Vegetarian in Prague: what to order and where the lard hides

The Czech menu is built on pork, beef and duck. The vegetarian options are real, but they are not always the first thing you see. Know where to look and what to ask, and a pub stops being a problem.

Where on the menu

Many traditional restaurants have a bezmasá jídla section. If there is none, look under starters, salads and sides. Modern restaurants often mark vegetarian dishes with a V or a leaf symbol, and many cafes have a plant-based choice.

Classic meat-free dishes

Smažený sýr is breaded fried cheese with tartare sauce; see fried cheese. Bramboráky are potato pancakes; check the recipe if you avoid animal fat, and see potato pancakes. Houbová omáčka s knedlíkem is mushroom sauce with dumplings, a classic. Kulajda is a creamy soup with potato, dill and mushrooms, and often an egg, so ask whether it contains bacon. Knedlíky s vejci is dumplings with scrambled egg, and špenát s vejcem is creamed spinach with a fried egg and potatoes. Halušky are small potato dumplings, sometimes with sheep's cheese or sauerkraut, so check for bacon. Nakládaný hermelín is marinated cheese, a bar snack; see Czech bar snacks.

What to check

Czech cooks use meat products as seasoning without thinking of them as meat. The common traps are soups cooked on meat stock, including some vegetable soups; lard (sádlo) for frying and spreading; bacon (slanina) and cracklings (škvarky) as a garnish; and gravy based on meat juices.

Ask je to bez masa? (is it meat-free?) and je v tom slanina nebo sádlo? (is there bacon or lard in it?). Say jsem vegetarián if you are male or jsem vegetariánka if you are female. Not everyone treats stock as meat, so ask about it directly. The most reliable approach is to name the thing: bez masa, bez slaniny, bez vývaru (no meat, no bacon, no stock).

A day of meat-free eating

Breakfast is the easy part: bakeries sell rolls, cheese, poppy-seed and curd pastries, and cafes serve eggs. Lunch is the test. Look at the lunch board for the meat-free line, or order a dish from the bezmasá section and ask about the soup. Dinner can be a pub plate of fried cheese with a salad, a mushroom sauce with dumplings, or a table of snacks to share. In between, markets and delis sell cheese, vegetables, bread and chlebíčky with egg or cheese. With a little planning you can eat well for a week without going near a steak, and the Czech vegetarian staples are good enough that you will not feel you are compromising.

Vegetarian restaurants and cafes

Prague has a good number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and cafes, especially in the central and inner districts. Search online maps for current listings rather than a printed list, because places open and close. Specialist cafes often list ingredients clearly, and many mainstream cafes now mark vegetarian dishes.

Markets and shops

Farmers' markets sell cheese, vegetables, bread and pastries. Supermarkets stock vegetarian ready meals and spreads. Bakeries sell cheese and poppy-seed pastries, as in Czech sweets and pastries.

Allergen numbers

Menus list allergens by number. Number 3 is eggs, 7 is milk and 4 is fish, which helps if you also avoid fish or eggs. A dish with no number 4 is not guaranteed free of meat, though, so use the numbers as a supplement. See reading a Czech menu.

Lunch menus

A weekday lunch menu often has one meat-free option. Read the board first, and ask what the soup is cooked on. See Czech lunch menus explained.

Pub strategy

In a pub, order a fried cheese or a plate of marinated cheese and bread, and add a salad. It is a good meal, and it is cheaper than a main course. A second round of bar snacks, such as cheese spread on toast, fills the gap if you are still hungry.

Common mistakes

Assuming a vegetable soup is vegetarian is the first. Stock and bacon are routine. Assuming that "meat-free" on a menu means free of lard or bacon is the second, which is why the question is worth asking out loud. The third is ordering the fried cheese every night. It is a good dish, but it is not the only one. Learn the mushroom sauce and the spinach and egg, and you have a week of dinners.

Frequently asked questions

Is it hard to be vegetarian in Prague?

Not in the centre. Traditional pubs are meaty, but meat-free classics exist and there are many vegetarian restaurants and cafes.

What are the best Czech vegetarian dishes?

Smažený sýr, bramboráky, houbová omáčka s knedlíkem, kulajda and špenát s vejcem, with checks on bacon and stock.

How do I say I am vegetarian in Czech?

Jsem vegetarián (male) or jsem vegetariánka (female). Add: je to bez masa?

Are Czech soups vegetarian?

Often not. Many are cooked on meat stock or contain bacon. Ask.

What are the allergen numbers for eggs and milk?

3 is eggs and 7 is milk, under the 1 to 14 EU numbering.

Do this today

Learn two sentences, jsem vegetarián/vegetariánka and je to bez masa?, and use them at your next meal. Save a note on your phone so you do not have to translate in the moment.