I think the all-vegan Loving Hut in Prague slowly became one of my favorite restaurants— and a great reason to hop a train to the city. Between the selection of gluten-free and raw cakes, to their simple and tasty veggie and tofu combinations, there hasn’t been a trip to Prague where I haven’t eaten at the Loving Hut.
Despite only being an hour and 45 minutes from Prague, when I had a free weekend in Hradec Králové, I found myself going to new countries: Poland, Austria, Slovakia. Since I’m about to leave the Czech Republic, I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to spend time in Prague, and see if some of the city’s magic can rub off on me.
One of my first return trips involved the Museum of Decorative Arts— and while full of beautiful exhibits, I felt it lacked something. Which is why I haven’t spent much time in Prague: I feel like it’s beautiful, but I haven’t seen its depth yet.
On my next trip, after reading a history of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I decided to check out the Museum of Communism. As a Detroiter, I realize that I’m drawn to cities that wear their history and scars on their sleeves.
While small, the Communist Museum is really interesting: a collection of artifacts the owner found at second-hand stores after the fall of communism, but arranged in a very engaging way, with signs in multiple languages. I think it was the mock-empty storefront that made the biggest impression on me.
When I can tear into a buffet of delicious food— vegan food at that— the amount of food, and the choices I have— became very clear to me. And I haven’t forgot in, in the next few weeks— when grocery shopping, when going out to eat in Hradec.
If you stay for the final documentary, be prepared: the video doesn’t flinch away from the increasing brutality of the police and military in 1989. As the numbers of protestors grow, so does the violence. Bring tissues.
But the museum is above a McDonald’s— an irony I found delightful— and as I wandered back through the city, looking for a place to have dinner, I tried to imagine tanks in this lovely place. I couldn’t do it.
I wound up at Lehká hlava (Clearhead) the companion to Maitrea. It’s a great vegetarian restaurant: vegan and gluten-free options all marked. My dinner was artfully prepared but also filling: goat cheese baked to perfection, spinach balancing out the the cheese, the au gratin potatoes tender.
On one of my last nights in Prague, I went to a touristy restaurant overlooking the river. The wine was pricy but the view was completely worth it: the sun setting over the Charles Bridge. As the light faded, I could see all the flashes from the cameras, and they almost looked like fireflies.
I cannot say that Prague is a favorite city, but it is a lovely one. (And really, the cake from Loving Hut is delicious.)
Detroiter in Poland 
Loved your memoir. Austria is absolutely gorgeous country. I can’t believe that You can actually find vegetarian and vegan cafés in countries like Czech !
You have to hunt and ask around, but there’s a few! (Knowing a handful of Czech words has helped…) Thanks for stopping by & reading!