Czech food: traditional dishes and what to eat in Czechia
Czech food is hearty, built on pork, beef, dumplings, cabbage and cream sauces, with beer on the side. It is cooking for a cold country, and it is at its best in a plain pub or a family restaurant, where a main course costs far less than in the old town squares. The one thing to know is that lunch is the big meal, and many places run a cheaper set menu then.
The short answer
- Order this first
- Svíčková, sliced beef in a cream and root vegetable sauce with bread dumplings, or vepřo knedlo zelo, roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut.
- When people eat
- Lunch is the main meal and often has a set menu on weekdays. Dinner is lighter and earlier than in southern Europe, usually from about six.
- Tipping
- Round up the bill or add about 10 percent for good service. Say the total you want to pay when you hand over cash or card.
- Where to eat well
- A plain pub or family restaurant away from the main squares. Look for a short menu in Czech, a daily lunch board and local beer on tap.
What to eat in Czechia
- Svíčková na smetaněSliced beef sirloin in a sweet cream sauce made from root vegetables, with bread dumplings, a spoon of cranberry sauce and a slice of lemon. It is the dish most often called the national one, and it is on almost every traditional menu.Bohemia
- Vepřo knedlo zeloRoast pork with bread or potato dumplings and sauerkraut. The name is a short form of the three words, and it is the standard Sunday lunch.Everywhere
- GulášA thick beef stew with onions and paprika, served with bread dumplings. Czech goulash is less spicy than the Hungarian dish and is common in pubs and canteens.Everywhere
- Smažený sýrFried breaded cheese, usually Edam, served with tartar sauce and chips. It is cheap pub food and a common vegetarian option.Everywhere
- KulajdaA creamy soup of potato, dill and mushrooms with a poached egg and a touch of vinegar. It is sold in most restaurants as a starter and is easy for vegetarians.South Bohemia
- BramboračkaA thin potato soup with root vegetables, mushrooms and marjoram, served in bread bowls in some places. Often the daily soup at lunch.Everywhere
- ŘízekA breaded cutlet of pork or chicken, served with potato salad or boiled potatoes. It is close to the Viennese schnitzel and is on most menus.Everywhere
- KnedlíkyDumplings, sliced bread or potato ones, are the side dish for most main courses. They soak up sauce, and most places serve them with the dish you order.Everywhere
- UtopenecA pickled sausage with onions and peppers, a beer snack sold in pubs and at festivals. Its name means drowned man.Bohemia
- Koláče and ovocné knedlíkyKoláče are sweet round pastries with fruit, poppy seed or curd cheese. Ovocné knedlíky are fruit dumplings, served as a sweet main course with melted butter and sugar.Bohemia and Moravia
How the food changes across Czechia
Bohemia
The west and center, with Prague, is the home of beef in cream sauce, roast pork with dumplings, game and pub food, and of beer, with the most famous brewing towns in the country.
South Bohemia
Carp and pond fish, mushroom soups, kulajda and brewing towns such as České Budějovice. Carp is the traditional Christmas Eve dish across the country.
Moravia
The east is wine country, with sunnier flavors, fruit brandy, sweet pastries and lighter, more varied cooking. Brno and Olomouc have their own cheeses and wine cellars.
Silesia and the north
Hearty food closer to the Polish and Slovak border, with more potato dishes, sausage and heavy winter stews.
What to drink in Czechia
- Pilsner and lagerCzechia has the highest beer consumption per person in the world. The main style is a pale lager, served fresh and cheap in pubs, often as a half liter. Plzeň is the home of the pilsner, and České Budějovice of the original Budweiser.
- Moravian wineMost of the wine comes from southern Moravia, with whites such as Riesling, Veltlínské zelené and Pálava, and reds including Frankovka. It is drunk young and is worth trying in a cellar or wine bar.
- Becherovka and slivoviceBecherovka is a herbal liqueur from Karlovy Vary, drunk cold as a digestif. Slivovice is plum brandy from Moravia, often homemade and strong.
- KofolaA cola-style soft drink made in Czechia and found on tap at most pubs. It is the common alternative to beer at lunch.
Where to eat in Czechia, city by city
Prague
A castle above the river, old squares, bridges and long pub evenings, all within walking distance. It suits a first visit to the country, couples, and anyone who wants a big city break on a modest budget.
Order Svíčková na smetaně
Český Krumlov
A small medieval town folded into a bend of the Vltava, with a castle on a rock above it. It suits a quiet night or two after Prague, and it is best early and late, when the day trippers have gone.
Order Vepřo knedlo zelo
How Czechia eats
- Meal timesBreakfast is light. Lunch is the main meal, from about eleven to two, often with a cheaper set menu on weekdays. Dinner is lighter and earlier, usually from about six.
- PubsA pub (hospoda or pivnice) is the standard place to eat and drink. You can sit where there is room and the server will bring beer without asking when your glass is empty, adding a mark to your slip.
- ReservationsBook dinner in Prague on weekends and in December. Pubs often take walk-ins at lunch. Outside the cities, a table is easy to find.
- TippingRound up the bill, or add about 10 percent for good service. Tell the server the total as you pay, rather than leaving coins on the table.
- ServiceService is plain and efficient, not chatty. The bill comes when you ask for it, and you pay at the table.
Signs of a place to walk past
A menu in six languages with photographs of every dish, on one of the main tourist squares.
A tout outside the door, or a fixed price per portion of meat sold by weight without telling you the weight.
Trdelník stands that sell it as a traditional Czech sweet, when a pub or bakery will have the real koláče.
A place with no Czech customers at lunch, and no daily set menu on the board.
Food in Czechia: questions people ask
What food is Czechia known for?
Svíčková, roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, goulash, fried cheese and beer. It is meat, dumplings and cream sauces, with soups and sweet pastries.
What is the national dish of the Czech Republic?
Most people say svíčková na smetaně, beef in a cream sauce with dumplings. Vepřo knedlo zelo, roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, has an equal claim.
What time is dinner in Czechia?
Dinner is usually from about six, and many pubs and restaurants close by ten or eleven. Lunch is the bigger meal.
Is Czech food good for vegetarians?
Traditional food is meat-heavy, but smažený sýr, kulajda, bramboračka, fruit dumplings and cheese dishes are meatless. Prague and Brno have vegetarian restaurants, and smaller towns are harder.
How much is a meal in Czechia?
Pubs and family places cost far less than in Western Europe, and much less outside the center of Prague. A weekday lunch menu is the cheapest way to eat well.
Should you tip in Czech restaurants?
Yes, round up or add about 10 percent for good service. Tell the server the total as you pay.
What is the best Czech beer?
Pilsner Urquell from Plzeň is the original pilsner, and Budvar comes from České Budějovice. Most pubs serve the local brewery's lager on tap, which is usually the one to order.