During a visit with friends, I was overcome by a touch of anxiety. The anxiety of entering a restaurant with a Czech menu and no English translation. Nevertheless, we went in, and I decided to order Czech food from the Czech menu for everyone. This resulted in a fantastic meal, and everyone agreed that the cabbage had never tasted so good in England. At that moment, I sat down and pondered how best to introduce the average tourist to Czech food, restaurant etiquette, and the Czech style of tipping. And that’s how my Czech food and menu guide, which you’ll find below, came about. You can join me anytime for a tour of Czech food and beer tastings. Or check out my top recommendations for Czech dishes. Or learn how to make the most of the Czech lunch menu. Or prepare to deal with food allergies.

Czech food – upon entering the restaurant

When you enter a Czech restaurant, your first question might be where to sit. You’re not usually shown to a table. There might be tables for four or six people, and it’s customary to ask someone if you can join them if there are no others available. The simplest way to find out if there are any free seats is to say “je to volno” (pronounced “yeh toh voll-noh”). If the person you’re speaking to doesn’t shake their head emphatically, it means you can sit down. Pay attention to the word “no,” as this is a shortened version of “ano,” which means “yes,” in Czech. Observe the gestures of the person already seated at the table. Congratulations, you’ve just found your seat!. 

CZECH FOOD – THE WAITER

A waiter will then approach you and hand you the menu. He will immediately ask, “Co si date k piti?” (pronounced “tso see dat-eh k pee-tee?”), which means “What would you like to drink?” Even if you don’t quite understand the Czech expression, he will wait for your drink order. You have the option of saying “pivo prosim” (pronounced “pee-vo pro-seem”), which will get you a 0.4-liter or 0.5-liter glass of the house beer. However, you might be asked if you would like “male nebo velke” (pronounced “ma-le ne-bo vel-ke”), which means whether you would like a small or large (0.5-liter) glass of beer. The waiter may also ask about the strength of the beer, and you might hear the word “decitku” (pronounced “des-seet-koo”), which means a Czech beer with a strength of 10 degrees (equivalent to about 4.5% alcohol content in the UK), which is standard here.

If you prefer juice, restaurants often offer orange juice (pronounced “pom-eh-ran-tso-vee”) or various multivitamin juices (pronounced “moolti-vitameen”). You might be asked how much juice you’d like. Czechs use a special unit of measurement called “deci” (pronounced “dessy”), and a 0.3-liter glass of juice in Czech would be “tri deci” (pronounced “tree dessy”). To order, for example, two beers, you could say “dvakrat male pivo prosim” (pronounced “dva-krat ma-lay pee-vo pro-seem”), which means “Two small beers, please.” For two orange juices, you might say “dvakrat pomerancovy dzus prosim” (pronounced “dva-krat pom-eh-ran-tso-vee dzus pro-seem”). Please note that the word “dvakrat” (pronounced “dva-krat”) means “two of” and “jedno” (pronounced “yed-noh”) means “one of”. Congratulations, you have just ordered your drinks.

Czech Food – The Menu Format

A typical Czech restaurant follows a menu format that is divided as follows:

  • Predkrmy – Appetizers, both hot and cold.
  • Polévky – Soups.
  • Drubež – Poultry-based dishes.
  • specialty – House recommendations.
  • Hotová Jídla – Quickly served ready meals.
  • Minutkova Jídla – Dishes that are immediately available, but are prepared to order and may cause waiting times.
  • Ryby – Fish.
  • Salaty Salads.
  • Prílohy – Vegetables/side dishes (such as fries, sauces, etc.).

Optionally, you can also find the following categories:

  • Bezmasá Jídla – Vegetarian or, more precisely, “meatless” dishes.
  • Moucníky – Desserts.
  • Detské Menu – Children’s menu.
  • Denní Menu – Daily changing lunch specials, often with two or three courses, although drinks are usually not included.
  • Denní Menu – Daily fixed lunch menu, perhaps two or three courses, with drinks NOT included.
  • TOP TIP – If you order similar Czech food, i.e., only beef or pork, etc., you will find the service much faster than if you order a selection of different meats, as all meals are waiting for the slowest preparation.

