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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.
TipX-Beer 33 is a one-pour experience; do the standard 12-degree alongside.
History
Utopenci, literally drowned ones, are a Czech pivnice staple developed in the late 19th century as a way for pubs to keep parky-style soft sausages edible for weeks once a fresh delivery had been cut. The sausages float face-up in tall glass jars at the bar like macabre ornaments, scooped out with tongs and served on a small plate with the brined onion piled around them and a slice of pickled cucumber. Utopenci are pivni jidlo (beer food) of the strictest kind, demanding rye bread and round after round of cold beer to balance the funk. U Medvidku and U Fleku keep jars going perpetually.
Common allergens: Mustard
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 8 small Czech parky sausages or German bockwurst (about 80g each, soft uncured fat-skinned sausages, NOT smoked frankfurters)
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced thinly into rings
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 fresh red chillies, slit lengthways
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly cracked
- 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tsp whole allspice
- 500ml white wine vinegar
- 500ml water
- 60g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- To serve: 1 small onion sliced very thinly into rings, dark Czech rye bread, mustard, cold Pilsner
Method
- Bring a small pot of water to a gentle simmer; lower in the sausages and poach for 4 minutes (not a hard boil, which splits the skin). Lift out, drain, cool 5 minutes.
- Slice each sausage lengthways from one end almost through to the other, leaving them joined on one side like a book.
- Stuff each sausage cavity with as many sliced onion rings as it will hold.
- In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, chillies, bay leaves, peppercorns, mustard and allspice. Bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes, then cool to barely warm.
- Layer the stuffed sausages and the remaining onion rings in a tall sterilised 1.5L glass jar, packing them snugly but not crushing.
- Pour the cooled brine over until the sausages are completely submerged (top up with extra vinegar-water if needed). Seal.
- Refrigerate for at least 72 hours before eating; the flavour deepens significantly between days 3 and 7, and they keep 3 weeks in the fridge.
- To serve: lift one sausage out of the jar with tongs, slice across into 1cm thick rounds, pile onto a small plate with extra brined onion from the jar, fresh sliced raw onion rings on top. Eat with rye bread, mustard and a cold Pilsner.
Tip from the editors. Czech parky are sold in Central European groceries and are the only correct sausage; a German bockwurst or weisswurst is the closest substitute. Smoked frankfurters do not work; the texture is too tight and the smoke fights the brine.
Where to eat utopenci
Utopenci 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.
TryDark Flek 13, goulash, pork knee
TipAvoid the Friday and Saturday late shifts unless you booked a hall in advance.
Vycep ★ 4.3
Vycep in Vinohrady earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025. Chef Jiri Hrachovy modernises Czech pub cooking with a touch of Wallachian sheep-cheese country.
OrderThe Wallachian halusky with bryndza; the Pilsner pour from tank.
Book1 week ahead
Lokal Dlouhaaa ★ 4.4
Lokal Dlouhaaa stays open to 01:00 weekend nights, pouring tank Pilsner and serving classic Czech pub food until last orders. Located in Stare Mesto.
TryTank Pilsner, Czech pub menu
TipLast food order is 30 minutes before close; the smazeny syr is the late dish.
More cities are in research. Want utopenci covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.