Prague Food and Travel Guide: Goulash, Svíčková and Czech Beer

Prague is a city built for wandering, all cobbled lanes and Gothic spires, and its food is exactly the kind of warming, generous fare those long walks call for. Czech cuisine leans hearty, sauces are rich, and the beer is some of the best and cheapest in the world.

What to Eat in Prague

The national dish is svíčková, braised beef in a velvety root-vegetable cream sauce, served with bread dumplings and a spoonful of cranberry and a swirl of whipped cream. Equally beloved is guláš, the Czech take on goulash, a thick beef stew spiked with paprika and usually mopped up with more dumplings or crusty bread.

Pork features heavily, from roast vepřo knedlo zelo (pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) to crisp koleno, a whole roasted knuckle meant for sharing. For dessert or a street snack, the spiralled trdelník is a tourist favourite, a sugar-and-cinnamon dough cooked over coals, though locals will tell you it is not really traditional.

• Svíčková — braised beef in cream sauce
• Guláš — paprika beef stew
• Vepřo knedlo zelo — pork, dumplings, sauerkraut
• Trdelník — spit-roasted sweet pastry
• Smažený sýr — fried cheese

Where and How to Eat

Skip the over-priced terraces directly on Old Town Square and walk a few streets out into the lanes around the Old Town and toward Vinohrady, where traditional hospody (pubs) serve locals all day. These are where you will find proper Pilsner Urquell and Kozel poured fresh, often with a creamy mlíko foam pour worth trying once.

A practical tip: in a Czech pub you do not usually flag the waiter for each round. A coaster on your table tallies your beers, and a fresh one arrives when your glass runs low until you say zaplatím (I'll pay). Pub menus are frequently in Czech only, with little English, so photographing the menu to translate it helps you tell the pork dishes apart and avoid ordering tripe soup by accident.