Our meal on the first night after arriving in Prague, and we couldn’t have chosen a better spot to start off the long weekend with! First we tried a vegan sharing plate, supposed to feed two people but there was ample for the five of us to try a taste each. The ‘tofoie gras’ was incredible, and the non-vegans also agreed with us. The plate also consisted of a perfectly seasoned guacamole, mild and tangy salsa, and creamy houmous, polished off with fresh bread. For the main course, I ordered a vegan version of a Czech traditional dish, roasted ‘meat’ (in this case seitan) served with crispy potatoes and red cabbage. Knowing that Czech cuisine is very meat-heavy, I was happy to be able to still enjoy what the typical cuisine might be like, without having animals on my plate. It was a comforting, warming plate of wintery food. My brother ordered a mushroom risotto which he said was one of the best he’s ever eaten, and my sister had an Asian style ‘chicken’ stir fry which was equally delicious.
We ended up visiting twice as it was a really easy, cheap and cheerful lunch spot. Also the ‘grown-ups’ who aren’t vegan also found something they liked to eat there. The first time, I tried a bagel filled with seitan, horseradish sauce, and salad. I made it a meal deal for a few pence more to get a pot of barbecue sauce and a mixture of the crispiest, perfectly salted potato and sweet potato fries on the side. I loved my first meal. The next time we went I thought I’d try a vegan version of the German traditional currywurst, which also came with the fries. Sadly I didn’t love this as much, the sausage was very chewy, and there was just too much sauce for me. Having never had the meat version of this dish I’m not sure how it compares to the ‘real’ thing, but I wouldn’t order it again. I also tried a sweet berry jam-filled cake which was lovely!
The rest of my family between them tried the Beyond cheeseburger which was a massive hit, the doner-style kebab, which the meat-eaters enjoyed, and the lentil rolls, which were frankly a bit odd and not really in keeping with the rest of the menu! Otherwise, it was classic vegan junk food, done relatively well, and at very reasonable value compared to what you’d find in London. Think ‘By Chloe’ but a third of the price.
Another fully vegan restaurant situated on the other side of the city, supposedly with amazing rooftop views out over the city (we didn’t book a table so sadly couldn’t be seated up there). I went for another traditional style dish, Svíčková with dumplings. The ‘steak’ was actually tempeh, served with a creamy vegetable sauce and dumplings. Comforting and tasty, it didn’t look how I expected but looks pretty accurate to the real thing now I’ve researched it! The non-vegans ordered the veggie goulash which they said was really nice too. Between us we shared an apple cake and a rich chocolate cake which rounded off the meal nicely. I also had a soya milk hot chocolate which was perfect for warming me up after a day walking around in the cold!
Maitrea is the larger sister restaurant of Clear Head, and after enjoying our meal there so much on the first evening, we ventured through Old Town Square for dinner. The menus were similar but there were still plenty of new options for us to taste. I had udon noodles with tempeh and veggies, in a peanutty sauce, which was filling and absolutely delicious. My sister went for the Asian wok, a stir fry made with seitan and served with jasmine rice. My brother decided on the paella, with a mixture of mushrooms, veggies, and ‘chicken’ soya chunks. A lot of the vegetarian dishes were customisable and could be made vegan, the portion sizes were very good, and the atmosphere in the restaurant was lovely. Such good value for the experience!
We’d been recommended this place by various locals and it had been listed on Happy Cow so we thought it was a safe bet for a decent meal. It was a pay by weight buffet, which was again ludicrously cheap compared to what you’d get in the UK. For comparison, I fairly recently went to Tibits in London, which is wonderful, but I paid nearly £30 for two courses and a drink. Here, we only ordered one course, but it came to about £4.50 for a full plate. As you might expect, this wasn’t amazingly high-quality food, and some of the curries were quite hit and miss, but it seemed like a student hotspot and perfect for travellers on a budget.
MyRaw CaféOn our final day, we were just taking a fairly aimless wander and looking for a place to stop for a cuppa when we managed to stumble across this little vegan cafe. Serving hot drinks with any kind of homemade nut milk you like, they had a raw food menu and a nice choice of cakes on the counter. We weren’t looking to eat but we had to order a strawberry ‘cheesecake’. It was so creamy, the flavour being quite strong of coconut but you still got a hit of the berry with the coulis and fruit on the plate. I’m not a huge raw food fan but I liked this cake, and the cafe was pleasantly cosy and relaxed.
With a little planning before our trip (which I always do anyway because food is one of my favourite parts about travel) we were so impressed with the availability and ease of eating vegan in Prague. It was good to have a mixture of fast food and nicer restaurant style eating establishments to try from, and all in all I would definitely recommend to any vegan foodie looking for a long weekend away.
Vegan Eats Oxford 
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