Czech Food – Starter

A restaurant offers two or three types of soup. Soups belong to the category “Polévky”.
1) Hovězi (hovee-ehzi) polevku or bujon. It will be a clear beef soup and may contain an addition of noodles (hovezi s nudlem) or small meatballs.
2) Gulašovy (Gulasch-oh-vee), thick goulash soup with pieces of ham and sausage, onions and peppers.
3) Bramborovy (brambor-oh-vee) thick potato soup with green vegetables and sometimes mushrooms, although this is only popular during the winter months.
4) Boršč (borshch) A relic from the Russian era. Similar to goulash soup with a heavy use of beetroot, cabbage, and sausage.
Bread usually comes with the soup; in some places it’s free, but in others you pay 2 or 3 kc for a slice or a long roll. If you have to ask, say “mate rohliky prosim” (maatay-rohh-leeky). Do you have bread?

Other popular menu launchers are;

  • Sunkova rolka se šlehanou a křenem – A ham roll with cream and horseradish sauce.
  • Tlačenka s otcem a cibuli – Browns with vinegar and onions.
  • Smažene Zampinony Fried mushrooms.
  • Topinky (se syrem) – Fried garlic bread (with cheese).

CZECH FOOD – MAIN COURSE

  • Hovězi Gula Beef goulash – This classic Czech dish is automatically served with sliced ​​bread dumplings (Houskovy). The meat is garnished with fresh onions and peppers.
  • Vepřove Gula š (vepr-oh-vay) – Pork goulash – Another Czech staple food. Same as above, but with pork.
  • Svičkova na smetane Beef slices (svichkova-na-smettan-eay) are automatically served with sliced ​​bread dumplings. The meat is covered with a sauce and topped with a lemon slice, cranberry jam, and cream.
  • Smaženy kureci rizek – Chicken fried in breadcrumbs. Similar to Wiener Schnitzel, but without cheese in Czech cuisine. Usually served with a cold potato salad (“bramborovy salat”) or boiled potatoes (“varene brambor”).
  • Smaženy veprove rizek – as above, but with pork.
  • Kuřeci prsa Chicken breast can be served with anything, but often with a dish that can be served with “bramboracky” (bramboratchky), a potato that has been grated and then fried into small pastries.
  • Biftek – Beef steak – In Czech cuisine, meat is generally cooked medium. If you want it cooked well, say “propecene” (propetchenay). Usually served with fries (“hranolky”) and possibly with an egg on the steak (“vejce”).
  • Pepper steak Pepper steak – Steak prepared to order with peppercorns on top, with a side dish containing the sauce, or with the sauce already on the steak. Czech food, especially meat, can be served with a lot of sauce.
  • Pečena Kachna – roast duck – (pecena means roast, but the “ch” in Kachna has no English equivalent, as it is a sound made at the back of the throat. The closest description is the sound made before spitting), served with sliced ​​bread dumplings and “Zeli” (Zeli looks like sauerkraut, but is much finer and sweeter).
  • Smaženy Syr – Cheese fried in breadcrumbs, served with a side salad.
  • Kralik (kraaaleek) – Rabbit, usually fried and served with zeli.

Some other useful Czech menu translations;

Směs (smee – ess) – you might see “Kureci Smes”. Basically, it means the meat is in small pieces. Literally, it means “mixed”.
Prsa – Applied only to chicken, this means you get the breast.
Pikant or Dabelsky or Pálivy (paa-livy) – The food or sauce is spicy or served with chilies.

Czech cuisine is very adaptable. If you like the basic dish but, for example, don’t like the sauce, simply ask for it without sauce. The phrase you need is “Bez Omacku” or “Bess omatchkoo,” which translates to “Without sauce.” This is useful when ordering a steak, etc. The same applies to the type of potato, etc. There’s an example in the next section.

CZECH FOOD – ORDERING A MEAL

Don’t be too surprised if you smell garlic in the air. It’s used to varying degrees in Czech cuisine. The waiter has returned to your table with the drinks and is now taking your Czech food order. Let’s assume your meal consists of the following: (based on one person ordering for themselves).
1 x Hovezi Polevku
1 x Svickova
“If you want to have a good time, you will have a good time”
see daam jednoo hovee-ezi polevkoo ah jednoo svichkovo proseem
(I’ll have a beef soup and a svickova na smetane, please).
The second person may have a slightly different Czech food order;
1 x Hovezi Polevku
1 x Kureci Smazeny Rizek

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There can be two problems here, as the letter “r” in these words is unpronounceable for most Czechs, let alone the rest of us. You only need to point to the food guide to avoid confusion. However, let’s assume the dish comes with boiled potatoes (varene brambor) and you want potato salad (bramborovy salaat). You can say to the waiter;
“Si dam jedno hovezi polevku a jedno kureci smazeny rizek ale bez brambor, si dam bramborovy salat” (I will have beef soup and breaded chicken, but without boiled potatoes I will have potato salad).

