Today we’re going to go on an adventure through food! Trying the local cuisine is a fun, and delicious, way to experience another culture. Prague is a beautiful city with wonderful cuisine. Let’s look at a lovely Prague restaurant – Restaurant Café U Týna.
On our first night in Prague, we wanted to try Czech food but didn’t really know where to go. We ended up eating at a restaurant off the Old Town Square across from the Astronomical Clock. The atmosphere was great – you can sit outside and watch the busyness of the square – people wandering here and there, crowds gathered around the clock and various street performers. It was rather chilly the night we went, but there were heat lamps and blankets to warm yourself with. The menu was in several different languages and the server had no problem understanding our order.
My mom and I ordered the Beef Stroganoff. It was served with rice. It’s not something I would normally order as I generally don’t care for beef roasts or stew. It was very good! The meat was cooked nicely, the sauce was good and creamy and not stew-like (though a little too pepper-y), and the rice with the sauce was yummy!
My dad ordered the goulash. It was nothing like the goulash I had growing up! And it was absolutely delicious! The meat was nice and tender, the dumplings were good – especially with the sauce, and the sauce was quite flavorful and unlike any goulash I’ve ever had before. It was a fun surprise – I want to find a recipe for it so I can recreate it at home!
We capped of the evening with some apple strudel. It was beautifully presented and was quite good. One of the fun things about traveling through different cultures is seeing the ways each area makes the same food items a little differently. This one had a nice crust and was stuffed with small slices of apples and raisins and nuts. It was a little strong on the cinnamon for my taste, but very good. Also – beware if you love whipped cream! In Europe, the whipped cream has little to no sugar in it! It can be an unpleasant surprise if you eat it unaware. It was a wonderful dessert and a perfect way to cap off our dinner.
We had a wonderful time at the restaurant and enjoyed delicious food. It’s definitely on my list of places to eat at again whenever I return. Because it is in a heavily tourist area and is right off one of the main squares in Prague, it’s going to be more expensive than places elsewhere in the city. (The Czech Specialties, which can vary depending on exchange rate, were from $12-20 when we went.) But I think the food and the atmosphere are well worth a little splurge.
