Despite its lack of vowels, Brno, the Czech Republic’s second-biggest city, is actually a pretty cool place to live. I’ve been calling Brno my home for some time now, and it’s been exciting to watch this once very traditional Czech town develop into a thriving, multi-cultural city with plenty to offer in terms of sightseeing, leisure, events, and thankfully, food.
Through the years, Brno’s food scene has become increasingly diverse and international, with more and more choices for anyone following a gluten-free diet. This post will be the first in a series in which I will be looking at specific restaurants, cafés, and eateries in Brno that have a nice array of gluten-free options. I will discuss how suitable the establishment is for celiacs, as well as giving my overall opinion about the quality of the food.
For this series, my focus will be predominantly on desserts, sweets, and baked goods. For a more in-depth look at gluten-free eating in Brno, you can check out this blog post from Gluten Free Traveller.
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Tutti Frutti is a Czech cukrána (pastry shop) with two locations in Brno, one at Mendlovo náměstí and the other on Jiráskova street. Both shops have a charming, cozy interior with a small seating area, as well as an option for takeaway. They have a daily offer of homemade vegan gelato, as well as coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic beverages, and even a small selection of vegan chocolate bars and candy.
When you enter the cukrána, your eye will naturally be drawn to their beautiful display case, which has an attractive array of pastries, confections, and cakes, many of which are gluten-free, vegan, or both.
During one visit, I tried a “Laskonka”, a large cookie made from egg whites, sugar, and ground almonds, similar to a macaron. This version had a layer of shredded coconut, and the center was filled with a soft hazelnut cream, which was delicious. While I greatly enjoyed the filling, I found the outside of the cookie to be overly sweet and one-dimensional, and overall it was extremely crumbly.
On another occasion I tried a heart-shaped mini chocolate cake, frosted with pink icing and topped with a pretty rose petal and plump blueberry. The cake had a strong chocolate flavor, but unfortunately, it wasn’t sweet or particularly tasty. The texture could only be described as odd; it was neither moist nor dry, but it definitely wasn’t spongey the way cake should be.
While both of these gluten-free desserts certainly looked beautiful, I was not exactly blown away by the taste of either.
The shop also has a large display case of terribly cute marzipan figures, mostly in the form of animals and popular children’s characters. Personally, I’m nuts about marzipan (pun intended) so I got myself a little Olaf the snowman figure from Disney’s Frozen. It had a lovely almond flavor, the taste was pleasantly sweet but not too sugary, and the texture was just right. So if marzipan is your thing, I would definitely consider treating yourself to one of their adorable figurines.
Tutti Frutti, however, is best known for its excellent vegan ice cream. As a Brno resident, one of the things that I most look forward to in the summertime is going to the city center and getting ice cream from one of Tutti Frutti’s adorable little trucks. Under the brand name Božský kopeček (divine scoop), these ice cream Tuk Tuks are usually posted at four locations in the Brno (Zelní trh, Moravské Náměstí, Lužánký Park, and Svobody Square).
Each ice cream truck has its own selection of seven or eight daily flavors that are written on a chalkboard and are usually labeled with the 14 food allergens. Luckily, most of their ice cream is gluten-free, just make sure to avoid flavors that contain pieces of cookies or brownies, and always ask for a cup when ordering, “Do kelímku, prosím” (“In a cup, please”). If you are not sure about a particular flavor you can ask, “Je to bez lepku?” (Is it gluten-free?).
As Božský kopeček tends to be very creative with their flavors, ordering gelato from them is always something of an adventure. I’ve seen ice cream flavors based on cocktails (mojito, Piña colada, Aperol spritz) as well as coffee drinks (espresso) and desserts (apple strudel). Most of their ice cream is sweet, although occasionally they delve into the savory variety (tomatillo-basil-balsamic and carrot).
Their fruit sorbet is always very popular, and they have a wide array of flavors, including classics like mango, lavender-blueberry, and orange, but you can also find more unusual flavors such as papaya, date, fig, and lychee. One of the best sorbets I tried was dragon fruit (pictured) which was stunningly colored and tasted just like the fruit itself, but with a sweeter, more pronounced flavor.
While their fruity selection is excellent, I personally prefer their non-fruit ice cream. I’ve tried both their Madagascar and Tahitian vanilla and found them both surprisingly creamy, with a strong vanilla kick. Their chocolate ice cream has a deep, rich chocolatey taste, as it’s flavored using dark vegan chocolate with 60-70% cocoa. If you like nutty ice cream, they also have some interesting nut flavors such as salty peanut, pecan, and Nutella (pictured), all of which have a lovely natural taste and are not too sweet.
Some of my personal favorite ice cream flavors that I’ve tried through the years at Božský kopeček include Nebe (coconut and caramel ice cream, colored light blue), Masala, Iranian Pistiacio, and Black Coconut.
In conclusion, Tutti Frutti is a charming cukrána with plenty of options for celiacs. Their gluten-free pastries and cakes are all are clearly labeled in the display case, and the staff is usually quite friendly and knowledgeable about their products. However, it’s the vegan gelato, with its creative flavors and high-quality ingredients, that truly sets Tutti Frutti apart. I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to one of their shops or a Božský kopeček truck for a scoop (or two) of their wonderful ice cream.
Have you been to Tutti Frutti in Brno? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!