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What to Eat in Prague: Czech Food, Trdelník and Goulash

5 placesWith mapWhere to eat

What to eat in Prague: goulash (guláš) in a bread bowl, roast duck with knedlíky dumplings, svíčková and, for dessert, trdelník. Below are the five places where we ate in Prague, from breakfast at Café Louvre to a medieval dinner at U Pavouka, with what we paid in CZK and where to stay nearby.

Where to Eat Czech Food in Prague: Café Louvre, Goulash and U Pavouka

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Halil Şımır at breakfast in the historic hall of Café Louvre, Prague
1

Café Louvre

Breakfast in Prague's Historic Café

CafésNew Town
Address
Národní 22, New Town

Café Louvre in Prague is one of the city's most famous cafés. It opened in 1902, and the café's own history says Franz Kafka and Albert Einstein sat here over coffee; old photos telling that story hang in the hall (official info, October 2026).

  • Opened: 1902
More about this place

We had breakfast here on our second morning, ordering from the Café Louvre breakfast menu in Prague. First came a bread basket with butter, then avocado and egg on toast and a cheese breakfast plate.

Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00-23:30, Saturday and Sunday 9:00-23:30 (official info, October 2026).

Want to stay nearby? The café is in the New Town (Nové Město), a walk from the National Theatre and Wenceslas Square; our own hotel was in this area too.

Watch in the video · 22:49See New Town hotels Ad See New Town hotels Ad New Town area guide
Trdelník turning over the coals at the Prague Old Town Square Christmas market
2

Trdelník

Where to Eat Prague's Chimney Cake

MarketsOld Town
Per person
130 CZK with chocolate, 170 CZK with ice cream
Address
Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí)

You can't walk through a Prague Christmas market without eating trdelník. The dough is wrapped around a spit, rolled in sugar and turned slowly over the coals until it is crisp. They fill it with chocolate, fruit, cream or ice cream.

More about this place

At the Old Town Square stall the sign in our video said 130 CZK (about €5.30) with chocolate and 170 CZK (about €6.90) with ice cream; prices change from stall to stall. Looking for the best trdelník in Prague?

We only tried this Old Town Square stall, and it was good. Trdelník is one of my favourite sweets, but it is not originally Czech: it comes from the Hungarian and Transylvanian kürtőskalács, and we liked the cinnamon version we ate in Budapest even more.

Want to stay nearby? The market is right in the middle of the Old Town (Staré Město); stay here and you can walk over when the lights come on in the evening.

Watch in the video · 7:18See Old Town hotels Ad See Old Town hotels Ad Old Town area guide
Halil Şımır at the entrance and sign of U Pavouka medieval tavern in Prague
3

U Pavouka

Medieval Dinner and Show in Prague

RestaurantsOld Town
Per person
set menu about 2,150 CZK
Address
Celetná 17, Old Town

The medieval tavern U Pavouka (Krčma U Pavouka) is the medieval dinner in Prague that most visitors end up at. We had no reservation, called, and they told us to come straight away.

You eat by candlelight at long shared tables; at ours there were Americans, Germans, Brits, Poles and Greeks, and everyone talked to everyone. Fire shows and live folk music start between the courses.

More about this place

The set menu had a starter platter, duck and turkey, and small side dishes. It is so dark that we couldn't show the food on camera, and plates keep arriving. The bill came to about 2,150 CZK (about €88) per person, drinks included. Touristy, yes, but great fun for one evening; at Christmas, book ahead.

Watch in the video · 16:38See Old Town hotels Ad Old Town area guide
Beef goulash served in a round bread bowl at Mlejnice restaurant, Prague
4

Mlejnice

Where to Eat Goulash in Prague

RestaurantsOld Town
Per person
Goulash, duck and a drink about 800 CZK
What to order
goulash in a bread bowl, duck with knedlíky
Address
Kožná 14, a few minutes from Old Town Square

For authentic Czech food in Prague, a few minutes from Old Town Square, try Mlejnice; it was the best Czech food in Prague on our trip, and where we would eat again in the Old Town.

