Dealing with food cravings in Prague

It’s no secret that Tigger and I are food lovers. Of course, my palate is quite a bit more diverse than his “mac & cheese is a food group” tastes. As we’ve been traveling for quite a while, we’ve been stricken by some rather specific food cravings. It’s kind of like having an itch you just can’t scratch. Prague has been our savior!

food cravings

American (and British) foods

Hamburgers, french fries, and fried chicken seem to be rather ubiquitous in all four corners of the world. Bagels and Lucky Charms? Not so much. Being such an international and expat-filled city, I figured someone would be smart enough to tap into that niche market, and boy was I right!

The Candy Store (a rather odd name considering what they stock) is THE place to find the foods you’re craving.

While Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis can find vegemite and marmite in the Tesco stores, this establishment has a broad selection of other British foods.

There are a few locations, but I have learned that the Vinohrady store is 80% British foods while the Na Rybníčku shop sells mostly American products.

It isn’t just candy and sugary cereals either. They have tons of products like salad dressings, beverages, baking products, and even frozen dinners and meats (like sliced HoneyBaked ham).

And, yes, they also have Lucky Charms.

Considering that these items are imported, the prices are surprisingly reasonable.

food cravings

Bagels

Yes, we finally have our bagels!

And just because we care so much about you, our dear readers, we visited several different places to make sure our recommendations reflected only the highest quality. You’re welcome.

The best place for bagels in Prague is Bohemia Bagel. They have a few locations, but the one in the Masna area of Praha 1 wins the blue ribbon. They have the best selection, the bagels taste fresher, and they seem to be better staffed than the other shops which means wait time is significantly reduced. They have wonderful bagel sandwiches, too. I recommend the turkey club (pictured above).

Prices for bagels are very reasonable. Sandwiches are a bit more pricey but normal for the area.

They also advertise free international calls to the US and Canada. They do have free WiFi in all their shops, and it’s pretty decent.

food cravings

Mexican food cravings

We adore Mexican food. It’s one of our favorite cuisines, and it’s very difficult to find authentic Mexican food (sorry, but nachos and burritos are not really Mexican food). It’s even worse if you’re like me and are a Mexican food snob.

I am not ashamed to admit this either.

One day we were walking around exploring when I spotted a sign proclaiming they sold tacos, and the name of the restaurant was El Paisa. I crossed the street to look at their menu, and my jaw dropped. These were not the usual offerings I see in wannabe Mexican joints!

We entered and were greeted by someone who appeared to be Mexican. We started chatting in Spanish, and I discovered that all their staff and owners are indeed from Mexico. Needless to say we sat down and ordered.

This was the best Mexican food I’ve had outside Mexico! They even had totopos (tortilla chips) and habañero sauce!

And their flan was the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten a lot of flan in my life.

You’ll find them near the Vysherad.

If you’re craving Mexican fast food, we ran into Burrito Loco. These are a decent imitation of Chipotle burritos, although not quite as fat. Not only is the place open 24 hours, but they also have our favorite Mexican beer Sol.

They have a few locations in Prague. We ate at the one on Masna, which is next door to our favorite bagel shop.

food cravings

Thai food

This is probably my absolute favorite cuisine, although it’s hard for me to pick just one favorite. It can be rather difficult to find a good version of Thai food, especially if you’ve been to Thailand.

We stepped off the metro at the Vysherad station only to find a small restaurant called Yam Yam. Since it was dinnertime, we decided to check it out. Well, I did. Tigger doesn’t share my affinity for Thai food. Yet.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! The food tasted fairly close to what we had in Thailand, although it was a bit sweeter and not nearly as spicy. Still, if you’re craving Thai this is a great place to have it. Some expat friends who have lived in Prague for 3 years also recommend this as the best Thai in Prague.

If you’ll be visiting for dinner, especially on a weekend night, I highly recommend making reservations. They are quite popular, and the restaurant is small.

Meat lovin’

Like many Eastern European countries, Czech has a fondness for pork. Beef seems to be rather rare, and it’s often not very good. When we were preparing to celebrate our 1000th day of travel, I searched for a place that would be special but still reasonably priced.

During my research, I found Ambiente Brasileiro which is a churrascaria. Churrasco is a particular style of cooking, and these restaurants are great because they tend to be a meat lover’s paradise. Servers walk around with skewers of various types of meat. They stop at your table and offer you some slices. It’s a great way to sample a wide variety.

There was quite the assortment of meat, including excellent beef. Fish lovers/pescatarians aren’t left out either.

