Bistrotéka Valachy: an oasis of great gastronomy in Zlín

Obchodní Dům or Prior, as this department store used to be called, has been the go-to place for locals to get food since forever and it is still the case, even after a successful renovation. Only now, what you’ll get inside might be considered nothing short of fine dining. This place accommodates all kinds of customers – whether you want a hearty dinner, a quick meal in a rush, a cup of good coffee, or just something to sweeten your day. Nevertheless, you can rest assured you will be given a good-quality meal prepared with diligence and care from fresh ingredients.

The concept of Bistrotéka is a combination of a restaurant and a bistro with its own store offering local delicacies and products. Other members of the Bistrotéka family also include an in-house (top-notch) bakery, a café and Kornuterie, where you can get a quick bite served into a kornout (Czech for cone). Add to that the selection of other shops located inside the building and you’ve got the perfect place to shop and dine.

There’s an experiment that has been on top of our bucket lists since Bistrotéka opened, which involves staying inside Obchodní Dům for an entire day, so that we can try out everything it offers. Just imagine! You sit down for breakfast with a view of Building No. 21, order black tea, eggs in a glass, sourdough bread with butter, a homemade pastry and some milk rice with caramel. Slowly, we mean very slowly, you work your way through all this.

Once you’re done with breakfast, you roll over to the café for a cup of good coffee. You hole up there for a good while and give yourself time to digest. In the meantime, you carefully observe the bakers as they bring out fresh pastry and pick out a loaf of fresh sourdough bread with tomatoes that you could call yours. When your hunt is successful, you tuck the loaf of bread inside your backpack and get ready for lunch. After that morning feast you’re not particularly hungry, so you go for something lighter down at Kornuterie. You choose between fried cutlets and Asian noodle salad and get your pick served in a paper cone. If you still have some appetite left, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with a fruit and cream-filled croissant at the adjacent bakery.

For the remainder of the afternoon, we suggest you put yourself in the expert hands of masseurs, who have opened a parlor here just recently. Their experience from the wellness hotels of Velké Karlovice surely comes in handy! When you feel properly relaxed, come back down for a drink at Bar 1931, where they’ll be sure to massage your tastebuds with their signature drinks. But more on that some other time.

Before you know it, it’s dark out and time for dinner. Bistrotéka at night definitely has its charm. You can try one of their à la carte specialties, yet again with a view of Building No. 21, this time all lit up. This building, which locals also call a skyscraper, used to be the tallest in all the land.