The best duck in Prague? For me, it’s the one at Hostinec na Výtoni!
Maybe you haven’t been to this newly renovated restaurant in the historic building of Podskalská customs house yet, after all, it hasn’t been open for even a year. It’s not as famous as restaurant Výčep yet, nor are there queues in front of the entrance like for the grilled pork knuckle at Pork’s. Don’t expect fine dining as in restaurant Vallmo, which is just a stone’s throw away. Still, it is worth a visit.
Hostinec na Výtoni specializes in duck dishes that are perfected to excellence.
Here, they don’t prepare the duck by roasting it in the oven like in many other places. They slowly grill it over charcoal in a huge Josper grill, which the local head chef and co-owner Jakub Hirsch had custom-made in Barcelona. They proudly show off the beautiful grill finished in Ferrari red colors here. Inside it are six spits that rotate evenly; each can hold four ducks. Thus, they can prepare up to 24 ducks at once. Grilling them takes approximately two and a half hours. They have fine-tuned the preparation of the ducks to the last detail, the crispiness of the skin reminded me of the perfect Peking duck.
The smoky flavor and crispiness of the skin is what distinguishes the local duck from other places for me. The skin reminds me of perfectly baked cracklings, and it brought back memories of similarly perfect skin from the grilled pork knuckle at Pork’s. It’s not surprising to learn that Jakub Hirsch used to be the head chef at the popular Pork’s.
The feast for me begins with the amuse bouche – sourdough bread with lard containing pieces of duck cracklings. Ever since the days of COVID, when I started baking sourdough bread at home, I consider a slice of freshly baked bread with butter and salt to be one of my favorite simple dishes.
Hostinec na Výtoni further enhanced my experience with salted lard containing pieces of duck cracklings, which also reminded me of the home pig slaughters in my native Valašsko region. Simple perfection, which has just one downside – for four guests, two slices of bread are simply not enough! 😇
As an appetizer, I tried the fried bread (“topinka”) with chopped Olomouc cheese with onion, paprika, and mustard (175 CZK/7 EUR). I was surprised by the lightness and fluffiness of the cheese spread, as well as the fact that the fried bread was not soaked in oil; it was toasted just on the surface, while the bread inside remained moist.
Half of our table chose the grilled duck (389 CZK/15.60 EUR) as the main course, which is served here with red cabbage with apples and potato dumplings. I opted for the pulled duck in a potato pancake (349 CZK/14 EUR). The pancake was filled with spiced cabbage, flavored with apple mayonnaise, sprinkled with fried onions, and topped with a sauce made from duck drippings.
The duck meatloaf with truffles served in a poppy seed pastry (379 CZK/15.20 EUR) was also perfect. Those who enjoy the taste of truffles will be delighted.
After the duck feast, it was impossible to resist dessert. On the menu at Hostinec na Výtoni, there is ice cream, the already iconic caramel apple, or potato dumplings with baked plums, poppy seed ice cream, gingerbread, sugar, and plenty of butter (179 CZK/7.20 EUR). I love the tried-and-true combination of poppy seeds with plums. Although they did not skimp on the butter, I did not feel as heavy as, for example, after the cottage cheese buns with butter at restaurant U Matěje. For me, it was the perfect Czech dessert.
On tap, there is Pilsner (69 CZK/2.80 EUR) or dark Kozel, and they will gladly prepare you a mixed beer, milk, or a schneit.
If you’re not too far from Prague’s Výtoň, Hostinec na Výtoni is also an ideal place to go for lunch in Prague. A quarter of grilled duck with a side dish will cost you approximately 250 CZK (10 EUR) in the lunch menu.
What’s charming about the establishment is the attention to a large number of small details themed around ducks, such as the beer coasters.
An evening reservation is essential; we had ours for six o’clock and the place was already filled to the last spot. The staff is pleasant, communicative, and absolutely professional, the food was served quickly, and the drinks were brought practically immediately.
If you want to enjoy the perfect grilled duck, Hostinec na Výtoni is a great place for it.
Bon appétit!
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