During our stay in Prague we joined Eating Europe for a Prague evening food tour experience. There is no better time to experience Prague’s culinary treasures than in the summer. A melting pot of flavours influenced by the cuisines of its neighbouring countries, the Czech cuisine is rich in meat dishes, sauces and dumplings.
The quaint neighbourhood surrounding the foothills of the Prague Castle, know as the Malá Strana ( the oldest quarter in Prague) is dotted with restaurants, bistros, cafes and wine bars serving signature Czech dishes.
As we made our way through the picturesque cobblestone streets, admiring the grand architecture and elegant surroundings — all I could think of was how magical the city of Prague is.
Eating Europe: Prague Evening Food Tour
What would a typical day in Prague be without a cool pint of beer or two? Uneventful — by the Czech standards. This is precisely why the food tour starts with a mug of beer.
U Zelených kamen
Uvoz 6
The name of the first stop translates as the Green stove. Housed in a 1541 building which was once a house of the carpenters this small family-run business is managed by Martin and his wife who is known to be an excellent cake maker.
Although we did not have something sweet, we did enjoy a mug of beer which comes from Žatecký Pivovar brewery in the Saaz region. The beer was accompanied by a platter of cold cuts and beer cheeses. As our guide Eva explained this cafe/pub has maintained its original style where locals can enjoy the laidback environment and great beer.
Three small axes in cartouche
The whole area was once a popular neighbourhood for famous artists and alchemists. The Italian influence is also quite evident in the architecture. If you look closely at the baroque houses you will also notice several coat of arms decorating the facade of the buildings. For instance the famous one on Uvoz Street is of the three small axes in cartouche. In the past there used to be a passageway that led to the stairs of the Town Hall.
St. Martin — Food,Wine & All That Jazz
Vlašská 7
As we slowly moved through the romantic and charming cobblestone streets we reached a beautiful 16th century house. On the ground floor there is a small restaurant with a cute garden nestled in the back of the main restaurant.
Run by a brother and sister who both take their turns in the kitchen, the St. Martin serves both an international and Czech menu. Named after St. Martin the patron of winemakers — you are guaranteed to enjoy quality wine in this place. We started our tasting with an amuse-bouche made of a tomato and capers mixture topped with a white cheese, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and served with a homemade bun.
The main meal in this restaurant was a soup prepared with sauerkraut, tomato, paprika and fresh creme based on Czech and Slovak culinary traditions.
One of the highlights of this restaurant which left a great impression on me is that they contribute to the society, therefore you can buy a meal voucher for the pensioners who can come in and enjoy a home cooked meal.
Vinotéka U Mouřenína
Tržiště 17
On our third stop of the Prague Evening Food Tour, it was time to savour some Czech wine. The Moravia region is well know for producing quality wines however the winemakers would keep most of the wine production to themselves. This gorgeous wine bar and shop serves a fine selection of local Czech wines.
We started our wine tasting with a dry white wine, the Riesling 2016 Gurdau. Fruity, juice and fresh in flavour it is produced in the vineyards of Kurdějov, the new venue of the famous Moravian winemaker Jaromír Gala.
This small village once belonged to the most important wine-making villages of Moravia. The winery concentrates on the production of Riesling and Pinot blanc.
We then enjoyed a glass of rosé, Rose nad Zahrady 2016 produced by Víno J.Stávek. This full round wine has a red grapefruit colour. A rich combination of aromas such as fresh forest strawberries, May cherries, red-currants, anise and violet flowers are evident in its complex scent.
Finally we tried a red Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, from Tanzberg in Mikulov. This dry red wine has a mahogany color which complements the dark cherries. You can taste hints of black forest fruit, chocolate, white coffee, juniper and tufts. Quite complex, yet very rich in flavour.
After our delightful wine stop we headed towards the Kampa Island which is located on the Vltava River in central Prague on the side of Malá Strana.
Some of the highlights of Kampa Island are the sculptures of three giant Babies created by the Czech sculptor David Černý, the yellow penguins made by the Cracking Art Group which have been installed on the bank of Vltava River in 2016.
They are part of the Museum Kampa exhibition and are lit up at night. Here you can also admire the oldest plane tree which dates back to the 1830.
This area is also lovely in the evenings, we visited it twice during our stay in Prague.
Czech Slovak Lounge
Ujezd 20
This family-run restaurant is one of Prague’s best kept culinary secrets. It is known for making the best goulash in Prague.
We were seated in a private dining area downstairs, where we were served the family’s renowned recipe — the goulash made of boar meat, potato pancakes and dumplings of course. Make sure to try a mug of their dark beer.
After enjoy the hearty goulash dish it was almost sunset hour as we made our way towards the final stop of the food tour.
The evening gifted us with a magical sunset as we watched the sky slowly cover in hues of fierce orange with clouds turning into puffs of marigold yellow.
The atmosphere was surreal, as the sunset reflected on the buildings and the river we reached the Cafe Slavia located across from the National Theater.
Café Slavia
Národní 1
Housed on the corner of the Národní Street this Art Deco cafe is one of the most popular and oldest cafes in Prague serving exceptional desserts since the 1880s.
Every day from 17:00 onwards you can also enjoy the soothing sounds of live piano music. Over the years the cafe attracted many famous people, politicians, poets and artists. One of the window tables was the favorite spot of Václav Havel who served as the last President of Czechoslovakia.
Here we tried the Czech version of cheesecake which was soft and filling served with a scoop of ice-cream. Of course when you are in Prague you cannot resist trying the famous Absinth, which was quite strong and I did not have it properly as I did not hallucinate any green fairies.
Food tours are a great way to experience all the local hotspots and to learn some interesting facts about the city’s history. We had a fun afternoon with my friends, visited some lesser known sites and enjoyed a wonderful evening in Prague — tasting some authentic Czech dishes. This was my third tour with Eating Europe, you can also read about my experience in London Twilight Soho Food Tour with Eating London and in Rome — Eating Italy: Vatican Area Food Tour.
Prague Evening Food Tour details
Duration 4 hours
Runs from Sunday to Thursday
Price €96 from 18 years old and above
Website: https://www.eatingeurope.com
Check out this cool video of Prague and the Food Tour made by my friend Todd Hata
If you want to learn more about the Trdelník click here