The side dishes to the main course (called “Prilohy” on a Czech menu) are;

  • houskove knedliky – Bread dumplings
  • bramborove knedliky – Potato dumplings
  • ryže – Rice
  • hranolky – Chips
  • Bramborák – deep-fried potato cakes
  • smažene brambor – Fried potatoes
  • vařene brambor – Boiled potatoes
  • bylina
    – Herb

At the end of the meal, you might see something called “Oblouha.” This is just a small offering of salad, red cabbage, white cabbage, and perhaps pepper. It adds color.

The waiter may also ask if you would like a salad, as many Czechs have it as a side dish. These could be:

  • Michany – Mixed pieces of cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, etc.
  • Sopsky – (Shop-Ski) Same as above, but with Balkan cheese on top (strong flavor).
  • Rajcata (Rye Chatta) – Tomato salad, just tomato slices.
  • Okurky Cucumber salad

Congratulations, you have just ordered your main meal.

Czech Food – Dessert

Still not enough? Every restaurant offers at least two of the following options:
1) Zmrzlinovy ​​​​Pohar – A glass with fruit and ice.
2) Palacinky (palachingky) – In itself it is just a pancake, but “palacinky s ovocem a zmrzlina” transforms it into a pancake filled with fruit and ice cream.
3) Kolac – (Kolaach) cake.
4) Jablecny zavin – (yab-bletchnee zaavin) Apple strudel.

Czech Food – Tea/Coffee

When you have finished your meal, you can call the waiter. You may be asked if you would like coffee: “si date jeste neco? kavu?” (see daatay est-yeah nyee-et-so, kaavoo) Would you like some more coffee?
You can reply “ano, dam si jedno videnskou kavu” I will drink a Viennese coffee.
For two coffees, it changes slightly to “dame si dvacrat vidensky kavy, prosim” (daamay see dvacraat videnskey kaavy proseem). Tea is not popular here, and a restaurant might only offer Cerny Caj (Cherny Chai – black tea) or Ovocny Caj (Ovots-nee Chai – fruit tea). If you want tea with milk, you should choose black tea, and to get milk, you must add the phrase “s mlekem.” Phonetically in Czech, this is “cherny chai smleekem prosim” (black tea with milk, please). Sugar either comes with the coffee or is already on the table.

Czech Food – Paying the Bill

To pay the bill, you must first ask for it. When the waiter comes by, simply say “za platim” (I’ll pay).
In general, it works like this;

The same person you ask for the bill will take the money, or another person will come to the table to take the money (a smaller restaurant may only have one person to take the money).

The waiter may say “dohromady” (doe-hromar-dee), which means you would like to pay the total. It’s easier to settle one bill, but they will split it if you prefer. If you want to pay separately, you must say “zvlast” (zvlaasht).
We use a 10% or “rounding up” tip. So, if the bill comes to 230 Kc, you can give the waiter 250 Kc and tell him to keep the change. If you feel more comfortable, have him give you the change and then immediately return the tip. Czechs don’t leave tips on the table.

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Czech Food – Dining in the Bar

The latest addition to this Czech menu guide may be useful for those intrepid souls ready to tackle a Czech bar when you look at the chalkboard menu and wonder what on earth it all means. Below are some of the most popular “bar dishes” and what they are.

  • Klobasa – The BIG German sausage thing, which should really be called salami in a sock. Served with bread and mustard.
  • Parek (or Parky) – sausages that look like frankfurters, only the Czech ones taste better. On the street, they’re called Parek v rohliku (sausage in a bun), but in a bar, you usually get two sausages stuck together and served with bread and mustard. If you hear the phrase “dva nozichkey,” just nod your head while confirming your standard order of two sausages.
  • Tlacenka – Pronounced “tla-ching-key”, it’s like head cheese in a thick jelly. My least favorite food.
  • Sekana – As mentioned above, it is like meatloaf, but it will almost certainly be served with bread instead of potatoes as a main course.
  • Topinky (Topinek) It’s essentially deep-fried bread with raw garlic sprinkled on top, mmmh. It’s my favorite (I’m a garlic fiend). It’s also sometimes called Dabelske Topinky, which is the above with cheese and chili seeds added.
  • U Topince (or U Topenec) – Not to be confused with topinky. This is known locally as ‘bloated man’, meaning it’s a short, fatty sausage completely submerged in vinegar. It’s usually served with onions/vinegar, pepper sauce, and dry bread.