History

Chlebicky emerged in late-19th-century Bohemia as Czech-Jewish bakers adapted French canape ideas for daily working lunches. The base was always a slice of vekka white bread; toppings included potato salad, egg, ham, fish or roast beef. Through the communist era they remained the most accessible lunch. Sisters Bistro modernised the form in 2014, with farm-sourced spreads and a vegan-friendly selection. The defining elements remain: a thin slab of dense white bread, a generous spoon of vegetable-mayo base, then a layered topping, finished with a parsley sprig or pickled garnish.

Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Fish

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf vekka or dense white sandwich bread, cut into 12 oval slices about 1cm thick (or use a baguette cut on a deep diagonal)
  • 30g butter, softened, for spreading
  • For potato-salad base (sufficient for all 12): 500g waxy potatoes (boiled, cooled, diced 5mm), 200g cooked smoked ham (diced), 4 hard-boiled eggs (chopped), 4 cornichons (finely diced), 2 tbsp drained capers, 6 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp pickle juice, salt and white pepper
  • Topping 1 (4 chlebicky): 200g sliced roast beef, 4 tsp grated horseradish
  • Topping 2 (4 chlebicky): 100g smoked salmon, 4 thin slices cucumber, 2 tbsp creme fraiche, fresh dill
  • Topping 3 (4 chlebicky): 4 hard-boiled egg halves, 4 anchovy fillets, 4 stuffed olive halves
  • Garnishes: pickled gherkin slices, lemon wedge, parsley sprigs, pink pickled onion

Method

  1. Mix the potato-salad base in a large bowl; the texture should be creamy but the potato cubes still visible. Chill 15 minutes.
  2. Butter each slice of bread lightly. Spread a heaped tablespoon of the potato salad evenly to the edges.
  3. For Topping 1: fold the roast beef into rosettes on top of the potato base, dot with horseradish, lay a thin gherkin slice and a parsley sprig.
  4. For Topping 2: drape the smoked salmon in a wave, top with a cucumber slice, a small dot of creme fraiche and a frond of dill.
  5. For Topping 3: lay half a hard-boiled egg yolk-up on the potato base, drape an anchovy across in an X, top with the olive half.
  6. Arrange the 12 chlebicky on a long serving plate with the three styles alternating. Pickled onion or gherkin spirals every third sandwich.
  7. Cover loosely with cling film and chill 15 minutes before serving so the toppings set; eat within 4 hours of assembly.

Tip from the editors. The bread must be very dense; supermarket fluffy white collapses. Czech vekka is sliced thicker and denser than a sandwich loaf. If unavailable, use day-old artisan white sourdough cut from the centre of the loaf.

Where to eat chlebicky

Chlebicky in Prague

Sisters Bistro ★ 4.3

Bakery€stare-mestoMon-Fri 08:00-19:00, Sat 09:00-18:00Walk-in onlyChlebicky, Czech open sandwiches, daily soups

Sisters Bistro is Hana Michopulu's chlebicky counter in the Dlouha gourmet arcade. Located in Stare Mesto. Open mon-fri 08:00-19:00, sat 09:00-18:00.

Tip: Order four; one beetroot, one egg, one beef, one fish Best in the morning before noon.

Worth the queue: Egg-and-ham chlebicek

Dlouha 39, 110 00 Praha 1

Antoninovo Pekarstvi Karlin ★ 4.5

Bakery€karlinMon-Fri 07:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-18:00Walk-in onlyWheat-rye breads, potato sourdough, chlebicky

Antoninovo Pekarstvi opened the first of its six city-wide bakeries in Karlin in 2014. Wheat-rye and potato sourdough loaves, all baked on-site.

Tip: The decorated chlebicky are made up at the counter; ask for a flight to-go.

Worth the queue: Potato sourdough loaf

Sokolovska 81/55, 186 00 Praha 8

Antoninovo Pekarstvi Namesti Miru ★ 4.5

Bakery€vinohradyMon-Fri 07:00-19:30, Sat-Sun 08:00-18:00Walk-in onlySourdough, kolache, sweet buns

Antoninovo Pekarstvi's Namesti Miru flagship opened in a restored First Republic cafe space. Located in Vinohrady. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.

Tip: The big window seats are the prize; show up before 10:00 on weekends.

Worth the queue: Wheat-rye sourdough loaf

Namesti Miru 585/11, 120 00 Praha 2

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