Gluten Free in Prague

Having never visited Prague, I wasn’t sure about the restaurants and how gluten-free friendly they might be. Just as with Munich and Berlin, the two other cities we visited on our recent European family vacation, I did quite a bit of research online first to find what sounded like the best restaurants for gluten free dining. And, in fact, we may have ended up dining at the two only 100% gluten free full-scale restaurants in Prague: Alriso Risotteria Italiana and Restaurace U Agamy. We also found a gluten free bakery right near our hotel and had lunch at a creperie serving gluten free crepes not too far from Prague Castle.

As in many cities, Italian restaurants are often the most gluten aware, and our choice of where to dine the first night in Prague, Alriso Risotteria Italiana, is 100% gluten free. What a treat to go to a restaurant where we don’t have to ask ANY questions, and we know Ryan will get a safe and delicious meal. Equally as exciting, it was right in the bustling Old Town area of the city, where you will likely be spending a lot of your time sightseeing and shopping. 

Aliso Risotteria Italiana looks small and cozy on the main level, but there are two rather spacious dining rooms on the lower level, which is where we were seated. We loved our room...it had a bit of a wine cellar feeling -- but brighter and nicer. Our server spoke English very well and was very friendly. My husband and I selected  a delicious bottle of Valpolicella from their extensive wine list, while Ryan had his second type of gluten free beer on this trip (the first being at a biergarten in Munich). 

Ryan and I were the only ones to order first courses, with Ryan ordering his favorite melon and prosciutto and me ordering a salad with avocado, gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, strawberries, and a light orange vinaigrette. Both were amazing and generously sized. My salad was served with triangles of gluten free toast with a spinach pesto, which was divine. They served us the same toast for dipping in olive oil as well. Yum!

There were so many amazing main courses to choose from…mostly pastas and risottos -- but also some meat, poultry, and seafood choices. Our sons both got pasta (bolognese and alio olio), my husband chose the lasagna, and I ordered risotto with pulled duck confit simmered in a light orange sauce. All were prepared well and devoured by us with abandon! You could literally eat at this restaurant every night of your trip if you want to stay safe and if you love Italian food. You will never get bored, as there are so many options on the menu. They offer things most gluten free diners don’t get to enjoy: bruschetta and tiramisu, to name just a couple. 

Of course, we all felt compelled to order dessert and selected the ice cream in a bowl of decadent chocolate sauce, the semifreddo, and vanilla panna cotta in raspberry sauce. They did not disappoint! We contemplated going back the next night, but as we were only in Prague for two nights, we wanted to try a restaurant where we could get typical Czech food.

So we kept our reservation at the other dedicated gluten free restaurant, Restaurace U Agamy. It’s a bit further outside the center of the city, sort of near the Žižkov television tower. But it was just a 6 minute cab ride from out hotel in the downtown area, so well worth the trip. (As an aside, we found Uber the best way to get around Prague when things weren’t walkable.) We were glad to have had this chance to dine at a Czech restaurant where we could get traditional beef goulash and not have to worry about whether it was gluten free or not. Much like tender beef stew, but served on a plate instead of a bowl, it was delicious. It was accompanied by what they call “dumplings.” which is a type of spongy bread that helps soak up the wonderful sauce.

To start, they also brought gluten free bread with hummus. In addition, I ordered a wonderfully fresh and tasty side salad (to get some greens!), and we all shared an order of fried onion rings (how often can you find those gluten free?!). I skipped the alcoholic beverage at dinner that night, as I’d enjoyed a nice cocktail at the hotel before we left. But my husband and two sons ordered the gluten free Czech beer. This was the third brand of gluten free beer of the trip, and I think Ryan was appreciating every moment!

Although we were all more than satiated, we decided to try the very unusual sounding dessert: pasta filled with plum jam and served with butter and cream. It was so unique…literally gluten free pasta pockets similar to raviolis filled with pureed plum. While it could have used another minute or so of cooking to soften up the pasta a bit more, it was quite good. This was the only dessert on the menu; I think they rotate the choice seasonally. 

On our last day, after touring Prague Castle, we ventured a short distance to Cafe Creperie Pod Vezi for a light lunch/snack. This is right across a little side street from the Hotel Pod Vezi. All of their “savory" crepes are made with buckwheat flour and are therefore gluten free. They can also make any of their “sweet” crepes with the buckwheat flour, rather than regular (gluten) flour. So Ryan opted for the Nutella Banana Strawberry buckwheat crepe. I really enjoyed my “savory” crepe with goat cheese, walnuts, and pear. They also serve all the typical espresso-based beverages here, as they do most places around Prague. 

Later that day, on our way back to the hotel for a break before dinner, we decided to find a gluten free bakery we had spotted when we were on a tour bus the first day. Called Babiccina Spiz, it’s a dedicated gluten free bakery and had something that looked like apple strudel, many different brownies, slices of different cakes, and even donuts. We purchased three of the four donuts left in the case as well as a piece of carrot cake. The carrot cake could have used a lot more icing, but generally the taste of the gluten free baked goods was quite good.

There is another dedicated gluten free bakery in the New Town area called Bassotto-Kavarna-Vinarna. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to try this one, but apparently they have amazing croissants, cannolis, and even pizza that Celiacs and non-Celiacs alike rave about. The owner speaks English and is very friendly, according to reviews online.

So as you can see, you’ll definitely have enough safe options for a few days in Prague, and perhaps you’ll discover even more spots. In the city, most people speak English well, and I’m sure the high-end restaurants could also prepare things like steak or fish simply and safely once you explain your dietary needs. We traveled with an English and German dining card explaining Celiac and what Ryan could/couldn’t eat, but we actually never had to use it, since we selected either dedicated gluten free establishments or ones with GF notations on the menu.