Eaternia has been around for a good few years now, but it’s only over the last year that I’ve become a regular. This is mostly because I now live a bit closer, and it makes me sad that I let the distance (which was never that much in a small city like Prague) deter me for so long. A lot of the long running vegan spots here are quite classy joints, and Eaternia feels like a throwback to the older punkier spots like Moment and Sabotage that have sadly closed down. It’s got a punk jukebox and loud music, and neon coloured merch. There are big communal tables which are usually occupied by groups of friends (alongside some smaller tables too – don’t worry, fellow introverts!). The menu is a zine. It’s fun and different.
Menu-wise, like many Czech places they do a daily lunchtime special of soup and main dish, alongside a permanent menu. The weekly menu is posted on their social media every weekend for the week ahead, so you can see what appeals. Alongside that, there’s also a monthly special to try as well. This means they’re experimenting with lots of different dishes and styles, which is fun to see. Not everything is a total success for me personally, but they’re being creative and I love that.
The regular menu contains a mixture of traditional Czech dishes and north American junk food. I think their fried cheese is the best vegan version of this traditional dish in Prague. The cheese is always just the right texture – slightly gooey but still holding its shape. And it’s nicely fried too. The chips are also good and crispy.
The poutine is another favourite of mine.
The hot dog is a bit much for me – the bread and sausage are delicious, but it’s piled high with a bit too much stuff. The flavour of the sausage gets a bit lost under all the cabbage and sauce. Additionally though, it’s just very messy to eat! Don’t order this in front of someone you’re trying to impress!
We order a lot from the daily and monthly specials. One daily special I tried was the onion bhaji burger, which came with tandoori fries, mango chutney. The fries were probably the highlight for me, with a lovely dusting of spices. The bhaji was good too. This isn’t really an option anywhere else in Prague, so it was fun to try something different.
One of their Saturday specials was langos day in which they offered four different toppings. By the time we got there, just before 2pm, they had already sold out of all but one savoury option, which is good for their business but a shame for us. We got the Mediterranean langos, which was topped with a tasty feta, olives, and tomatoes. It was really flavoursome, but because the toppings were all cold, the bread did not retain its heat.
The huevos rancheros was another Saturday specials we enjoyed earlier this year. All the components were tasty, apart from the egg which was a bit lacklustre. More of an eggy flavour or texture would have really elevated it for us. But it was still a fun brunch that, again, is not available anywhere else.
February’s monthly special was a katsu curry, which was a bit of a letdown to be honest. The curry sauce didn’t properly capture the sweetness of a Japanese curry, and the tofu, while beautifully coated and cooked, was desperate for a bit of seasoning. It didn’t really feel like a Japanese dish to us, as katsu curry enthusiasts.
The bao bun dish was more of a success, a glorious riot of colours and ingredients. The sauces and textures were fantastic, but the advertised tofu pork belly didn’t taste of much.
I’ve tried some fish and chips too. I approve of switching to “proper” chips rather than fries for this British classic! As always, the chips were excellent. The fish was blocks of tofu wrapped in seaweed before frying, which always gives a nice taste of the sea and a good crispy texture.
One of the highlights of my year is the traditional St Martin’s Day feast of goose, veganised in several eateries across the city but done best here at Eaternia. The meat is tasty and has a great texture, particularly with its crispy skin. I was a bit concerned by the amount of cabbage at first glance but they were delicious and different – the white cabbage quite sharp and the red quite sweet. We enjoyed that the dish was served with potato pancakes rather than a heavy Czech dumpling – it made a big dish slightly lighter. All in all, this was one of my favourite dishes of the year.
On another occasion, we enjoyed a Saturday special of tofu eggs Benedict. This was delicious! The tofu bacon was nice and crisp, and the hollandaise sauce was flavoursome. There was even an egg yolk effect there too, which added more flavour. Personally I was not a fan of the pomegranate seeds on top, but Dr HH didn’t mind them.
Dr HH has also tried a corndog there, which he enjoyed. The sausage and sauces were good, but coating could have been crispier.
The dessert counter is the stuff of dreams. They specialise in these cinnamon snails that are about the size of my head. I couldn’t eat one for dessert, they’re a meal in themselves for me – making them good for breakfast. I do frequently forget this and order one for dessert though!
There’s quite often an Oreo cheesecake too, which is really tasty with a lovely cream cheese layer.
They almost always have the classic Czech mole cake in, which is an absolute mountain of cream. They also do lots of layer cakes in fun flavours that you don’t see in other spots in Prague. Their kremes are also good but again somewhat overkill – I don’t think I need icing on top of my cream and pastry. Maybe I need to expand my eating capacity though!
One downside to Eaternia is that they don’t have a coffee machine, so they don’t offer much in the way of hot drinks – just filter coffee and tea. We usually get our desserts to take away so we can enjoy them with a nice drink at home. On the plus side though, they do a fun and often changing array of homemade lemonades including strawberry basil, plum and cinnamon, and pumpkin spice, among many more. So there’s always something fun to drink on the cold side anyway.
I love all the creative dishes Eaternia puts on the menu – so many things that I just don’t see anywhere else. Even when I think a dish could have used an extra bit of seasoning, I’m never sorry to have taken a chance on a dish and there’s always something to love about it. It doesn’t seem to pop up that much in recommendations to tourists, presumably because it’s very casual, but in my opinion it’s far superior to many of the more popular spots, and well worth your time.
Herbivores' Heaven 