A New Yorker reveals his favorite pastrami, bánh mì, and bagels in Prague

Prague’s love of a good pastrami sandwich may seem random, given its New York roots, but pastrami in the Jewish tradition actually traces back to Eastern Europe.

One of the earliest local pastrami spots in Prague was King Solomon kosher restaurant in the Jewish quarter, serving salt beef and pastrami-style meats since 1993.

The current “pastrami renaissance” took hold around 2014, with pioneers like Beef Bar and La Bibiche (now closed) helping to popularize the sandwich.

Its rise has been truly meat-eoric; so much so that Pastrami Pop-Ups now take over the Holešovice marketplace. The next one, on April 23, brings together a “dream team” of vendors, including Naše maso, Eat EZ American BBQ & Deli, Meat Vandals, and Big Smokers.

And yet, despite all this, Prague has yet to truly perfect the pastrami sandwich says one of its most dedicated tasters, the "eternal expat" behind the Instagram account Czech Please.

"Someone once jokingly called me 'a sandwich-obsessed millionaire,'" he recently told us. "Just because of all the time and money I've spent pursuing happiness between two pieces of bread."

We also asked Czech Please to break down some of the city's tastiest (and most over-hyped) sandwich trends as well as to name his favorite bready bites.

"Keep in mind, I haven't tried every sandwich in the city, but I've probably eaten more than most," he adds, along with this disclaimer: "Since I'm from New York, my sandwich standards are sky high, so some of my answers may cause indigestion."

Get out your Tums, and tuck into Czech Please's guide to Prague's most satisfying sandwiches.

I've chased "pastrami" around Prague for more than a decade. I use quotation marks because by the standards set by the cured meat's Holy Grail at Katz's in New York, most of what I've found here hardly qualifies. I've gotten it from many top butchers in addition to shops so I could build my own sandwiches at home.

I've come to doubt whether much of it is authentically brined, smoked, and steamed brisket as the pastrami recipe demands.

The only place I consider close to authentic is Take Eat EZ American Barbecue & Deli, a.k.a. Cheesus Crust Bistro (I still don't understand why they have two names). They have a tiny place in Holešovice, a food truck, and also delivery services. Everything else tastes fine but is a pale imitation of New York pastrami. 

Bánh mì sandwiches took off here 10-plus years ago. I remember my excitement at finding the first one in Karlin in 2012. Since then, we saw Banh-Mi-Ba, Banh Mi Makers, Bamico, Pate, and many more emerge from the large number of Vietnamese restaurants here.

I've tried a lot of them, and my clear favorite is Mr. Banh Mi on Rumunská for their crispy, light baguettes with either grilled pork or their super tender, crunchy chicken katsu (which could use more salt). They make a fantastic Tom Kha Gai soup, too.

That said, they don't reach the heights of those I found in New York. Sorry to keep mentioning it, but that's my benchmark. Other than that, fried chicken sandwiches have become more popular in recent years, maybe because of all the hype around Popeyes opening (which I found unimpressive).

I've never seen a massively stacked Italian sub here. I'm talking about the ones made fresh, like the Nicky Special at Dafonte's in Brooklyn that will layer ham, provolone, salami, capicola, fried eggplant, mushrooms, lettuce, and tomato on a beautifully crusty, long sub roll. I've yet to find bread here that compares.

Bagel sandwiches were here 20 years ago, but then Bohemia Bagel closed. However, Vinohrady has seen a resurgence. Bejgl just opened and is an early hit, including with me, and another shop called Pan Bejgl on Blanická (what are the odds of the same spelling!) is also getting started. Můj Bagel on Korunní has been around for years. 

If you start comparing the Czech Republic to other countries, particularly the U.S., this country doesn't win in terms of sandwich creativity, quality, and quantity, particularly in New York, where cultures from around the world are fused into insanely unique sandwiches.

The way I see it, the Czech Republic does not have a big sandwich history or culture. The craving for creative, often pricey custom-built variations is still not a driving force in the market. 

Overall, I'd say Prague is pretty basic as a sandwich destination. There are lots of thin, dry sandwiches in this town. There are exceptions: standout places like Sandwich Rodeo, Big Smokers, Take Eat EZ, Centraal, and others I've mentioned above. Burgers, which some call a sandwich, are a big hit everywhere now. 

As for me, I love pastrami Reubens, so I make them at home with meat from either Nase Maso or Maso Klouda via Rohlík, Emmental, Efko sauerkraut, dressing made with Heinz & Hellmann's plus smoked chipotle Tabasco. I melt the cheese over the meat and kraut in a microwave and then slide it onto good bread that is grilled on a pan with olive oil and butter. I might also add kremžská mustard. It ain't Katz's, but it's still damn good.