Travel posted Jun 28, 2025 @ 06:30am by Steve MacNaull

How to eat and drink your way through Prague

True to his word, Zach drags us through the city and feeds us.

You see, it’s a full-circle experience with Zach McMahon, our guide for Eating Europe’s ‘Prague Food & Beer Tour’.

At the start of the afternoon, as we quaff light beer paired with marinated hermelin cheese at a floating brewery called Lod Pivovar, Zach boldly declared: “I’m going to drag you through Prague and introduce you to Czech cuisine.”

Sated and satisfied at our final stop – No. 5 at Cafe Louvre – Zach again piped up and smugly concluded: “See, I told you so.”

<who>Photo credits: Steve MacNaull/NowMedia Group</who>Our guide Zach McMahon brings out the ‘kolace’ pastries.

Not that there was a lot of dragging involved.

Our group of 12 tourists were willing participants, led from stop to stop in Old Town and New Town alike, eating and drinking whatever was put in front of us as Zach kept up a running commentary.

Now, let’s fill in the blanks between the floating brewery and the elegant Cafe Louvre.

</who>Lod Pivovar – the floating brewery and pub – is tethered on the right bank of the Vltava River.

</who>The marinated cheese and light beer at floating brewery Lod Pivovar.

The meeting point on the Vltava River was inspired – a novel way to launch our foodie frenzy.

Lod Pivovar translated from Czech is literally ‘boat brewery’, describing exactly what this beermaker-pub-restaurant-patio-events venue serves up while tethered to the right bank of the river.

It's where we scarf down marinated hermelin cheese paired with light beer and a view of the river and the big stainless-steel tanks where more beer is fermenting.

It’s also where Zach told us ‘cheers’ in Czech is ‘na zdravi’, which sounds like ‘nice driveway’ if you say it quickly with conviction and a slight mumble.

</who>Gingerbread bakery Pernickuv Sen.

Gingerbread

A short walk took us to Pernickuv Sen, a gingerbread bakery decorated exactly how you'd imagine an Old World gingerbread house to be.

The Czechs love gingerbread year-round, not just the icinged man associated with Christmas, but other cookies, squares, treats and candy.

Zach told us there’s no ginger in gingerbread, but a proprietary blend of other spices.

The revelation doesn’t shock us.

We devour our treats and move on.

</who>Oksana Seceznova at Tauris bistro shows how Czechia’s favourite beer – Pilsner Urquell – often shares a tap with Czech’s communist-era cola – Kofola.

Modern bistro

Stop No. 3 is modern quick-service eatery Tauris in New Town where some of us ordered Pilsner Urquell (Czechia’s best selling beer and top export) and others tried the Kofola.

Kofola was communist Czechoslovakia’s answer to free-market Coca-Cola – a strange replica that tastes like medicinal Dr. Pepper-meets-anise.

It’s still wildly popular in Czechia and is on tap in most bars and restaurants – usually side-by-side with Pilsner Urquell.

</who> ‘Chelbicek’ open-faced sandwiches at Tauris bistro.

Both drinks pair nicely with the ‘chelbicek’ open-faced sandwiches we are served.

Culinary tip: chelbicek forgoes butter and tasks potato salad with the job of sandwich spread.

Stop No. 4

It’s Kolacherie back in Old Town, specializing in ‘kolace’ the traditional, round Czech pastry generally full of poppy seeds.

However, we get a contemporary version with strawberry and rhubarb, scarfing them down as we stand on the busy sidewalk, crumbles tumbling down our chins.

</who>Waiter Jan Pacak brings out the ‘svickova’ and Czech merlot at Cafe Louvre.

Kafka and Cafe Louvre

Before we officially arrive at the fifth and final stop, Zach runs us into the square in front of the Quadrio shopping centre to be awed by the 30-ton bust of Czech writer and hero Franz Kafka.

It’s massive and the layered medal components of the sculpture spin in a play of movement and light.

We thought Zack took us there simply for visual delight, but alas, there’s a tie in to Cafe Louvre just around the corner.

</who>The modernist sculpture of Czech writer Franz Kafka, who frequented Cafe Louvre in the early 1900s.

As we tuck into ‘svickova’ – bacon fat-injected beef tenderloin in a cream sauce – paired with Czech merlot, Zach explains Kafka was a regular at Cafe Louvre in the early 1900s, the height of cafe society.

Albert Einstein also frequented Cafe Louvre.

Maybe they also ordered the apple strudel we had for dessert.

<who>Photo credit: Air Canada</who>Toronto-Prague is a new route for Air Canada -- four times a week using the Airbus 330-300.

If you go…

Air Canada has new flights, four-times-a-week between Toronto and Prague, making it easy to get to the Czechia capital for eating, drinking and sightseeing. Check out www.aircanada.com.
We stayed at The Julius hotel, a modern, five-star hotel with 168 large rooms and suites behind a neo-classical facade at the edge of Old Town and New Town. The Julius is within walking distance of all the stops on the ‘Prague Food & Beer Tour. Check out https://www.thejulius.eu/ and eatingeurope.com.