When we travel, we spend lots of time researching, and we are grateful for every little piece of reliable information we can get, especially when it comes to food. We want to eat the best food available in each destination we visit. Time is precious when you are on vacation and it is easy to settle for the second best. But you shouldn't. And this article is written for you, our fellow foodie traveler, who wants to eat the most authentic and the best local food in Prague. We bring you the ultimate "listicle" for Prague: our "best bites" in Prague, simply the food we love in Prague the most. 

We already set up a similar list last year, but we thought it needed an update. Logically, all the items listed are served in really good establishments that we love and endorse. We actually think the whole Prague trip could be built around a list like this: it is short to make sure you can taste all of these things within a short period of time. It caters to all budgets and takes you to different parts of Prague (and outside of Prague in one case) so it can be easily mixed with some smart sightseeing. And the food is delicious and represents some meaningful facts or trends in Prague. And we stand behind every dish. Heck, we even taste some on our Prague food tours. So without further ado, here we go! Our favorite bites in Prague.

The vetrnik is arguably one of the best pastries in Prague, and the weak spot of many Czech and foreign men and women (us included). Incredibly rich and creamy, this choux pastry seems very light at the beginning, yet can become very filling at the very end. Heck, we even finish our tours with one, and it is one of the highlights. As our recents guests said it: “How come this is not famous?” (Yes, they went back to have seconds the next day.)

But just like with every great pastry, every pastry shop has its own recipe and the variables are aplenty. Which begs the question: which vetrnik is the best in town? To answer that question, we have set out to put some of Prague’s vetrniks to the test. We have reserved a table at EMA Espresso Bar one Saturday (they do not normally make reservations, but the owners clearly understood the severity and importance of the task - thank you for that) and invited esteemed judges. 

Our tours are sometimes tough. For instance, we were getting lots of visitors with Czech heritage from Texas, and they kept asking us where they could get the best kolachees in Prague. There was always an awkward pause and lots of hesitation. You see, we could not think of a place that would sell kolachees, yeast dough treats with various sweet fillings, the way we knew them from our family gatherings, the proper kolachees. And them Simply good opened. This little bakery in the Karlin district sold yeast dough kolachees, frgale, cakes with streusel and such so good we could not believe they were not done by Zuzi’s grandma in the Slovacko region of Moravia where Zuzi is from. No wonder they often run out of products early into the day as people from the surrounding offices flock by to sweeten their lives just a bit with something that tastes truly home-made. 

The heart and the soul of the establishment is Hanka, the lovely owner. Always busy but with a smile on her face, Hanka is really proud of what she does - and still retains a truly hands-on approach. She has no problem naming her favorite things in the shop and the story behind them. What we love about Hanka is her life philosophy: although she must have faced some challenges transitioning from her previous job to the career of a pro baker, she always looks at the bright side of life. Things will simply work out. It was a pleasure to stop by the shop and ask a few questions. 

When we first heard about the Field restaurant in early November last year, we had pretty high expectations. We were fans of Ola Kala and its executive chef, Mr Kasparek: the food was great and the restaurants did seem like one of the few hidden gems in the city - we always wondered why it was not on more people’s radar given how good we thought the food was. 

Then we saw Field's website. Full screen photos. Gorgeous pictures. Ambitious philosophy. We heard the first reactions. Great sauces. Lots of fun. We knew we had to go.

Food projects we hope will continue in 2015

Street Food Festival. From its very first edition in the Holesovice district, the Street Food Festival was an instant success: perfectly organized food event with lots of young talent cooking great food. So great, actually, that we ended up stuck in traffic on the D1 motorway for two hours on our way to the Brno edition while watching Instagram photos of the great bites we would never be able to taste because they were sold out before we actually got there. Great events with great people and food, and we can’t wait for the festivals in 2015!   

Just like towards the end of any other year, the hottest question any foreign visitor - or a local for that matter - in Prague should ask in this cold weather is… where do I eat on Christmas Eve? What do I do on New Year’s Eve? Will the restaurants close for the holidays? You see, while Czech may be statistically one of the most atheist societies in the world, we still do celebrate Christmas and nearly everything shuts down for Christmas Eve especially. Which means that if you are hungry on Christmas Eve and don’t have a reservation or don’t like hotel restaurants or gas stations, you will probably stay hungry until Christmas Day.

Still cold? We continue with our perfect winter day in Prague. So far, we had breakfast and coffee, and continued with a visit to the gallery and a bowl of soup. Then we skated and played ping-pong. This is the fourth of a series of six articles.

This is the second post of a series about things to do in Prague when you are freezing. For the previous post, please click here. We started with breakfast and coffee.

Having ordered tea to go at Novy svet cafe, we have safely reached the Brusnice tram stop. Nothing special about that one, really. We tuck in the covered waiting area and wait for the tram. We have two optional routes for our perfect winter day: either the Rudolfinum gallery in the centre, or the Dox centre in the Holesovice district. 

Tomas and I are absolutely addicted to freshly baked bread! The thick, crispy crust of it. The way it cracks and crumbles. Om nom nom. Always when we travel, we love searching for the best bread the city has to offer, so our hunt begins quickly wherever we go.

We know. If you are planning your trip to Prague, you've already heard it all about Pilsner Urquell or Budweiser, the two largest and traditional breweries in the Czech Republic. And the truth is that even the basic products of these two brewing giants are actually very good and definitely worth a try.