U Medvidku ★ 4.0
U Medvidku has poured beer since 1466 in the same Old Town building. X-Beer 33 is a one-pour experience; do the standard 12-degree alongside.
Tip: X-Beer 33 is a one-pour experience; do the standard 12-degree alongside.
History
Bramboracky are working-class Czech food, born from rural kitchens making something cheap from potatoes, flour and the herbs in the garden. The garlic-and-marjoram seasoning is canonical; the smoked-meat version is the south Bohemian variation. U Medvidku and U Fleku keep them as standing pub snacks; the home version is family memory across the country. The South Moravian variant adds caraway to the batter and is sometimes fried in goose fat; the Krkonose mountain version is bigger and used as a wrap (kysele zeli rolls inside a bramborak with smoked meat).
Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 800g floury potatoes (Bintje or King Edward)
- 60g plain flour
- 1 large egg
- 4 garlic cloves, finely crushed
- 2 tsp dried marjoram (mejranek)
- 1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed
- 100ml whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 150ml sunflower oil or rendered pork lard, for shallow-frying
- Optional: 100g smoked pork belly or kasseler, very finely diced and folded into the batter
Method
- Peel the potatoes and grate on the coarse side of a box grater straight into a clean tea towel held over the sink. Twist hard and squeeze out as much liquid as possible (this is the structural step; wet batter makes soggy pancakes).
- Tip the squeezed potato into a large bowl. Add flour, egg, crushed garlic, marjoram, caraway, milk, salt and pepper. Mix to a thick batter; it should hold its shape on a spoon.
- If using smoked pork, fold through now.
- Heat a generous layer (3mm deep) of oil or lard in a wide heavy frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Spoon two heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan and press flat with the back of the spoon into a 12 to 14cm disc about 5mm thick. Cook two pancakes at a time.
- Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing once with the spatula, until deep gold and crisp at the lacy edges.
- Drain briefly on paper while you fry the remaining batches; add more oil between rounds as needed.
- Serve hot, salted lightly with a fresh grind of pepper. Beer-hall convention: eat with a cold Pilsner Urquell.
Tip from the editors. The potato must be drained ruthlessly; if your tea towel is sopping after squeezing, squeeze it again. The marjoram is the flavour signature; rub it briefly between your palms before adding to release oils.
Where to eat bramboracky
Bramboracky in Prague
U Fleku ★ 4.0
U Fleku's eight beer halls stay loud until 23:00. The 1499 brewery's dark Flek 13 is the late-night pour; the kitchen runs full Czech mains until last orders.
Try: Dark Flek 13, goulash, pork knee
Tip: Avoid the Friday and Saturday late shifts unless you booked a hall in advance.
Lokal U Bile Kuzelky ★ 4.3
Lokal U Bile Kuzelky pours tank Pilsner Urquell in an 1862-era cellar near Charles Bridge. Sit in the front room; the back fills with the tour-group crowd.
Signature drink: Tank Pilsner Urquell
Food: Czech pub menu
Tip: Sit in the front room; the back fills with the tour-group crowd.
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