U Pinkasů: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Koleno in Prague

Czech-style koleno on an outdoor terrace beside a church

Dobrý den! I’m CULT.
Today I’d like to introduce a place for great koleno in Prague.
I always used to recommend this restaurant for koleno, but after I stopped blogging for a while.. people started going to some odd places.
Pork’s serves German Haxe, while U Pinkasů, which I’m introducing today, serves Czech-style koleno. If you want Czech-style food, this is the place to go.

It’s at the start of Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí), right in the heart of Prague. SSS-tier for convenience. I’ve been here quite a lot, but one thing to watch out for.. they only sell a limited number of koleno each day. It’s best to ask a server whether it’s available before heading in.

The opening hours listed on the official U Pinkasů website vary by section, within 10:00–22:30 daily, and I found no news of a closure (checked November 2, 2026). The garden operates from May to October, opens at 11:30 and does not take reservations, so bookings made through the website or by phone are for indoor seats only. On the official menu effective October 9, 2026, Pinkas’s roast pork knuckle has risen to 589 CZK. The 499 CZK and other amounts in the main review are what I paid on my August 2023 visit.

This is what you see immediately to your right as you enter.. I asked if koleno was available, and they said yes, so I went straight..

..ahead. I like the outdoor terrace here.
U Pinkasů is also very spacious. It’s rare that you won’t be able to eat here because there are no seats. The outdoor terrace is huge, the ground floor is spacious, and there’s another floor upstairs too.

Head straight through to the outdoor terrace and this is what you’ll see. They’ve turned the alley between the restaurant building and the church next door into a dining area. At least you won’t be sitting in direct sunlight, because the large church is just to the south 😀

Here’s the menu.

First, I order the koleno. The price is 499 CZK. The most expensive in Prague. But it tastes great.
My last visit was in 2022.. and it was 504 CZK then. “What? Is that price a typo?” That was my reaction, so I remember it clearly. Looking again this time, it was listed at 499 CZK.

I order a salad too. Usually the first 50% of a koleno tastes great, but it gets a bit greasy after that, so a salad on the side is essential.

I ordered Pilsner Urquell without giving it much thought.
The Pilsner.. wow.. this beer arrived from the brewery within the last 24 hours. It’s incredibly fresh.

I think the food took about 30 minutes. Just so you know.. the food has always been slow to arrive here. Take your time and gaze up at the sky or something..

I ordered another beer while waiting for the food. It was definitely fresh and tasted great.

Ta-da~ The koleno and salad have finally arrived. The metal dish holding the koleno.. hasn’t changed in 10 years. Is there a company that makes nothing else? -_-;;

Now this is proper koleno.
By the way, don’t just hack away at koleno with a knife. There are two large bones in the middle, and you can see the carving knife stuck in there, right? Starting there, hold one side steady with a fork and split it down the middle into left and right halves. Then cut just the half you’re going to eat in half again.
If two people are sharing, leave the other half to cut later. Cut it all up in advance and it starts losing flavor.
The key to enjoying koleno is to divide it so each piece has a good balance of skin and meat.
Don’t worry. The meat is tender and cuts very easily.

Here’s roughly what that looks like in a diagram.

This is 1/4 of the koleno. I’ll say it again. Getting the balance of skin and meat right matters. (Seriously.)

You know the pork skin you eat in Korea? Some people find it too tough to eat, rather than just chewy.. but this.. simply melts in your mouth. Think of it as the melt-in-your-mouth version of pork skin.

The meat beneath the skin can sometimes taste greasy. At mediocre places, the meat inside is really greasy -_-;;
The meat inside the koleno at U Pinkasů isn’t greasy. I didn’t find it greasy at all, but for anyone who might, the pot has all sorts of things to cut through that richness: lettuce, red cabbage, pickles, bell peppers and mustard. It’s fun trying each one with the meat too.

It definitely tasted even better than when I had it in 2022. Looks like I didn’t need the salad.. Still.. the salad was good too 😀

All clean.
It’s been a while since I had proper koleno. Feels good.

After a good meal, I pay the bill. I paid by card.
I forgot to leave a tip. I’d spoken nothing but Czech from the start.. and if they think you live in Czechia, they usually don’t ask for a tip. If I’d left one, I think I’d have rounded up to 1,050 CZK. If you’re a little better off, you could round up to about 1,100 CZK. Tipping is entirely optional.
If you mainly use cash, it’s fine to leave coins as a tip. That’s how I tip when I travel to other European countries. Get rid of all those annoying, heavy cent coins..

Every so often, you see aspiring Tzuyangs tackling one whole koleno per person.. but I’d usually suggest sharing one between two.

This is a restaurant I can recommend with real confidence.
Time to stop going to Pork’s for Haxe.. head to U Pinkasů for Czech-style koleno.