Channel 03Page 2 of 3

Food & Drink

What to order, where to sit, how to tip and why the beer is cheaper than the water.

56 guides4 min average read

Page 2

All Food & Drink guides

  1. 4 min readFood allergies in Prague restaurants: the 14 allergens in CzechCzech menus number the allergens from 1 to 14. Learn the list, the key phrases and how to make sure a kitchen has actually heard you.
  2. 5 min readGluten-free in Prague: the Czech words and menu traps that matterDumplings, breadcrumbs and flour-thickened gravy are the Czech default. The phrases, allergen numbers and questions that keep you safe.
  3. 4 min readHavelské tržiště: the Old Town market that predates the guidebooksThere has been a market on Havelská street since the Middle Ages. Today it sells fruit, crafts and souvenirs, and the trick is knowing which is which.
  4. 4 min readHladinka, šnyt or mlíko: three ways a Czech pub pours the same beerSame keg, three different drinks. What the foam is for, why a tall head is not a short measure, and how to order each serve.
  5. 4 min readHow a Czech pub works: the unordered beer and the slip on the tableYour glass is nearly empty and a fresh one lands in front of you. The unwritten rules of seating, the tab, the tip and saying no thank you.
  6. 4 min readKofola explained: the Czech cola you can order on tapA dark, herbal soft drink created in Czechoslovakia in the late 1950s, poured from a tap in pubs and loved by people who do not drink beer.
  7. 4 min readKoláče, buchty and větrníky: what to point at in a Czech bakeryYeast dough, curd, poppy seed and plum jam. A short guide to the pastry cabinet, the difference between a pekárna and a cukrárna, and how to order.
  8. 4 min readMedovina: what Czech mead is and how to order it at a marketHoney wine from a barrel at a fair, hot in a mug at Christmas. How it is made, how strong it can be and how to buy a bottle you will not regret.
  9. 4 min readMichelin Guide in Prague: what the symbols mean and how to bookThe Michelin Guide covers Prague; check the current selection. What stars and Bibs mean, where to find the official list and how to book a table.
  10. 4 min readMoravian wine for beginners: grapes, burčák and how to read the labelMost Czech wine comes from the south-east, and much of it is white. Which grapes to know, what cloudy burčák is and what polosuché really means.
  11. 5 min readMushroom picking in Czechia: rules, season and deadly look-alikesHalf the country heads into the woods with a basket every autumn. The Forest Act lets you join in, the national parks mostly don't, and some look-alikes kill.
  12. 4 min readNáplavka farmers' market: a Saturday on the river, and what to buyBread, cheese, honey and coffee on the lower quay of the Vltava. How to plan a Saturday visit like a regular, and where to walk afterwards.
  13. 4 min readPilsner: the angry town that invented the world's favourite beerPilsen's burghers wanted better beer and hired a Bavarian to brew it in 1842. The pale gold result conquered the world. Here is how to taste the original.
  14. 4 min readPrague beer gardens: queue or wait, glass or plastic, picnic or notTwo systems, a deposit on the mug and a sign that tells you whether your sandwich is welcome: the unwritten rules of drinking outdoors in Prague.
  15. 4 min readPrague craft beer without the guesswork: where to drink and what 12° meansCzechs drink beer like few others, and the craft scene is the argument with tradition. Taprooms, brewpubs, bottle shops and how to read the numbers.
  16. 4 min readPrague's farmers' markets: how they work and how to shop like a localOrder in decagrams, ask to taste, and know what is in season. A practical guide to buying from stalls, from spring asparagus to autumn burčák.
  17. 4 min readPrague's grand coffeehouses: Slavia, Louvre and the Municipal HouseThree rooms from 1884, 1902 and 1912 where you can still order a coffee and a slice of cake, and where nobody minds how long you stay.
  18. 4 min readReading a Czech menu: the words, the weights and the numbers that matterOne pattern and a short word list get you through most menus. Plus what the gram weights, the 1 to 14 allergen numbers and the small print on extras tell you.
  19. 4 min readSlivovice: how to drink Czech plum brandy without regretting itIt looks like water and drinks like fire. Where slivovice comes from, how strong it is, why families have a bottle with a handwritten label, and what to avoid.
  20. 4 min readSmažený sýr: the Czech fried cheese that feeds every vegetarianA slab of breaded cheese, a pot of tartare sauce and chips. How the pub classic and its bun-borne street cousin work, and what to ask if you are strict.
  21. 4 min readSmoking in Czech pubs: the 2017 ban, terraces and what about vapingCzech pubs used to leave your jacket smelling like an ashtray. Since 31 May 2017 the inside is smoke-free. Where you can still light up, and why the ban held.
  22. 4 min readSvařák, grog and hot mead: what is in the cup at a Prague winter marketCloves, cinnamon and a deposit on the mug. The hot drinks of a Prague winter, what each one is, how strong it tends to be and how to order without surprises.
  23. 4 min readSvíčková: why Czechs order it, and how to eat the whole plateBeef under a pale, velvety root-vegetable sauce, with dumplings, cream, lemon and berries. The Czech sure thing, decoded bite by bite.
  24. 4 min readTank beer in Prague: the fresher pint and how to spot itPubs with a tank in the cellar pour unpasteurised lager that has never met a keg. How it works, what the foam is for and how to order three ways.