8 Best Czech Restaurants in Prague

If you are searching for the best Czech restaurants in Prague, then look no further. From goulash to pork knuckles, I tasted most of the traditional dishes and I am bringing you my favorite foods and restaurants from the City of A Hundred Spires.

I Had to Czech Myself

After taking my first steps in the city I asked myself, “Where can I find the best Czech restaurants in Prague?” For the next two weeks, I immersed myself into a flood of beers, stews, and fatty meat, rising victorious from my culinary conquest.

But also gaining 5 pounds.

The traditional Czech food here is deep, heavy, and complex, and every traveling foodist must dive into Prague’s culinary world. With an authentic restaurant only a stone’s throw away from the last, finding the best traditional Czech restaurants served quite the challenge. 

I ate my way around the city, and I am now providing this guide to help you narrow down your decision, focusing only on the very best food in Prague.

Best Czech Goulash and Stews In Prague

A visit to Prague is not complete without sampling traditional Czech goulashes and stews. These hearty dishes are perfect with Pilsners and are perfect low-cost meals throughout the city. If you visit during colder months, these stews will heat you up, fueling your adventures around the city. Continue reading to find the best goulash in Prague.

U Červeného Páva – Best All Around Choice

6, Kamzíková 543/6, Staré Město, 110 00, Czechia

I luckily picked U Červeného Páva as my first restaurant and it ruined all other restaurants afterward. It was so delicious and perfect, most restaurants around the world fall short of the caliber of food I was served here. For me, this was the best food in Prague Old Town.

We started off with the Prague Sausage which sounds simple enough, but oh, this one was special. The sausage was complete perfection. The scoring on the casing gave each bite an extra crunch and a satisfying snap. The balance between meat, fat, and spices was all too splendid. We returned on a different date just to eat our own sausage instead of sharing. 

My wife, Tiarra, ordered the Svíčková, a stewed beef sirloin in a creamy sauce topped with cranberries, a slice of lemon, and whipped cream paired with homemade bread dumplings. Yes, it sounds bizarre, and at first, it tasted strange, but the dish made more and more sense with every subsequent bite. The whole experience bounced between savory and sweet, and the whipped cream, the oddest ingredient, made every bite complete. 

I ordered the Beef Goulash with homemade bread and potato dumplings. If you looked up goulash in the dictionary, this picture should accompany the definition. The sauce was deep and rich without any pungent or overpowering flavors with the beef staying fork-tender and juicy. 

In my opinion, the homemade bread and potato dumplings make the dish. The bread is steamed so it has a perfect spongy texture, perfect for soaking up the sauce with the potato dumpling adding a denser starch to balance out the complexity of flavors.  Out of all the goulashes I tried, U Červeného Páva served the best goulash in Prague.

With our meal coming to about $20 USD, this is one of the best places for cheap Czech food in Prague.

Please go. You will thank me later. 

U Kroka – Local’s Favorite Czech Restaurant

Vratislavova 28/12, 128 00 Praha 2, Czechia

Located south of the main city center, U Kroka is a beloved local restaurant nestled off a quiet neighborhood street. Talked up as a place for delicious Czech food, I had to check it out. 

We started off with Corn Soup and Roasted Garlic Soup which were both amazing, with the corn soup taking first place as my favorite. 

Then Tiarra ordered the Svíčková, the same dish she ordered a few nights previous with the stewed beef with the sweet sauce and cranberries. U Kroka’s version was delightful with a similar taste profile but not as robust. This version is a great introduction to the dish and those skeptical of the unique flavors. 

I ordered the Venison in red wine sauce with bacon dumplings. The stew resembles the traditional beef goulash but with a stronger red wine flavor. I liked it. In fact, I’m not sure if I could tell the venison stew from a beef goulash. The bacon dumplings were a bit much for my taste. A deep rich stew needs a clean starch to balance the palate, and the bacon added too much heft to the dumplings making everything feel a bit heavy. 

The restaurant was delicious, and I would be curious to try more dishes again.

