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Summary for: Feast on dozens of craft Czech dumplings at new Prague bistro KnedlínIf you’ve lived in the Czech Republic for any amount of time, you’ve probably enjoyed some delicious plum or blueberry dumplings, perhaps accompanied by quark (tvaroh), topped with clarified butter and dusted with powdered sugar.
Maybe you’ve even made a meal of dumplings filled with smoked meat and topped with fried onions, served with a side of sauerkraut.
Sweet or savory, potato dumplings (knedlíky) are a starchy staple in the Czech Republic. But have you ever sampled a Thai-style Czech dumpling stuffed with shrimp? What about a vegetarian ratatouille dumpling? Or a sweet varieties with pistachio and raspberries, or cherries and dark chocolate?
Now you can: popping up on Prague’s Národní street in the weeks following the relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures in the Czech Republic, the brand-new bistro Knedlín will redefine your perspective on Czech dumplings.
The concept is simple: dumplings, and only dumplings, are on the menu. But it’s the wealth of varieties that sets Knedlín apart: on a recent visit, we chose from 24 different flavors of dumpling; different varieties will be available depending on the daily offer.
Dumpling prices run from 39 CZK a piece (for standard plum or apricot varieties) up to 49 CZK and 59 CZK. Side sauces (chocolate or cream for the sweet varieties, and sweet chili for the savory) are available for 15 CZK.
Next to the cashier, you can watch Knedlín’s cooks hand-stuff and roll the dumplings through a plexiglass window.
On our trip, we dropped 334 CZK on six sweet dumplings (poppy seed, raspberry, almond, pistachio, plum, and quark) and the kindly cashier threw in an extra almond: good for us, as this variety – filled with a kind of sweet almond mincemeat-like paste – was among the best of the bunch.
All were worth trying, though the more traditional plum and poppy seed varieties didn’t re-invent the Czech dumpling to the extent of some of the others. Next to the almond, the creamy raspberry and quark varieties were also winners.
Beware: Knedlín’s sizable potato-based dumplings aren’t messing around, and are heavy both in hand and stomach: two each were enough to make a meal for us, and three would have been pushing it.
The interior of Knedlín, which offers plenty of seating across two floors, is attractively designed in the style of the iconic Czech folk printing that was recently added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
But the venue also specializes in orders to go, and offers unique take-away boxes designed specifically to hold dumplings and sauces. You’re likely to spot a few in hand as you walk down Národní.
Knedlín is located at Národní 24 in Prague 1, right next to the iconic Café Louvre. They’re currently open daily from 9:00 – 17:00.
For more information about Prague’s new dumpling hotspot, check out the official Knedlín website.
