MAPPED: Prague ice cream inspired by classic Czech desserts and flavors

Across the country, inventive treat shops are reimagining traditional Czech recipes in frozen form, with everything from chilly koláč cups to spicy sausage cones and more. If your desserts are feeling a bit “vanilla” these days, have a Bohemian flavor adventure at these ice cream shops.

The creative culinary minds at Eska Letná have figured out how to harness the light, sweet, tangy flavors of tvarohová buchta, a beloved baked good made with Czech-style cheese curd (also known as quark), and swirl them up in a soft-serve as decadent as the original. Savor it on its own or opt for seasonal fruit compoté and crunchy topping.

Buckwheat is typically found in Czech morning porridge, sweetened with dried fruits or jam. At Bjukitchen, a Prague café specializing in beautiful bowls, it shows up in the soft serve. Here, the signature vanilla swirl is topped with a bright drizzle of olive oil, buckwheat sprinkles, and the slightest hint of flaky Maldon salt. The favorite breakfast spot also tops its seasonal scoops with traditional Czech flavors like blackcurrant and apricot.

Czech koláč, a sheet-pan crumble featuring seasonal fruit, satisfies our sweet tooth all year round. When the temperatures are high, Vinohrady’s Kus Koláče delivers a taste of baked-in tradition with its frozen version. Fresh blueberries are piled over cloud-like vanilla ice cream, and topped with the same buttery crumb topping as the fresh-baked cake for a refreshing spoonable version.

If you’re heading to Liberec, make time for a pit stop in Mimoň, just over 100 km from the center of Prague. Here’s where you’ll find Ralsko Ice Cream Parlor and its 60-plus flavors of ice cream, ranging from familiar and refreshing to unconventional (tuna, anyone?). If there’s a food out there, ice cream genius Ivana Jablonovská can make it into a frozen delight. Her klobasa flavor is truly inspired!

Will-travel-for-ice-cream types (and those with a tolerance for strong odors) will find a distinctly unique ice cream offer at U Lišky Bystroušky in Loštice. The cafe is near Olomouc, where the famous tvarůžky Olomouc cheese originates from, and has served their stinky cheese ice cream for almost 10 years. Some describe the flavor as mild, sweet, and tangy, while others are happy never to have another scoop again.

Foraging wild berries is a cherished Czech tradition, with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blackcurrants showing up in everything from desserts to dumplings. To taste this heritage in ice cream form, head to Prague’s premier ice cream parlor, Crème de la Crème, for the blueberry lavender sorbet made with borůvky (wild Czech blueberries) or try the forest fruit yogurt: creamy Hollandia organic yogurt swirled with that classic mix of forest fruits.

Czech cuisine is full of comforting classics, and dukátové buchtičky (ducat buns) are among the most beloved, a traditional dessert of soft, homemade yeast buns drenched in rich, sweet custard sauce infused with fragrant vanilla. As part of its seasonal offer, Angelato makes an ice cream inspired by this Czech childhood favorite, capturing that warm, nostalgic sweetness in a scoop. (Also in the rotation: elderflower, semolina porridge, and gingerbread).

It's not a flavor, it's a feeling! This nostalgic treat, a retro-style sundae served in a glass dish, incorporates ice cream, whipped cream, fruit, and other add-ons like wafers and syrups. Myšák, an elegant First Republic-era sweet shop in central Prague, is a perfect place to try one. Their sundae, made from rich vanilla soft serve, is topped with caramelized nuts, crushed biscuits, dried fruits, and caramel sauce.

Not quite a grape, maybe closer to a giant currant, the gooseberry shows up across Czech cuisine in different forms: as a compote side dish for Czech schnitzel (řízek) as a jam for crusty bread, and however else your Babička would have prepared it. Priding itself on homemade gelatos with quality ingredients, Puro Gelato takes things one step further by harvesting its own forest fruits, gooseberry included.