Czech open-faced sandwiches on dense white bread, piled with toppings from ham and pickle to roast beef and horseradish, smoked salmon or beetroot and apple. Lunch by the count.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
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.
Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Fish
Sisters Bistro is Hana Michopulu's chlebicky counter in the Dlouha gourmet arcade. Spreads come from a 30-kilometre-away farm; this is the modern face of the Czech open sandwich.
Tip: Order four; one beetroot, one egg, one beef, one fish.
Worth the queue: Egg-and-ham chlebicek
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, plus made-up chlebicky and soups.
Tip: The decorated chlebicky are made up at the counter; ask for a flight to-go.
Worth the queue: Potato sourdough loaf
Antoninovo Pekarstvi's Namesti Miru flagship opened in a restored First Republic cafe space. Breads, decorated chlebicky, lemonades and a proper sit-down corner for breakfast.
Tip: The big window seats are the prize; show up before 10:00 on weekends.
Worth the queue: Wheat-rye sourdough loaf
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