Kuchyň – Best Restaurant By Prague Castle

Hradčanské nám. 186/1, 118 00 Praha 1-Hradčany, Czechia

If you are headed to Prague Castle, check out Kuchyn for an awesome meal. We stopped in for lunch after hiking up an awful amount of steps and sat outside with a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. 

We started with the Dill Soup with Eggs and Potatoes known locally as Kulajda. The soup is made with sour cream, dill, potatoes, and poached eggs. The light and creamy soup was delicious with bright spurts of acid on every sip. The poached eggs, of course, were the highlight, creating an eggy sauce as it slowly mixed with the soup. For a cream-based soup, it tasted surprisingly light and prepped the palate for the main course. 

Tiarra order the Pork Chop Schnitzel with Potato Salad and I ordered the Beef Hanger Steak in Red Wine Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. 

The pork chop schnitzel was thick and crispy, a different approach to leaving the meat thick. Frying such a thick piece of pork left the schnitzel super crispy but a little dry. The potato salad was addictive, and yes, Tiarra ate all of it. Practically licked the plate after too. 

A well of mashed potatoes contained the overflowing portion of braised hangar steak resting in a pool of thick sauce. The fork-tender beef tasted sublime with the dark, rich sauce which expressed hints of red wine after every bite. Although the dish was super heavy, I needed to keep eating it. The mashed potatoes were whipped smooth and the buttery aftertaste offset the richness of the sauce. A balancing act well managed.

Traditional Czech Pork Dishes in Prague

Pork is king, and if you crave the best pork knuckle in Prague, I found it (at least it’s the best to me!). The Czech cuisine gears towards beer pairings, and I found that Pilsner Urquell and Kozel Lager were my favorite beers with every dish I tried. Grab your mugs and gorge yourself on porky meaty goodness throughout the city.

Kantýna – Superb For A Heavy Meal

Politických vězňů 1511/5, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia

If you are looking for a hefty meal, look no further than Kantyna. A food hall serving up Czech classics with each dish being measured by weight. I was super confused at first but got the hang of it right away. 

Every guest is given a food card. Your food and drink are recorded on the card and totaled up at the end. There is a food station and a drink station. Bring your card, make your selection and take your items back to the table. 

Food is served up cafeteria-style where you select what you want from pre-cooked options in front of you. If you want something that is not already prepared, they will whip it up in the kitchen and bring it to your table (burgers and steaks). Remember, the food is charged by weight so if do not want something, do not get it. 

I made the mistake of trying an order of fried bull testicles only to be left disappointed.

I never tried bull testicles. 

I was curious. 

By the way, don’t be shy here. If you see something unfamiliar, please ask and someone will explain what’s in the food. They also have their menu online in English to give you a better idea. If you want something specific just ask. I desperately wanted the pork neck schnitzel, but they were all out. Yup. Sad Chris. 

We ordered up pork belly with a scrumptious crispy skin, a creamy beef stew with dumplings, a potato pancake, and other sides. Everything was amazing and expertly cooked. Apart from the bull balls, I would certainly recommend everything. If you want seconds, go back for more. The only mistake we made was ordering too much food and we paid around $40 for lunch but were completely full. Worth it.

U Parlamentu – The Best Schnitzel in Prague

Valentinská 52, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia

For essential classics, U Parlamentu is the heavy hitter for some of the best traditional Czech food in Prague. 

The Pork Schnitzel at U Parlamentu was so spectacular, it caused a chain reaction for Tiarra and me to order schnitzel at the next few subsequent traditional Czech restaurants. This pork schnitzel was fried to crispy perfection while staying super juicy. The crispy/juicy combo, as we would come to learn, is a hard attribute to find amongst other schnitzels in Prague. By far the best schnitzel I’ve tried anywhere. 

We also enjoyed the Pork Knuckle, a slow-roasted pork shank with crispy skin served with pickles, cabbage slaw, and pickled pearl onions. Pork knuckle is one of the foods Prague is known for with signs showcasing the dish in front of authentic Czech restaurants in Old Town.

