Eating Out in Prague – Part One

If you know anything about me it will be how much I love food. At times, it seems like my whole life revolves around it, in the best possible way. Like many millennials, I spend a big chunk of my salary on going out – but with me, it isn’t on nights out and boozing; with me it is always about the food.

I take a good couple of hours to do my grocery shopping every few weeks, I love cooking new recipes, eating at new and unusual places and even just talking about food. So, with this in mind, it will come as no surprise that food was the epicentre of my recent trip to Prague. Travelling on a budget, the city was really great because you could eat really well for less than your standard London lunch, even at the ‘tourist traps’.

Arriving on a sunny but chilly Saturday afternoon, to kick things off, we popped up from a station at Wenceslas Square. There was a market lining the cobbled streets and the pungent aroma of *Prague Sausage* filled the air.

They looked too good to miss and we had been up since 3am. Having had little of any substance up until this point we grabbed two sausages, one a lamb-garlic mix and the other a pork-chili concoction. Grilled and super garlicy, the skin on these wieners was MUCH too rubbery. In this instance, I’d say our eyes were bigger than our tummies and next time would probably avoid them, although the fries were good.

Later that day, after checking in to our hotel, we made our way back into ‘Central’ Prague for dinner. A little worse for wear at the length of the day, we trudged down a little street, just off of Wenceslas Square.

Riva Ristorante Italiano was our first proper meal in Prague and we settled on a questionable version of buchetta, a creamy pasta dish each, and I frantically trying to get my water levels up got a water, whilst my Mr picked a beer. (Beer is cheaper than water in Prague). The restaurant was practically empty, with the whole city being remarkably quiet for a Saturday evening in a place known for its parties. 

Staying in a little B&B, breakfast at our hotel was as quaint as you would expect. The food was really nicely seasoned and pretty tasty, but it was such a shame that both mornings it was served lukewarm to clay cold. The food in the second B&B on our trip was really nice and a little warmer, with Czech versions of all the breakfast essentials up for grabs.

On the start of our first full day in Prague, and our anniversary day, we decided to explore the Old Town. More wooden stalls made for a market like atmosphere, lining the path up to the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn.

Vendors selling everything from earrings to windchimes, the food stalls were obviously where I focused my attention. Trdelnik (more on that later) and spinning pigs glistening with fat, skin crackling in the rain, naked flames licking at the brown smearings of seasonings that dripped from the carcass.

After a dash more sightseeing and a sprinkling of shopping, we hit up a tiny little place called Donuterie. It was clear really early on how important sweets are in the Czech Republic.

Donuterie gave us the BEST blueberry glazed donut I’ve ever tried and a big cup of vanilla tea. I feel like this place deserves a whole post of its own, with their cup light shades, interesting wall textures and adorable guest book (which we did sign and if you go here, you must find our little page!)

Seriously. That donut.

Each time we fancied a dessert we ended up getting donuts because donuts are VERY important in Prague and the speciality shops were too good to miss so we ended up not actually trying the trademark Czech pastry they call Trdelnik. A cake style dessert made from dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and usually walnuts, some places offer Trdelnik without the nuts, which is what I prefer, favoring other fillings such as ice cream and warm nutella.

Staying out of the city so we could try and see “real” Prague, we ventured to a local supermarket (something I always love doing when exploring somewhere) for supplies. I would definitely recommend going to a local supermarket or mini market and not one that also sells postcards and magnets. Seriously; if for nothing else but the savings – two litre bottles of water were around 5p in the supermarkets. In the touristy places, a smaller bottle would be almost £4!

Waiting in the rain for a tram on Sunday afternoon, the open doors of a bright orange bakery proved too welcoming to pass up. Picking Prague’s idea of a sausage roll proved to be an interesting choice, and I would definitely recommend it. A literal nation of sausage lovers, it consisted of a hotdog style sausage, coated in herbs and mustard and wrapped in pastry.

We ate really well on our trip here, so much so that I do not want to stop talking about it in just one post. (I am literally still thinking about that donut!) I will be posting the remaining places in an equally scrumptious part two, very soon.