As is typical, this restaurant has a nice salad bar as well as a sushi bar, which are all included in the buffet price. Their dessert menu is separate from the buffet.

This is not a cheap place, but I felt like the quality and service were a good match. We ate like kings (including paying extra for a sumptuous dessert), and I drank. . . well, a lot of cocktails, and our final bill, after a rather generous tip, was $94 USD.

The full buffet price is about $34 USD (told you it wasn’t cheap). Children are charged less, and if you arrive and finish before 6 PM, the charge is around $25 for adults. Drinks aren’t included, but you can get tap water for free.

There is also a salad bar-only option which is cheaper and includes the sushi bar.

If you’re celebrating something special, are looking for a romantic night out, or just want to splurge, I highly recommend this place. The food was excellent, the cocktails were great, and the service was impeccable (especially compared to typical Eastern European restaurant service).

What food cravings do you get when you’re on the road?

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10 Comments

  1. “and every Mexican I’ve spoken to has agreed.”

    Were those mexicans the typical mexicans typically found abroad (i.e. from Mexico City, Guadalajara, etc.) and other southern regions? If yes, I’m not surprised at their opinion. They don’t even consider northern mexicans to be real mexicans at all, ha! Just so you can have an idea, they even ridicule the flour tortilla, a staple of northern mexican cuisine, especially Monterrey… So I suppose the nacho from our humble Piedras Negras doesn’t even stand a chance with them, lol. But if you wish to side with them southern mexicans, by all means…

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  2. “sorry, but nachos and burritos are not really Mexican food”

    I don’t mean to get technical here, but while you are right with burritos, nachos ARE definitely a Mexican dish. They originally come from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.

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    • They were invented for Gringos. Noodles were invented in China, but that doesn’t make Spaghetti Chinese food. 😉

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      • “They were invented for Gringos.”

        Yeah you’re right, the very first nachos happened to be made for some guest gringos while traveling in Mexico, but we have to consider that these guests didn’t even have a say as to the food they wanted…they just showed up at a wrong time in that Piedras Negras restaurant and demanded to be fed, lol. The father of the nacho, Piedras Negras chef Mr. Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, did the best he could to come up with such dish without an ounce of influence from those gringos, so the fact that the end customers were gringos is actually irrelevant….the outcome would have been equally the same had the guests been local mexican patrons instead of the gringos.

        It is evident that the dish was heavily embraced as a local Piedras Negras dish as it not only became popular, but an annual nacho festival is held in that city to this day…

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        • When I visited Piedras Negras, I never saw one place serving it, except for the obvious tourist targets. I stand by my opinion it isn’t Mexican food.

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          • Sorry, but I actually come from the Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras border. And I can tell you the nacho is a source of pride in Piedras Negras. While you no doubt visited our region, I can tell you I actually grew up there and know the area quite well. And, incidentally, I have actually dined at the old Moderno Restaurant many times for their original nacho recipe. Our border is not exactly a touristy place per se as we’re not famous as Tijuana/San Diego or El Paso/Juarez, so we don’t really have “tourist traps” like what we see in those border cities or what we see here in Prague…the Mercado in Piedras being the closest thing that could be considered a trap.

            But anyways, last time I checked, Piedras Negras was actually still part of Mexico, and I suppose it still is…and if a local Piedras Negras resident invented a certain dish back in the 40s, I would say it is logical, if not obvious, that the nacho is a mexican invention, and therefore, mexican food.

            Next time you encounter a mexican from the north, especially from Coahuila, feel free to discuss the nacho with them. Btw, most Mexicans (from the south) are very ignorant about the north of Mexico, so chances are that they have never even heard of Piedras Negras or if they have, they couldn’t pinpoint it for you on a map. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they themselves are also ignorant of the nacho and its origin.

            Anyways, if in spite of all this you prefer to believe that the nacho comes from the USA, then I won’t interfere with that anymore 🙂

          • I never said they came from the USA. I said they aren’t Mexican food, and every Mexican I’ve spoken to has agreed. We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

  3. In Prague I satisfy my food cravings with a big plate of vepro-knedlo-zelo and a couple of beers (I am from Slovakia). Anything else is an import. A couple of old-school restaurants in the Old Town area that retain their gritty, for-the-locals-only feel: Pivnice u Rudolfina on Krizovnicka Street and Pivnice u Milosrdnych, now closed down. Though last time I visited, in summer 2013, I felt they both had gone down from my previous visit.

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    • I wouldn’t plan on finding anything truly local in the historic area. Like in many places, I think you have to get outside the area for that.

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