Wining and Dining in Prague

It felt sad leaving Vienna as we boarded our train to Prague … there was so much left to explore.

Daylight was drawing to an end as we rolled through the hills of the Austrian and Czechia countrysides. The snow fell softly upon quaint little towns all dressed in twinkling lights. It looked like a Christmas card.

We arrived in the evening cold and hungry from our journey. After checking into our hotel we set off in search of a bite to eat. One place was booked solid, another was too smoke-filled. We came upon a nice little hotel restaurant facing the Republic Square.

Christmas Market in Wenceslas Square

“Do you wish to sit inside or out?” the young man asked. Are you kidding me? It is 25 degrees Fahrenheit out there, what kind of a question is that? ... I thought to myself. We did sit outside among the heat lamps in the glassed-in patio. It was pleasant, albeit a little nippy, gazing onto the square taking in the beautiful buildings, the people dashing here and there, and a brightly lit Christmas tree.

We didn't order anything fancy, just soup and sandwiches, but on this cold night it was just what we wanted and this restaurant, with its friendly staff and casual ambiance, suited perfectly.

A little tired we weren’t sure what to do next. Should we be wimps and settle into our nice, warm hotel for the night? … it was just steps away … we could see it from the window … it was actually calling to us. Or should we brave the cold and set out for a walk to, hmmm, who knows where?

Making Trdelnik

We didn’t have our map with us but, having studied it previously, I had kind of a sense of where to go. So off we went, deciding to be brave, wimpy isn’t for us … no siree!

We ended up in the new town at the Christmas tree in Wenceslas Square. A turn to the left provided us with a stunning view of sparkling white lights leading down the square to the majestic National Museum building. As in Vienna, there was a Christmas market full of handmade crafts, food and drink.

The market food was different than in Vienna … large hams were roasting on spits and trdelnik were turning on grills. Trdelnik is a traditional hot sugar-coated pastry. The pastry is made from rolled dough wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with a sugar and walnut mix. Barbecued sausages were plentiful as were beer and an assortment of warm drinks. The aromas wafting up from the hams and pastries were intoxicating.

Old Town Square

After taking it all in, we followed the crowd down a narrow street toward Old Town Square. As we approached I was awestruck. It is difficult to put into words how lovely this square was, all decorated in its holiday finery. It was simply stunning.

It was hard to know where to look. With each quarter turn there was something more dramatic, more majestic and more beautiful to gaze upon. Churches, old town hall with its astronomical clock, museums, restaurants, lighted trees, angels and a large Christmas market filled the square. I don't believe I've seen a prettier place or one with such history.

Something else caught my attention … people were dining outside. Now I’m not talking about standing around a market with a sausage in hand or about sitting in a heated glassed-in pavilion; I mean they were sitting outside enjoying a meal! May I remind you that the temperatures were in the 20s (that’s Fahrenheit, not Celsius). I thought the Viennese were hearty, but I think the people of Prague have them beat!

Outdoor Dining in Old Town Square

In addition to its traditional restaurants, Prague is also full of many ethnic dining options. We enjoyed Italian and French dishes along with our goulash and, with one exception, everything was cooked well and presented beautifully.

Cafés were prevalent here … not quite the café culture we found in Vienna, but they were plentiful with some as opulent as those in Vienna. We had our morning coffee nearby in the sumptuous Municipal House Café, Kavárna Obecní dům.  Enjoying a coffee in this art nouveau café ... with its dramatic high ceilings, large windows, and gorgeous crystal chandeliers ... was as much an event as viewing the sites.

Francouzska Restaurant

Across the hall, a more formal and even more luxurious restaurant beckoned. After attending a concert at the Municipal House’s Smetana Hall, we had a late dinner at the French Francouzska restaurant. The fresh white tablecloths, sparkling silver, crystal place settings, and dramatic décor made dining here very special. Music from a piano floated from the back of the restaurant further adding to the lovely ambiance.

As it was late, we decided to just have soup and an appetizer for dinner. My husband and I each had the beef consommé with vegetables and dark home-made noodles to start, and the salad with smoked duck breast and orange dressing as our main course.  The soup was simple, but flavorful and the salad was exquisite both in its presentation and its taste. We also enjoyed some nice local wines with our meal.

Francouzska's Smoked Duck Breast

On a cold night after the concert it was nice to be able to slip into this lovely restaurant with its professional, yet friendly, staff and have a nice something to eat without leaving the building.

Across from our hotel we had dinner at another French restaurant one night, a bistro called Brasserie La Gare. This one was a total disappointment.

I love French bistro food and was looking forward to trying this restaurant. We were seated in front where upon a very cold breeze would blow on us with each opening of the door … of which there were many. My husband had a cold and this didn’t help it.

We started with what was called a mixed salad. It was nothing more than mixed bell peppers, not what we expected, and not at all to our liking. Had we known it was a pepper salad, we would never have ordered it.

Floating by in Front of our Window at Kampa Park

After pushing our peppers around and enduring many cold blasts of air, we were presented with our main courses. My husband’s duck breast arrived alone on a plate with a small pitcher of chocolate-cherry sauce on the side, not very appetizing in its appearance ... completely opposite from the duck at Francouzska. It tasted okay, but was nothing special.

My cassoulet contained lots of dry beans, two large chunks of bone, a huge ring of fat, and a couple slices of actual pork. It was awful. When a girl appeared to clear the table, I told her there was little meat, mostly bone and fat in my cassoulet. She could not have cared less.

It was too bad that one out of our three dinners in Prague was wasted in this place, but luckily, every other restaurant was very enjoyable.

King Kampa Club

Late one afternoon we noticed Kampa Park, a river-front continental restaurant, from the Charles Bridge and set off to take a look. After a couple of false starts, we found it and enjoyed a leisurely lunch watching the swans on the Vltava River gracefully float by.

Our waitress was so nice, friendly and efficient ... always there when we needed something yet never hovering.

My husband started with the pumpkin soup with black trumpet mushrooms, which he very much enjoyed on this cold winter's day. I started with the apple-endive salad with grapes, walnuts and brie cheese which was light, refreshing and delightful ... I actually attempted to duplicate this salad at home and it turned out great.

View of the Charles Bridge from Kampa Park

Our selected entrées were the King Kampa Club sandwich ... grilled beef, egg, bacon and Mediterranean vegetables on country bread ... and the rigatoni with a creamy mushroom sauce. The sandwich was huge and my husband still talks about how good and unusual it was.

We had some nice local wine with our meal and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our scenic lunch right on the water.

For our very last meal in town we went Italian. While touring the Jewish quarter section of the Old Town, we passed a beautiful building that housed what looked like a lovely place to toast our last day, not only in Prague, but of our entire trip. Again we had a delightful meal.

View Across the River from the Jewish Quarter

We found our dining experiences in Prague to be similar to Vienna. Both cities have an outdoor culture, even in the bitter cold of winter. With their food, drink and merriment, Christmas markets add to the spirit of the outdoors.

Housed in historic and often elaborate buildings, good restaurants from many regions abound. Staffs are friendly and anxious to please. Meat and potatoes are the main ingredients, we found little seafood and few vegetables on the menus.

Beer is popular in Vienna, but it is king in Prague. Pilsner beer was invented in Prague and it is said that the best beers are indeed from this area. The wines, both red and white, were of surprisingly good quality … something we were not expecting.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to wine and dine in Prague and in Vienna. We were very lucky to have had the opportunity, especially during the Christmas season when the cities sparkled and shined, to visit this welcoming region of Europe.