Restaurants

So you don't know much about Czech food? The country's culinary reputation doesn't resound much beyond the borders of Bohemia, but there are still plenty of tasty treats.

The schnitzels, strudels, and goulashes of neighboring Germany and Hungary are familiar to almost everyone. Czech cuisine borrows from these countries and adds twists like tasty svícková na smetane, sirloin slices in a baked, vegetable-based cream sauce served over tender, spongy, sliced dumplings.

If prepared with care, Czech dishes are as delicious as they are hearty. A few innovative restaurateurs have added character to the generally dull diet of soups, meat, game, potatoes, and dumplings, proving that even Czech cuisine can be delicate. I've included a selection of the best of these.

But if there's a gastric draw to Bohemia, it's the beer. Pubs are so much a part of the local life here that the food is just an accompaniment. I've included a "The Pick of the Pubs" section listing those places that offer decent meals at fantastic prices -- and serve the best brew on earth.

With the influx of postrevolutionary tourism came the inevitable explosion of restaurants. The majority of better Prague restaurants now serve either a selection of continental European standbys or more exotic niche cuisine. As a result, you can find anything from Indonesian to Lebanese to Greek to Tex-Mex, a surprising variety when you consider the vacuum of just a few years ago.

Czech Meals -- Whenever someone mentions this country's heavy food, Czechs delight in the fact that obesity is much more of a problem in the United States. Statistically they're right. It seems that the walking-hiking-biking lifestyle of Czechs goes a long way toward keeping their waistlines trim. Still, statistics also show that the incidence of heart disease and colon cancer is much greater in the Czech Republic than in the United States. Fortunately, you'll probably be visiting for only a few days or weeks, so check your calorie counters at the border, loosen your belts, and get ready to sample the best of Bohemia (you'll walk enough to burn some of the extra calories, anyway).

Starters, outside the ubiquitous ham rolls and unappetizing gelatin appetizers shoved in your face by waiters, are usually soups, often garlic, onion, or beef broth with noodles. The herb soups are often the most piquant part of the meal, but the meat-based broths, whether chicken or beef, are frequently served without filtering the heavy renderings.

As for main courses, no self-respecting Czech restaurant could open its doors without serving at least some version of the three national foods: vepro, knedlo, and zelo (pork, dumplings, and cabbage). The pork (veprové maso) is usually a shoulder or brisket that is baked and lightly seasoned, smoked, or breaded and fried like a schnitzel (rízek). Unlike German sauerkraut, the cabbage (zelí) is boiled with a light sugar sauce. The dumplings are light and spongy if made from flour and bread (houskové knedlíky), or dense and pasty if made from flour and potatoes (bramborové knedlíky). This "VKZ" combo cries out for an original Budweiser (Budvar), Kozel, or Pilsner Urquell to wash it down.

Other standard main courses are the above-mentioned svícková, roast beef (rostená), baked chicken (grilované kure), and smoked ham and other spicy cured meats (uzeniny). A local favorite is cmunda, found at the pub U medvídku: a steaming potato pancake topped with sweet boiled red cabbage and spicy Moravian smoked pork. Also popular is wild game, such as venison, goose, rabbit, and duck, and the more exotic, like the wild boar goulash served at U modré kachnicky (probably the best Czecho-centric restaurant). Czech sauces can be heavy and characterless but more frequently they are prepared with daring doses of spice.

There's also usually a good selection of indigenous freshwater fish, such as trout, perch, and carp, the Christmas favorite. People worry about the safety of waterways, but most fish served in Prague come from controlled fish farms. Since the country has no coastline, you'll find most seafood at the more expensive restaurants, but a growing selection of salmon, sea bass, shark, and shellfish is shipped in on ice.

Side dishes, usually ordered separately, are rice, fries, potato croquettes or potato pancakes, and the stalwart sliced dumplings (sponges for all that sauce on your plate). The svícková dish (sirloin in a cream sauce) is accompanied by a sour chutney from cranberry, to cut through the dense flavors.

As for dessert, try a palacinka, a crepe-thin pancake filled with chocolate, fruit, or marmalade and whipped cream. Another favorite is ovocné knedlíky, whole dumplings filled with strawberries, apricots, or cherries, rolled in sweet butter, topped with powdered sugar and cream.

Reservations -- Not long ago, getting reservations at a decent Prague restaurant was as easy as finding a health-conscious meal or a friendly waiter: Fat chance! However, the number of solid restaurants has grown substantially, and the chances of getting a table as a walk-in are much better. If you don't want to gamble, you can generally get a reservation at the better restaurants on the same day, by early afternoon. Some popular, smaller places need a few days' notice, and I've noted these below.

Unfortunately, there still are very few Prague restaurants worth organizing your day around. So, as with the rest of your touring strategy, let the winding roads take you where they may and don't be afraid to stumble into a cozy-looking pub or restaurant. Just don't set your expectations too high. Below are some of the best choices in each neighborhood.

Service -- Czech service is improving proportionally to the growth of competition. Still, many restaurants have yet to master the art of nonintrusive service. Waiters barge in at inappropriate moments or are nowhere to be found when you need them. The concept of better tips for better service is catching on, and waiters are generally much more attentive and pleasant in restaurants where they tell you upfront that service is not included in the bill.

Tipping & Tax -- Tips of about 10% of the bill's total are catching on, though just rounding up the bill to a logical point is still more traditional. Tipping was frowned on by the Communists, and waiters, as you might guess, became lazy, looking for reasons to avoid your table and make your stay as long as possible in order to thin the workload. Today, good service, if you should be lucky enough to get it, demands a decent tip.

At most restaurants, menu prices include the 19% value-added tax (VAT). When they don't, the menu must say so. It's also common for some restaurants to levy a small cover charge in the evening, usually about 10Kc (40¢) per person, although some places raise it three or five times that, even with no entertainment.

Dining Customs -- Traditional Czech custom is simply to find whatever seats are available without the assistance of a hostess or maitre d', but newer restaurants have started to employ staff to seat you. Barring this, just point at the table you want and nod at a nearby waiter to make sure it's available. Don't be afraid to sit in open seats at the large tables where others are already seated, as is the case in many pubs and casual restaurants. However, it's customary to ask "Je tu volno?" ("Is this spot free?") before joining a large table. Likewise, don't be surprised if others ask to sit at your table. Just nod or say "Ano, je" ("Yes, it's free"), and make some new friends.

A Few Dining Warnings--Some Czech restaurants are notorious for placing seemingly free bowls of nuts or olives on the table or offering platters of appetizers or aperitifs that appear to be compliments of the house. They're not. What's worse is that when the bill comes, you might find that you're paying the equivalent of $5 for a bowl of stale cashews. Always ask before nibbling.

Many places, especially in the evening, tack on an extra 30Kc or 50Kc ($1.25 or $2) per person as a cover charge, even if they don't offer live entertainment. If this charge is mentioned at all, it'll be written discreetly on the menu as couvert.

Finally, as more Czech restaurants begin to accept credit cards, stories of waiters adding a digit or two to your total have increased. One protection is to write out the total in words on the credit card bill, the way you would on a personal check. Also ask for the carbons and keep a good record of where you've used your card to check against your bank statement to ensure that someone hasn't been using your number. The restaurants in this chapter don't seem to engage in these practices, but be on guard, especially if you veer from these suggested establishments.

Staré Mesto (Old Town)--Try to time your walks so that you can enjoy lunch and dinner in the Old Town Square; this is your best chance to find a table in a good restaurant. The picturesque area boasts the largest concentration of dining choices and flat streets good for growling bellies and aching feet.