More about this place

Goulash is originally Hungarian, but Prague loves it too. The Hungarian version is spicier; the Czech one is milder and comes inside a round loaf of bread. Think of a slow cooked beef stew in a thick sauce, topped with red onion. We ordered the beef goulash; there is also a pork version, so ask when you order.

Is it the best goulash in Prague? We only tried this one beef goulash in Prague, and we would order it again. For cheap Czech food in Prague it is not the cheapest, but it cost far less than our medieval dinner at U Pavouka.

On the side we had a duck leg. The white slices on the plate are knedlíky, the boiled bread dumplings Czechs serve with meat and sauce. I'm not a big fan of duck, but this one was tender and well seasoned. Goulash, the duck leg and one drink came to about 800 CZK (about €33) in total.

Watch in the video · 29:48See Old Town hotels Ad Old Town area guide
Window tables overlooking the Vltava at Café Slavia, Prague
5

Café Slavia

Coffee with a View of Prague Castle

CafésOld Town
What to order
coffee and the river view
Address
Národní 1, opposite the National Theatre

A grand old café right on the Vltava. From the window tables you look across the river to Prague Castle . The Turkish poet Nâzım Hikmet is said to have spent much of his Prague years here writing; we came for that story and stayed for the view.

More about this place

Come to Café Slavia in Prague for the coffee and the view rather than for a meal. If you can choose your table, take one by the window.

Hours: Monday to Saturday 9:00-23:00, Sunday 9:00-22:00 (official info, October 2026).

Watch in the video · 25:26See Old Town hotels Ad Old Town area guide

What to Eat in Prague: Czech Food and Prices

What to Eat in

Czech Dishes to Try

What we ate in Prague. Traditional, typical Czech food, the common and famous food of the Czech Republic that you find all over Prague, is meaty and comes with a lot of sauce, and there is almost always knedlíky on the side. These are the Czech dishes we tried at the places above:

  • Goulash
  • Knedlíky
  • Roast duck
  • Trdelník
  • Goulash (guláš): served in a round bread bowl, milder than Hungarian goulash; we had it at Mlejnice.
  • Roast duck (pečená kachna): with knedlíky and cabbage; we had a duck leg at Mlejnice, and duck was on U Pavouka's set menu too.
  • Knedlíky: sliced boiled bread dumplings; Czechs serve them with meat and sauce, and you use them to mop up the sauce.
  • Trdelník: dough turned over the coals; we ate it at the Christmas market.

What we didn't try on this trip. The most recommended Czech food in Prague that didn't make it to our table:

  • Svíčková (svickova): a classic of Czech food: beef sirloin in a creamy vegetable sauce, with knedlíky.
  • Smažený sýr: breaded fried cheese, served with potatoes.
  • Vepřo knedlo zelo: roast pork with knedlíky and cabbage.

We don't describe food we haven't eaten as if we had. Pork is on most Czech menus, so if you don't eat it, ask what the meat is when you order. What we paid for each is in the price table below.

Prague Food Cost

Dishes We Tried and What We Paid

How much does food cost in Prague? Here is everything we paid, in one table. These are not averages: they are our own bills and the prices on the Christmas market stall signs.

  • What we paid
  • Stall signs
WhatWherePrice
Trdelník with chocolateChristmas market stall130 CZK (€5.30)
Trdelník with ice creamChristmas market stall170 CZK (€6.90)
Old Prague ham, 100 gChristmas market stall129 CZK (€5.30)
Klobása (sausage), oneChristmas market stall150 CZK (€6.10)
Lunch: goulash, duck leg and one drink (total)Mlejniceabout 800 CZK (€33)
Medieval set menu per person, drinks includedU Pavoukaabout 2,150 CZK (€88)

Market prices are from the stall signs in our video. We converted at €1 = 24.465 CZK (official exchange rate, 2 October 2026). Is Prague expensive for food? In the Old Town, yes, by Czech standards: a snack at the market was 129 to 170 CZK, a sit down lunch about 800 CZK for the two dishes and a drink.

