Olomouc cheese, beetroot, beef, trout, catfish, carp, cabbage, poppy seeds, plum jam, horseradish. Some of the fundamental and most distinctive ingredients of Czech cuisine, which at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise Restaurant take on entirely new forms.
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise proves that Czech cuisine doesn’t have to be heavy or bland. Here, the creative team serves dishes that surprise, delight with harmonious flavors, and captivate with their presentation.
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise Restaurant⭐
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise is still the only restaurant in the Czech Republic to have received and retained a Michelin star for its cuisine based exclusively on Czech ingredients and recipes.
Yet it really took just a little for this groundbreaking project to end before anyone even had a chance to notice it.
Ambition That Changed the Game
When La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise opened in 2006, few suspected that a new chapter in Czech cuisine was beginning right here. At a time when the local gastronomic scene was weighed down by a reputation for heavy dishes, it was a risky venture.
The vision of Ambiente group owner Tomáš Karpíšek and head chef Oldřich Sahajdák was bold: to return to Czech roots, but at the same time transform them with the technical precision of the world’s best.
The beginning was not easy. The first months saw empty tables and doubts about whether such Czech cuisine was even in demand. However, the support of the parent Ambiente group enabled La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise to survive and focus on its long-term vision, not just short-term profits.
The turning point came with the first international recognition. Foreign guests and media began to discover the intriguing flavors and top-level techniques used in the restaurant. This resulted in a prestigious award – a Michelin star, which La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise has managed to retain every year since 2012.
For many food lovers, La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise is a symbol of a goal that is hard to reach – and for me, this establishment also holds a special place in my memory.
Even during my “post-student” years, I longed to visit – even if only as part of the Grand Restaurant Festival. But I was never successful; the seats were snapped up in an instant every year.
Another vivid memory I have of the restaurant is connected to the global coronavirus crisis, which hit the world of gastronomy with unprecedented force. Restaurants suddenly found themselves without guests, the historic city center fell silent, and businesses accustomed to the hustle and endless flow of diners suddenly had to fight for their very survival.
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise tackled the situation with typically Czech improvisation: instead of beautiful plates and precise service, stainless steel lunch boxes – common in most Czech households – took center stage.
It was into these containers that the chefs began serving their dishes, allowing people to take them home – and at the same time, support the restaurant in difficult times. It was fascinating to watch how even top-level gastronomy could adapt to the most challenging conditions.
Less Is More
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise simply follows its own path. Even the restaurant’s very concept is unusual by Czech standards: just one tasting menu, which changes according to the season, the availability of ingredients, and the team’s current inspiration. You won’t even find a lunch menu here.
Every course is carefully considered, tuned, and perfected – not only in flavor, but also visually and technically.
It all starts with the ingredients; the kitchen team collaborates with small farmers, fishermen, foragers, and other local suppliers who guarantee freshness. This is how trout from Czech streams, vegetables from fields around Prague, and mushrooms from local forests end up in the kitchen. The selection of ingredients also changes with each season.
The amuse-bouche, served before the tasting menu itself, can already surprise you. The delicate yet intense flavor of Olomouc cheese – a cheese many international guests are likely tasting for the first time in their lives – immediately sets the bar for the entire experience.
The carp with horseradish is excellent, as is the beef tartare, which has been on the menu since the very beginning.
The classic Czech tomato sauce reimagined as a “lickable” dish, where guests are encouraged to literally lick it off the plate, showcases the playfulness and boldness that will linger in my memory for a very long time.
After the opening amuse-bouches, golden beetroot arrives at the table. At first glance, this might seem like a step back – especially when you remember that beetroot was long considered fit for livestock more than for a festive table in Czechia. Yet here, it is prepared with elegance: combined with yogurt and poppy seed oil, it shows how even a once-overlooked vegetable can shine in the starring role.
When it comes to the trout, one of the most distinctive Czech herbs, dill, takes center stage. Three versions of the “same” dill sauce are served, each with its own intensity and character.
Catfish that has taken a bath in duck fat is paired with cabbage – another ingredient inseparable from Czech cuisine.
With the beef and Znojmo sauce, reimagined here as a duet of beef tongue and pork belly, guests can admire another advanced cooking technique. The meat is sliced into paper-thin pieces, allowing for an extremely delicate texture and a deep melding of flavors across the layers. The result is perfection.
The dessert part of the menu is just as thoughtful as the courses that came before. A plate arrives with delicate plum preserves, elegantly infused with the flavor of slivovitz, the national spirit of Moravia. A light cream espuma is complemented by a crumble made from Czech “Esíčko” cookies, those legendary biscuits every Czech knows from childhood.
At the very end, the table is graced with a perfectly symmetrical spa wafer filled with hazelnut cream, a symbol of all Czech spa towns. There is also a small piece of moist bundt cake, another classic that simply belongs on any Czech Sunday table. A touch of marshmallow made with wild berries breaks the Czech theme a bit, but the little show that comes with its serving always delights.
Pairing with a Cherry on Top
The wine and non-alcoholic pairing at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise deserves a mention all its own – not just thanks to the carefully selected wines, but above all for the non-alcoholic pairing, which is an experience in itself.
With the non-alcoholic pairing, each course is accompanied by a drink built around a single distinctive ingredient, always with a clear nod to domestic tradition.
Elderflower lemonade instantly takes me back to my childhood; for me, it was the symbol of summer, when my mother and I would go out to pick elderflowers and look forward to our homemade lemonade being ready. At La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, the taste of the elderflower lemonade is subtle, beautifully balanced, and yes, I would love to take a few bottles home with me.
Tomatoes with basil grow in almost every Czech garden, but in liquid form it’s more like a concentrated taste of Italy than Czechia; but with the next bottle, featuring non-alcoholic rhubarb, the flavors return to a distinctly Czech track.
You have to “drink your way” to the cherry, but it’s worth it – in fact, I appreciated it with the beef even more than with red wine. The finale is a grape soda that immediately brings back memories of my grandfather with his siphon bottle and homemade raspberry syrup.
At La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, the non-alcoholic pairing is simply the equal of the wine pairing.
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise Restaurant, wine pairing: Komorní vinařství Troják: Žernosecký řezlík (2023).
The wine pairing, “Wine Adventure”, features proven Moravian names like Bogdan Troják, Milan Nestarec, and Ota Ševčík. The real standout is the Utopia Patience dessert ice cider.
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise Restaurant, wine pairing: Utopia Patience dessert ice cider (2022).
Symbols Everywhere You Look
The gastronomic experience at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise doesn’t end on the plate. The atmosphere of the restaurant is shaped by the space, designed by the Olgoj Chorchoj studio, renowned for its eye for detail and its ability to work with symbolism.
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