise, here are my two favorite addresses for artisanal ice cream. I often go there in summer. Here again, see my article on the subject.
Zmrzlinář
Slezská 15
Puro Gelato
Na Hrobci 1 (but other addresses in town and in the passage at Na Příkopě 22)
Tip 7: Go to the market
If, while strolling through Prague, you come across an early produce market, you’ll probably be able to get something to eat there. You’ll probably find many stalls or trucks offering sweet and savory, national and international specialties (balkan burgers, Breton crepes, fish etc.). You can also enjoy a coffee or a beer. Here are three good addresses (please note that Prague markets are often closed in January and February).
Náplavka
Rašínovo nábřeží
Jiřího z Poděbrad
Tip 8: Go to the butcher’s shop
Naše maso (“Our meat”) is Prague’s best butcher’s shop. It has a bistro corner where you can enjoy a bite to eat. You can also take away these absolutely delicious burgers, tartars or sausage rolls! More expensive than classic fast food, but also terribly better and therefore very popular! Here’s the address:
Naše maso
Dlouhá 39
Tip 9: Try Czech charcuterie
For a more original experience, stop off at a charcuterie that doubles as a bistro. Be more daring than me and order a dish written on the plastic slate! You’ll find that the food is hearty and very inexpensive. In the mornings, the workers eat their soup standing up at plastic tables, amid the smell of boiled cabbage.
Eat what Czech workers eat!
So hurry up and experience this typical catering before it all disappears with time!
Tip 10: Eat an inventive sandwich or a revisited knedlík
As you may have noticed, none of my addresses correspond to the major international fast-food brands. This is a deliberate choice. I much prefer what’s authentic in Prague and try to help you discover it. However, because Czech restaurants close early in the evening, and it’s sometimes difficult to get something to eat after a certain hour, you should know that there is the Bageterie Boulevard chain. This Czech franchise comprises a large number of restaurants and has been a phenomenal success. Hot sandwich-potato chips-ice tea menu: a good formula with quality sandwiches (seasonal offerings) that can easily rival those of McDonald’s or KFC (and for a similar price).
Bageterie Boulevard
Vodičkova 21
Národní 27
Václavské náměstí 56
And many other restaurants..
You can also eat a knedlík, a typical Czech flour or potato dumpling. The Knedlín bistro offers some good ones, both savory and sweet. In all, there are no fewer than 25 varieties prepared in front of you, and they’re very affordable!
Knedlín
Národní 24