Getting to Prague and how many days to spend there are in our Prague travel guide .

Staropražská šunka, Old Prague ham turning on a spit over a wood fire at the Old Town Square Christmas market, Prague

Prague Christmas Market Food

Trdelník, Ham, Sausages and Prices

The market has a bit of everything. What we saw at the Old Town Square stalls and the prices on their signs:

  • Type: Christmas market stalls
  • Location: Old Town Square
  • Price: 129 to 170 CZK
  • Trdelník (trdlo): dough turned over the coals; we ate it, with chocolate or ice cream inside. 130 CZK with chocolate, 170 CZK with ice cream. More in the trdelník card above.
  • Staropražská šunka (Old Prague ham): a whole ham turning on a spit over a wood fire, 129 CZK per 100 g (about €5.30); the most photographed stall on the square.
  • Klobása: a thick sausage grilled over the coals, 150 CZK each (about €6.10); we were told the most famous sausage in a bun is sold here.
  • Halušky: small potato dumplings with cabbage and bacon.
  • Langoš: fried dough topped with garlic and cheese.
  • Chestnuts, corn and mashed potatoes: on every corner, the easiest snacks.
Klobása sausages and skewers grilling over the coals at a Prague Christmas market
The klobása grill
Trdelník dough wrapped on spits turning over the coals at the Old Town Square Christmas market, Prague
Trdelník over the coals

The ham, klobása and halušky are pork, and we didn't try them. If you don't eat pork, ask at the stall; trdelník, chestnuts and corn are the safe choices. Market dates and opening hours are in our Prague Christmas markets guide .

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Price per person
2Trdelník130 CZK with choc…3U Pavoukaset menu about 2,…4MlejniceGoulash, duck and…

Food in Prague: Your Questions Answered

What food is Prague famous for?

Goulash (guláš) served in a bread bowl or with knedlíky, roast duck with knedlíky and cabbage, svíčková (beef in a creamy vegetable sauce) and, as a sweet, trdelník. We tried the goulash, the duck and the trdelník; svíčková didn't make it into this trip.

What is traditional Czech food?

Meat with a rich sauce and knedlíky, the sliced bread dumplings Czechs serve with almost every main course. Goulash, roast duck, svíčková, smažený sýr (fried cheese) and vepřo knedlo zelo (pork, dumplings and cabbage) are the classics.

Is trdelník Czech?

It is sold everywhere in Prague, especially at the Christmas markets, but it comes from the Hungarian and Transylvanian kürtőskalács. The dough is wrapped around a spit, rolled in sugar and turned over the coals, then filled with chocolate, fruit, cream or ice cream.

Is food expensive in Prague?

In the Old Town it is on the expensive side: at the Christmas market we paid 129 to 170 CZK for a snack, and a sit down lunch of goulash, a duck leg and a drink came to about 800 CZK. Item by item prices are in our price table.

Where can you eat goulash in Prague?

We ate it at Mlejnice, a few minutes from Old Town Square, served inside a round loaf of bread. It is milder than Hungarian goulash, and the beef was very tender. There is also a pork version, so ask when you order.

Can you eat in Prague without pork?

Yes, but ask. Pork is very common in Czech cooking: goulash and sausages are also made with pork, and most of the meat at the market stalls is pork. We ordered beef goulash and duck, and at the market we had trdelník.

Is U Pavouka worth it?

For one evening, yes. It is touristy, but the candlelit shared tables, the fire shows and the music make it fun. Our set menu with drinks came to about 2,150 CZK per person. At Christmas, book ahead.

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5 most asked questions
What Czech food to try?Goulash, duck, knedlíkyDishes Breakfast in Prague?Café Louvre, since 1902Café Louvre What is trdelník?Chimney cake from the coalsTrdelník Where to eat goulash?Mlejnice, in a bread bowlMlejnice How much is food?What we paid in CZKPrices

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