Základná - Prague, Czech Republic

Sunday, September 27, 2026

Základná - Prague, Czech Republic

THE TAFELSPITZ EXPERIENCE! The quest to find Tafelspitz back home begins . . .

I'd really wanted to hit Lokál across the street, but it wasn't meant to be. Not a huge loss, as Základná ended up being excellent

I'm going to jump right to the Tafelspitz, because it was stellar, and nothing in the description prepares you for the over-the-top-ridiculousness that arrives at the table. "Tafelspitz served in a thick broth with potato rösti, spinach, toast, chive sauce and horseradish" doesn't prepare you for THIS . . .

Two hotplates arrive, and set on them are a soup pot with hunks of suuuuuuper tender meat and veg in broth, a sauce pan of rosti (basically hashbrown), another sauce pan of sauteed spinach puree, a plate with two slices of bread, a gravy boat of chive sauce, and a second gravy boat of apple horseradish, plus a soup cup with noodles. Are you fricken' kidding me? Just wild. Was I being punked? Did I accidentally order something for the whole table? Nope. I can't imagine this is normally how Tafelspitz is served at restaurants, but whateves, it was out of control but cool. I'd do it again in a heartbeat

On to the dishes my family ordered, which were no slouches either . . .

A "selection of homemade sausages and cornichons" was a nice simple starter

I believe this was billed as a famous Picked Sausage, and it was fun. On the online menu it's listed as Petrovice Drowned Man. A cold pickled sausage with plenty of onion and other pickled things. I actually ordered this as well for the table, not knowing what I was in for with the Tafelspitz. I totally dug it