I’m unsure how other contenders match up, but this pork knuckle was awesome. The meat fell off the bone with a simple push of the fork and the fat rendered to make every piece of pork moist. Break off a piece of crispy skin and pair it with a hunk of meat for the perfect bite. 

Paired with a few pilsners, we discovered for ourselves a traditional taste profile rooted deep in Czech culture: pork and beer.

Mincovna – Upscale Traditonal Czech Food

Staroměstské nám. 930/7, 110 00 Josefov, Czechia

A more upscale traditional Czech Restaurant, Minconva is located in the center of the tourist attractions. Generally, I recommend staying from these restaurants, with Mincovna being the delightful exception. 

We tried the Assorted Sausages first. All good but nothing too special. 

Then we ordered the Wiener Schnitzel Fried in Melted Butter. 

Yes… fried in butter. 

Although it was not the crispiest schnitzel we tried in Prague, it was definitely the most flavorful. Of course, the butter shines through elevating the standard of schnitzels everywhere. The edges remained crispy with the center just a little soggy, which I was actually fine with since it soaked up all the amazing melted butter. 

We also decided to give the Traditional Beef Goulash a fair shot. With goulash on every menu in the city, how could Mincovna manage anything special? The dark brown sauce was beautiful and complex with a decadence perfectly visible from the gobs of beef fat floating at the top. Served with the traditional potato dumplings, I say this one was near perfect, and one of the best goulashes in Prague Old Town. Tender beef and delicious sauce sopped up with light and airy potato dumplings. 

Well done, Mincovna. Well done. 

Best Lunch Spots in Prague

The lunch and dinner menus are mostly the same through Prague, but I found two Czech restaurants that were perfect for the mealtime and the budget. There are plenty of great lunchtime options, but these were by far my favorites and ones I returned to during my stay.

Naše maso – Best Sausage and Burger

Dlouhá 727/39, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia

If you are by the Astrological Clock, take a short walk north to this butcher shop for a lunch that you won’t forget. Naše Maso is a specialty butcher shop dry-aging steaks and cranking out their own sausages. 

With it being lunchtime, we opted for the Beef and Pork Sausage on the grill and a Dry Aged Cheese Burger. 

Cutting into the sausage you can hear the snap from the casing, and see a river of juice leaking onto the plate. Oh yes. Naše Maso really makes an awesome sausage, with meaty goodness filling my cheeks. I wish I ordered more. 

If you want an umami bomb, you found it! The beef burger tasted distinctly of dry-aged meat with an essence similar to a funky french cheese. It’s a stronger taste than I expected, but I loved every bite. Cooked to a perfect medium, the dry-aged burger had a delicate texture with the mystery melted cheese adding a creaminess to the mix. If dry-aged beef isn’t your thing, select the regular cheeseburger to experience their masterful meat blend. 

Naše Maso was the best lunch in Prague for sure.

Bistro Sister – Traditional Cheap Czech Food

39, Dlouhá 727, Staré Město, 110 00 Praha, Czechia

Located right across from Naše Maso, Bistro Sister is a hidden gem amongst the plethora of Czech restaurants dominating the city. They serve up Oblozene Chlebicky, a type of traditional open-faced sandwich with various toppings and fillings. These sandwiches are far from conventional, resembling pieces of art than actual food. 

We tried three that caught our eye: a Beet and Goat Cheese, one with Roast Beef, and one with Mozzarella. These were complex and balanced so describing their components is too tough to manage, just take my word that they are delicious. If you need a break from the normal Czech fare, stop by Bistro Sister for lunch. Each sandwich costs less than $2 making this a great choice for cheap Czech food in Prague.

I Must Return To Prague

With so many more options available throughout the city, it would take a reasonable human several months to effectively eat and filter through the best Czech restaurants in Prague.

Although I barely scratched the surface, I did find these restaurants particularly amazing and the winners in my search for the very best. Explore, eat, and give the traditional Czech food scene a fair try. Deliciousness awaits all foodists eating their way through Prague.