When you haven’t traveled for an entire year (new baby, also global pandemic) and you’ve got an intense urge to get out of your home city, where do you go? Well, ironically, my husband and I decided to go somewhere familiar, somewhere comfortable, a city in which we both used to live— the beautiful Czech capital of Prague.

Known for its stunning architecture, picturesque cafes, and romantic cobblestone streets, Prague is also the land of plentiful beer, tasty breaded pork schnitzel, and sweet fruit-filled dumplings. If you love glutenous foods, this city is truly a culinary paradise! However, if you have celiac disease or are following a gluten-free diet, eating out in Prague can be something of a minefield.

Fortunately, as I’ve visited Prague through the years, I have seen the city become more and more celiac-friendly, with increasingly good options for anyone with dietary restrictions. On this particular trip, my husband and were on the lookout for gluten-free desserts, and happily, we found plenty of terrific treats that were delicious and completely safe for those avoiding gluten. So, if you ever find yourself in Prague, here are my personal tips on where to go for gluten-free desserts!

Is it gluten-free?

The Czech word for gluten is “lepek” and “bezlepkový” means gluten-free. If you are not sure about a particular food, you can ask, “Je to bez lepku?” (Is it gluten-free?).

Also, the Czech Republic is an EU country, and by EU law all food establishments are required label their menus using the 14 food allergens (if you encounter a menu that doesn’t have the allergens, you should politely ask for one that does). Foods containing gluten or “lepek” are labeled with Allergen 1, so just check the menu and avoid any dishes with this number.

Gluten-free bakery

To my surprise and delight, I discovered on this trip that Prague has an entirely gluten-free bakery! Perfect for celiacs who don’t want to worry about cross-contamination, Babiččina spíž (which translates to “Grandma’s pantry”) has a wide range of gluten-free baked goods such a bread, muffins, donuts, pastries, cookies, cakes, and sandwiches. The bakery also offers a range of vegan options, and all their products are baked entirely without sugar.

My husband and I tried two types of gluten-free cookies (oatmeal and chocolate) as well as a glazed gluten-free donut which was lightly sprinkled with pistachio nuts. While I enjoyed the flavor of the donut, I found the cookies to be a tad dry and crumbly (they are made without sugar, after all). Still, the presentation of the food was lovely, the staff was helpful and friendly and the bakery itself had a charming feel to it.

Gluten-free Cake

Ahh, cake. Cake is actually my all-time favorite dessert, but finding excellent cake that is also gluten-free is not always, shall we say, a piece of cake. On this trip, my husband and I revisited an adorable café that was an old favorite of mine when we lived in Prague.

Café Šlágr has an elegant, old-fashioned interior, offers a nice breakfast (which can easily become gluten-free if you skip the side of bread) but everyone comes to this place for one reason: the magnificent cakes. The particular style of cakes made at Café Šlágr is the kind that I go gaga for: beautifully decorated, incredibly moist cakes with decadent layers of cream, fruit, and frosting.

You can imagine my joy and excitement when I learned that Šlágr now has at least one gluten-free option as part of their daily offer. During our visit, my husband I and shared a piece of gluten-free cake called “Špička dort”. It had a dark chocolate sponge, sandwiched between a layer of slightly boozy eggnog cream and a mousse-like chocolate cream layer. The cake was wonderfully rich, and I especially enjoyed the two luscious cream layers as well as the decorative chocolate shavings on the side. Overall, a highly commendable gluten-free cake experience.

Ice Cream

Whenever I travel during the hot summer months, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about ice cream (who doesn’t?). As most ice cream is naturally gluten-free, this can be a great dessert option for celiacs. Luckily, Prague has some excellent ice cream offerings.

If you go for ice cream in Prague, make sure to avoid flavors that contain pieces of cookies, brownies, or dough, and always ask for a cup when ordering, “Do kelímku, prosím” (“In a cup, please”).

For those who enjoy creative and interesting flavors, I suggest visiting the ice cream shop Angelato, which has three locations in the city. They have a different array of ice cream flavors each month, as well as a nice selection of sorbets, all of which are vegan and gluten-free. While Angelato has plenty of classic flavors, I recommend trying their more unusual ones (rice, parmesan, and olive, just to name a few).

As good as Angelato is, my personal favorite place to go for ice cream in Prague is Crème de la Crème. The flavors may be more traditional here, but everything this ice cream shop does, they do superbly. The ice cream itself is ridiculously creamy, and the flavors leap out at you with their freshness and intensity.

Some of my personal favorite flavors are Pistacio (like eating a creamy pistachio nut), lavendar (light, floral and refreshing) and, perhaps the best ice cream I have ever tasted, Dark Chocolate-Chili (surprisingly spicy and divinely chocolatey).

Crème de la Crème also offers fruit sorbet as well as non-fruit vegan ice cream (which, according to a friend, is amazing).

And that’s all I have for you! I hope you found the tips useful, and please understand that these are my personal recommendations, and this article is by no means an exhaustive list of gluten-free desserts in Prague.

Have you been to Prague recently? Do you have any different suggestions on where to go for gluten-free desserts? Let me know in the comments below!