What to eat in Prague

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One of the upsides of visiting Prague when it's -12°C and snowing is that Czech food is perfect for winter. It's comforting and hearty, potato dumplings and rich beef goulash, Sunday roasts and sweet yeast buns.

You can get pretty much any food you want in Prague, there are lots of Vietnamese restaurants, great Napoli pizza, even a good taco place. But if you want to go traditional, here are a few things to try:

Kolache

This round pastry is great for breakfast. It's not too sweet, sort of like a bun, with a fruit filling and a crumbly topping.

A sweet treat

Chlebíčky

Chlebíčky are open sandwiches and you'll find the best ones at Sisters. Left to right: beetroot cream with goats' cheese; herring with wasabi; roast beef with coleslaw and crispy onions.

Chlebíčky at Sisters

Butchy buns

These sweet yeast buns are a classic in the Czech Republic – the kind of treat your grandma makes for you. We tried three types, sweet cheese, chocolate and plum jam. Like kolache, you can find them in bakeries.

Three flavours of butchy buns

Fried cheese

A slab of deep fried cheese might not sound great, but served with tartare sauce it's actually a pretty delicious starter (best shared, although I did see someone eating theirs with a side of potatoes).

A plate of fried cheese

Dumplings

Dumplings are big in Prague. Just follow the golden rule and only order them with sauce-based dishes. We loved the potato ones. You can also get bread dumplings and fruit-filled sweet ones.

Potato dumplings

Roast duck

Is there anything better than a roast for Sunday lunch? In Prague, that means roast duck. We'd get ours from Lokal with mashed potatoes and red cabbage.

Roast duck at Lokal

For more on Prague, I've also written about my favourite coffee shops.