U Sapíků

The story

U Sapíků Říčany: Austro-Hungarian Cuisine Meets Imperial Tradition

Generations behind the stove

U Sapíků in Říčany serves Austro-Hungarian cuisine rooted in centuries of professional service. Jaroslav and Marcela Sapík run the kitchen today, continuing a family trade that began attending aristocratic courts across Vienna, Bavaria, and Bohemia in the seventeenth century. Their approach treats traditional Czech cooking not as a museum piece, but as a living practice refined through travel and estate standards. Modern techniques dress these heritage recipes without obscuring their original character.

The kitchen and its signatures

Local harvests drive the daily menu, where ingredients like Lower Austrian vegetables and regional fish shape the composition. Diners often start with marinated salmon trout layered with horseradish foam, apple gel, and dill, followed by a crisp Viennese veal schnitzel served alongside a shaved root vegetable salad. The main course frequently features pan-seared zander resting in a rich shellfish butter, accompanied by roasted pumpkin and caramelized chicory. This balance of heavy imperial foundations and lighter seasonal finishes reflects the careful craftsmanship praised by Gault&Millau for its dedication to Austro-Hungarian cuisine.

Period wood and the underground cellar

The dining space preserves original architectural elements that echo the era when the building first housed travelers and locals. Warm wood paneling and vintage furnishings create a setting that feels both formal and comfortably familiar. Guests seeking quieter evenings can reserve a table in the two-hundred-year-old wine cellar below, where stone walls limit outside noise and hold two dozen seats. Evening service here pairs the food with selections from top Czech and Moravian vineyards, rounding out an experience built around steady hospitality rather than fleeting trends.