What to Eat in the Czech Republic. Traditional Food & Czech Beer

When visiting the Czech Republic, many bars and restaurants serve traditional Czech food with local beers. I really enjoyed eating out and drinking beer throughout the country.

I found Czech cuisine to be hearty and delicious, with lots of meat options, including pork and game dishes. My favourites were pork knuckles and knees, which are great, filling meal options. They usually serve these with bread, mustard and pickles.

What Food To Eat? Traditional Czech Cuisine

One of the special things to do in the Czech Republic is to enjoy local food and drink. These are some of the Czech foods that I really enjoyed while visiting the country. We dined out at many traditional restaurants during our visits and enjoyed lots of local cuisine.

Goulash, a meaty beef stew, is often served with dumplings.

Another common item we enjoyed is goulash. Goulash is a popular Central European dish made from slow-cooked beef and vegetables. The Czech goulash we had was less spicy than the nearby Hungarian version.

This is a hearty and delicious meal option which they often serve with dumplings. As a bonus, goulash is slow-cooked, so it is often served in a timely manner. Great if you are short on time.

Pork knuckle or Pork Knee

Pork knuckles and knees are commonplace on the menus in the country. They are a great, filling meal option. Sometimes we shared one with extra bread, as they were big. They typically serve knuckles and knees with bread, mustard, horseradish and pickles.

We enjoyed this in many places in the country, most recently a kilo of pork knee in Brno. This had a fantastic apricot mustard, which was special. Henry, our dog, loved it when we ordered these, and he certainly approved.

Old Bohemian plate KOLKOVNA

One of my favourite meals out in Brno was at Stopkova Plzeňská Pivnice, where I enjoyed an Old Bohemian plate, KOLKOVNA. This was a massive, hearty meal with lots of deliciousness, featuring many Czech foods you can also order separately.

The Old Bohemian plate KOLKOVNA included various meats, including 1/4 roast duck, Moravian sparrow, smoked ham meat, and beer sausage. They served this with white and red cabbage and three types of dumplings.

Pánev z C. K. Old Bohemian Pan

We enjoyed what was called Pánev z C. K., or the Old Bohemian Pan, at a traditional restaurant. It was an epic, very filling meal. The Old Bohemian Pan included a combination of meats, including chicken, pork and ham, cooked in a creamy sauce. For a garnish, they added cheese, hot peppers, and tomatoes. We noticed this only at one restaurant in the capital as the chef’s special. It was delicious.

Knedlíky – Dumplings

During our time in the country, dumplings, aka knedlíky, were a common side dish. These were great to eat, especially with saucy dishes. They are made with yeast dough and are light and fluffy.

At various restaurants, they often serve different dumpling styles, which make for an interesting meal. Options include those made from bread, potatoes and some with beer or meat inside. They also have some sweet dumplings, including those made with plums.

Moravský Vrabec – Moravian Sparrow

‘Moravský Vrabec’ translates to ‘Moravian Sparrow’, but it contains no sparrow meat. It is a tender pork dish and one of the country’s more popular traditional dishes. They marinate diced pork with garlic, salt and cumin before cooking in an oven. Moravský Vrabec is often served with sauerkraut or dumplings. We enjoyed this a few times but unfortunately cannot find a photograph. I’ll have to put that right…

Řízek: The Local Version of Schnitzel

Řízek is the local version of schnitzel, a popular dish throughout Central Europe. This is tenderised, thin meat coated in breadcrumbs and egg, then fried. In the Czech Republic, they often use pork or, for a lighter version, chicken or turkey. You can find this in many restaurants throughout the country, and it is a delicious and simple meal.

Mixed Grills

Many restaurants in the country have their own version of the mixed grill, which I enjoyed many times. This includes many traditional restaurants and even medieval banquets. They often include various cuts of pork, ham, duck and sausages. For sides, they include bread, dumplings and sauerkraut. Some also come with horseradish and mustard to add some kick.

Traditional Soup

We enjoyed quite a few soups for lunch out while in the Czech Republic. One of the most memorable and tasty was the traditional garlic soup. We also enjoyed their meaty chicken and beef soups.

Another fascinating soup option is Zelňačka, which includes sour cabbage, potatoes and various cuts of smoked meat. Overall, the local soups were hearty and warming, especially on our winter visit to the country.

Rabbit

Rabbit is another popular meat on menus throughout the country. Czechs are apparently the biggest consumers of rabbit in the EU. During our time in the country, I enjoyed rabbit a few times. One was roasted with vegetables and was delicious. Another rabbit dish was a pâté made from rabbit meat that was delicious on toasted bread.

Beef Cheeks: A Hearty Meal

A delicious meal I enjoyed while in Cesky Krumlov was slow-cooked beef cheeks. They cooked them with cloves and dark beer, which was flavourful. It was delicious and filling, served with celery purée, salsify, and roast garlic.

Smažený sýr – Fried Cheese

Smažený sýr is a nice food to try in the Czech Republic. It’s basically fried cheese. It is quite popular and appears on many restaurant and street-food menus throughout the country. They make it by coating cheese in egg, flour, and breadcrumbs, then frying it in a pan or deep-frying it. I enjoyed it with fries and a tartare sauce. It gets a thumbs up from me and is often a cheap option.

Freshwater Fish, including Trout & Carp

In Cesky Krumlov, traditional restaurants mostly offered freshwater fish. This included plenty of trout and carp. I enjoyed various grilled trout meals, served with potatoes, potato salad, and garnish. These were delicious, and I believe many were from a nearby fish farm you can see from the railway tracks.

We also enjoyed deep-fried carp in the Czech Republic. Carp is a popular Czech fish and is often eaten for Christmas and Easter.

Pork Ribs Cooked In Dark Beer

Another fantastic meal I enjoyed was pork ribs that they slow-cooked in dark beer. The sauce on the ribs was delicious, and I really enjoyed it. They served this with horseradish and mustard, with a side of bread to mop up the dark beer gravy.

Along with those cooked in beer, we’ve enjoyed various rib dishes from Czech restaurant menus. They usually come with horseradish, mustard, and bread, but are cooked differently.

Sausages

Another common menu item I’ve enjoyed was lots of sausages. There are various Czech sausages to try, including some spicy options too. I’ve enjoyed these slow-cooked with beer, in a stew or grilled. Sausages also appear in various takes on the old Bohemian pans you see. As a bonus, sausage dishes are often cheaper on traditional restaurant menus, making them perfect for budget travellers.

Apple or Berry Strudel

Before I gave up puddings, I really enjoyed strudel on my adventures in Central Europe, including in the Czech Republic. It dates back to the 15th century and originated in Austria. Basically, it is a flaky pastry filled with fruit, typically apples or berries. These are delicious and often served with cream or ice cream.

Which Czech Beer To Try?

The Czech Republic is renowned for pilsner beer. The two most popular beers in the country are Pilsner Urquell and Budvar. Both are great drinks. I prefer refreshing light beers and pilsners; however, there are some fantastic dark beers too. Some bars and restaurants blend the light and dark to create a signature beer.

Beers we tried while out and about in the bars and restaurants of the country include the following:

Pilsner Urquell: A Popular Beer
Budvar: A Top Beer
Kozel: A fantastic light beer

Nefiltrovaný Pšeničný, a wheat beer by Staropramen
Staropramen Pilsner
Dux
Starobrno

Where To Enjoy Czech Cuisine & Beers?

I’ve enjoyed dining out in various places, including some fantastic restaurants. You can find these places in my relevant food posts.