Prague and ice cream! What a combination and what can be better than exploring the old town streets whilst tasting one ice cream after another!
I’ve recently spent my name date, doing a little challenge – to taste as many ice creams as I can in one day. This was all in the name of a blog post research because you know, I can hardly recommend something I’ve not tried myself! I have to say, that I didn’t eat much else that day, because all of these delicious ice creams are made from proper ingredients and are nicely filling!
So, here is the top list of my favourite places to have ice cream in Prague. They are not in any particular order as I like them all and I buy from one place or another depending on what flavours they have that day and where exactly I’m in Prague at the time.
Be prepared to spend up to 50 KC (about £1.80 or $2.20) for one scoop of ice cream and be prepared to see a big difference in prices depending on where you go.
This summer (2020) one scoop of ice cream in Ovocny Svetozor was 25 KC, in Angelato 45KC, Norbert’s Ice Creams 30KC. The ice cream flower in Amorito was 95 KC.
I also wanted to chose mainly Czech owned companies (and not international brands, which you can also find in Prague), but since most of them focus on Italian Gelato, they have Italian sounding names. Don’t let that fool you, they are still Czech!
1. Puro Gelato
The ice cream is as delicious as it looks and I love the retro feel of the shop decor and the branding. It gets very busy, so be prepared to wait. The scoops are generous and there are plenty of flavours to choose from.
I remember once we’ve been on a long walk around Vysehrad Castle Grounds and towards the evening started to walk down and back to our flat in Smichov. Everywhere was peaceful and quiet until we saw the lights of the Vyton Puro Gelato shop on the corner of the street and distant humming of people’s voices. We were mesmerised by the ice cream, the smile of the shopping assistant, people chatting happily and drinking coffee inside the shop. We bought our ice creams and carried on walking alongside the Vltava River. It was a magical evening, but even more so, because it was a Christmas Eve …
Kaprova, Vyton, Rybalkova, Slovansky Dum – the small island on Vltava River opposite the National Theatre (new pop up stand for 2020)
2. Norbert’s Ice cream & Donuts
Move over donuts, we are after ice cream! By the way, the doughnuts are amazing, but the homemade ice cream is refreshing and bursting with flavours.
If you are walking from the Charles Bridge towards the main square you can’t miss Norberts Donuts open window shutters as you are approaching the little square close to the main library.
Seminarska Ulice, Prague 1 (just off Karlova ulice and the main walkway from the Charles Bridge)
3. Zmrlinar
This family-run business was originally founded in 2008 and over the years the owners produced more than 100 different ice cream flavours. Ice cream is always made fresh and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that around half of every day’s flavours is suitable for vegans and people with lactose or gluten intolerances.
Slezská 15, Prague 2
4. Lunar
Lunar’s ice cream lollies don’t only look delicious, but they also taste amazing! The only drawback is that they don’t have a direct shop, so if you are just visiting Prague for few days you need to visit one of the retail places that sell Lunar ice cream lollies and buy one there.
If you have a freezer in your self-catering holiday flat, you can buy a box of 10 flavours directly from Lunar and enjoy them at your apartment.
Lelí’s Cupcakes, Vyšehradská 1446/53, Prague 2
5. Ovocny Svetozor
The oldest traditional Czech ice cream making place in Prague going back to the communist era. I have fond memories of eating ice cream there to celebrate the end of a summer school term. The minute we got our final year diplomas we would hop on a train to Prague and celebrated with a big ice cream sundae!
These days, I prefer to choose couple of different flavours each time and sit on a bench in nearby rose garden. The ice cream is always delicious and they new flavours to choose from every time I visit. This year I already had Grapefruit Sorbet, Dark Morello Cherry and Chocolate Sacher Cake.
Prices are very reasonable (and I’d say the cheapest from my ice cream places list) at 25 kc for an ice cream scoop.
Svetozor Cinema Passage, Narodni Trida (inside the new shopping centre – downstairs), Dejvice (large parlour with plenty of sitting space)
6. Amorino
There are plenty of flavours to choose from and you can have them separately as a scoop or have several flavours made into an ice cream rose flower. It’s a little pricier here than in other places, but if you opt-out for the gelato flower you can try more than one flavour, which I think it’s a bonus.
Malostranske Namesti 38/24 (the side street that leads directly to Charles Bridge)
7. Triko Kafe & Kolonial
This is a Czech take on a traditional corner shop with honest food sourced locally from farms and gardens around Czech republic. This place is away from the tourist area, but if you want something a bit different it’s well worth the visit. You can always have some savoury food first (homemade soups and other simple, but delicious foods), stock up on local delicatessens and have an ice cream too.
Their ice cream (like everything else) is homemade and made with proper ingredients. Everything is flavoured with fruit, herbs and spices and their sorbets are particularly delicious.
I found the Triko Kafe first (which means ‘T-shirt’) on Instagram and got so excited about visiting, that I dragged my mum up the hills to get there in the middle of a heat wave!
We had an absolutely delicious Apricot sorbet and got a whole background story about where the apricots came from and how the ice cream is made from the friendly owners. They usually make one flavour at the time and this week’s flavour is Peanut Butter & Miso!
U Nikolajky 12, Prague 5 (take a bus from Knizeci – Andel Underground Station or walk up the hill a little).
8. Angelato
Angelato was one of the first ice cream parlours to open after 1989 that was focusing on Italian Gelato. It’s worth visiting later in the day or evening as Angelato is open until late and considering where it is, it’s always busy. It’s quite pricey, but no more than other gelato places in the centre of Prague.
I particularly like their flavour combinations like Strawberry & Prosecco or Pear & Ginger and there are always new flavours every few weeks or so. This week, I tried the Salted Peanut Butter Gelato, which was very filling and full of flavour.
Rytirska 27, Praha 1 (as you walk from Vaclavske Namesti towards the Old Town Square)
9. Creme de la Creme
Creme de la Creme has quite a few different shops in the centre of Prague, so that you are never too far away from your favourite ice cream. Lots of different flavours to choose from and if you can’t make up your mind you can buy a ‘bottomless tub’ for 300 KC (about £10) and eat ice cream to your heart content!
Husova, Prague 1 1, Narodni 341/23, Prague 1 (the biggest parlour size wise), Francouzska, Prague 2, Průběžná 1939/58, Praha 10 (this one is called ‘Ice Cream Sample Sale’ and you can get your ice cream a little cheaper there)
10. Traditional Czech Ice creams you can buy in the shops
Apart from the (largely) new ice cream places that started after 1989, there are number of ice creams that are worth trying and you can buy them inexpensively in most supermarkets. You’ll see them in corner shops and ice cream stands, but they are usually 100% more expensive than in a normal supermarket.
You can pick the following ice creams for around 10-20 Kc each depending on where you shop:
- Misa – yoghurt ice cream lolly covered in dark chocolate. The classic one is just white yoghurt, but you’ll also see strawberry or chocolate flavours
- Mroz – a similar type of yoghurt based lolly just made by a different company
- Ruska Zmrzlina – vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two waffles (basically just really good vanilla ice cream that comes in a shape of a larger rectangle (like a small butter). A bit tricky to eat when you are walking around Prague.
STAY IN TOUCH
Hope this blog post inspires you and as ever I’d love to what you think! Let me know in the comments below or catch up with me over on Instagram.
Magdalena
