15 Czech dishes you will see on every menu, and exactly how to order them

A Czech menu can look like a wall of consonants. The good news: the same fifteen or so dishes show up again and again, and once you know them you can read almost any traditional menu. To order, say the name and add prosím, as in Svíčková, prosím.

The names sound heavy because the food is, but there is a logic behind it. Nearly every classic is a piece of meat or cheese, a sauce or a pickle, and a starchy side that soaks up the lot. Once you see that formula, the menu stops being a puzzle.

How a menu is built

Menus usually run předkrmy (starters), polévky (soups), hlavní jídla (main courses), přílohy (sides) and moučníky (desserts). Some add minutky (dishes cooked to order) and hotová jídla (ready meals). Check whether the side is included. If it is listed separately, say which one you want: knedlík (dumpling), hranolky (chips), vařené brambory (boiled potatoes) or rýže (rice).

The mains

1. Svíčková na smetaně. Beef in a cream and root-vegetable sauce, with dumplings, cranberries and whipped cream. The classic.
2. Vepřo knedlo zelo. Roast pork, dumplings and sauerkraut. The name is a shortened list of the three parts.
3. Guláš. A thick beef stew with onion and paprika, served with bread dumplings.
4. Smažený sýr. A slice of cheese in breadcrumbs, deep-fried and served with tartare sauce. Vegetarian comfort food.
5. Řízek. A breaded cutlet, pork (vepřový) or chicken (kuřecí), usually with potato salad or potatoes. Veal is the Viennese original, so vídeňský řízek normally means veal.
6. Pečená kachna. Roast duck with red cabbage and dumplings, popular in autumn and winter.
7. Vepřové koleno. Roast pork knuckle. It is a large portion, so share.
8. Bramboráky. Potato pancakes with garlic and marjoram, sometimes with sauerkraut or smoked meat.
9. Tatarák. Raw chopped beef, seasoned at the table and served with fried garlic toast (topinky). A pub classic. Ask if you have doubts about the ingredients.

The soups

10. Kulajda. A creamy soup with potatoes, mushrooms, dill and a poached egg.
11. Česnečka. Garlic soup with croutons and often cheese. Also a popular hangover cure.

Pub snacks

12. Utopenci. Sausages pickled in vinegar with onion. The name literally means "drowned men".
13. Nakládaný hermelín. A soft Camembert-style cheese marinated in oil with spices and onion, eaten with bread.

Sweet things

14. Ovocné knedlíky. Fruit dumplings filled with strawberries, plums or apricots, topped with butter, sugar and curd cheese. Often eaten as a main course.
15. Palačinky. Thin pancakes with jam, chocolate, fruit or cream.

Menu words that do half the work

A handful of small words tell you most of what is on the plate. Pečený is roasted, smažený is fried in breadcrumbs, vařený is boiled, uzený is smoked and zapečený is baked, usually under cheese. Domácí means homemade, s means with and bez means without. Na means "on" or "in the style of", which is why svíčková na smetaně is beef in cream. Přírodní means plain, so a přírodní řízek is a cutlet without breadcrumbs. Learn those dozen words and you can guess most of what a kitchen does with a piece of meat.

Another thing newcomers notice is how little vegetable there is on a traditional plate. Cabbage, cucumber salad and pickles do the job. If you want something green, ask for obloha (a garnish salad) or order a salát as a side. Vegetarians can read the menu for bezmasé (meatless) dishes.

Which one for which mood

How to order

Name the dish, add prosím, and add the side if there is a choice: Řízek s bramborovým salátem, prosím (schnitzel with potato salad, please). To share, say na půl (half and half). If you are stuck, ask Co doporučujete? (what do you recommend?).

Meat portions are often listed by weight in grams. Allergens are marked by numbers from the EU list of 14, so if you have an allergy, ask the staff.

What to drink

Pale Czech lager (světlé) goes with almost everything, especially pork and fried food. A dark beer (tmavé) suits roasts and sweets. For wine, ask for Moravian. Tap water is usually not free in restaurants unless the menu says so.

How much to order

Do not order everything at once. Portions are big and the side is part of the meal. Start with a soup and one main, then decide on dessert.

Seasonal notes

Duck is a winter and Sunday favourite, fried carp is Christmas, and fruit dumplings belong to summer, when the fruit is in season. If a dish is only on the menu for a few weeks, that is usually the right moment to order it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the national dish of Czechia?

There is no official one. Svíčková and vepřo knedlo zelo are the two most often named.

What is the most famous vegetarian Czech dish?

Smažený sýr, fried cheese in breadcrumbs with tartare sauce.

Do Czech main courses come with a side?

Often, but not always. Check whether the side is listed separately.

What does 'na půl' mean on a Czech menu?

Half and half, useful when you want to share a dish.

Is tatarák raw meat?

Yes, raw beef, usually seasoned at the table and eaten with fried garlic toast.

This week, pick three dishes from the list that you have never tried and hunt for them on the denní menu at lunchtime, when prices are lower and the kitchen cooks what it does best. Say the name, point if you have to, and eat slowly. You need to read the menu, not speak Czech.