Eska in Prague's Letná: When will it open and how will it be different from the one in Karlín?
A bakery and kitchen full of life
How did it all start? "The need to find a second space naturally stemmed from the need to increase bread production, as supply was lagging far behind demand," explains David Marek, general manager of Eska, who was behind the project. The search for a suitable location took several years. Eska needed an oven and a chimney, which required a high ceiling. Finally, such a space was found in Letná.
Bread from the oven, sweet pastries, breakfast and small snacks
"We have been searching intensively for five years, and we almost got there several times, but in the end there was always a hitch. In most cases, caused by the chimney. Tomáš Karpíšek found the space in which we would eventually open Eska and it took two years to get the plan approved," says Jarda Kozdělka, who will be responsible for the quality of bread in both branches.
"The range of baked goods will be 99% identical to what the guests in Karlín are used to. It is the intention that both Eska's offer the same products. It will therefore be bread 33 and on Friday it will be joined by bread 66. We'll also be baking sweet pastries – loaves, cakes, buns and our classic kremrole baked in the bread oven. Pastel de nata is very popular in Karlín and we will also bake it in the second branch. However, we expect that in time we will add another special product that will win the hearts of our guests in Letna. What will it be? That remains to be seen," says Jarda Kozdělka, explaining the menu.
The new Eska will be mainly a bakery with a shop. The menu will be short and seating will be limited – only a few simple breakfasts and snacks will be on offer. The main ingredient will be the local bread from the oven, with butter, cheese, boiled eggs, ham and cheese.
If you enjoy your breakfast here, you can find all the products in the shop to take home. "We will also have one product you won't find in Karlín. We'll be offering ice cream in our cheesecake flavour. We think that ice cream is a good fit for the Letná location, so we will be selling it from the opening," says Katka Hollmanová, the general manager.
More space for the retail offer
The biggest difference from the Karlín location will be the scope of the retail offering. "The idea of expanding the range of products for takeaway was born during the pandemic, when people got used to shopping at home. We thought it would stop when we got back to the old ways, but the new trend has persisted and customers are still coming in," explains David Marek.
The Aretail team was in charge of expanding the offer in the new Eska. We asked Petra Roulland for details. "We focused on that, so that the customer can buy something from all of Ambiente's brands in one place. Eska Letná will become a shop, and Ambiente's largest retail space," says Petra. The shelves will feature products that can be spread on bread, eaten with bread or washed down with bread.
Most of them come from Ambiente, but there will also be products from proven suppliers with whom our restaurants have been working for a long time, for example Struhy farm, Babina farm, Probio or Kubát's eggs. A cooperation with the Brno company Ciderka or Květomluvá is under negotiation. "In the future, we expect to expand or vary our offer. We need to get to know the customers and their behaviour," concludes Petra from Aretail.
Who will you meet at Letná?
Together with Jarda, Eska will be Artur Cibulka as head baker. He has been baking bread at Eska in Karlín since the beginning and knows it down to the last grain of flour. After about three years away from Ambiente, he returns as one of the oldest bakers and bread connoisseurs. The whole team will be held together by Katka Hollmann, who for many years was one of the faces of Pastacaffé.
After years as manager, she decided to make a change and joined Eska in the spring of 2024 to get to grips with the concept. "I'm really looking forward to the new challenge. If I'm afraid of anything? Probably not, because I have a great team and the support of the office at my fingertips," says Katka.
What makes Eska Eska?
A stove on fire
Eska presented guests with unusually dark bread and had to explain at length that it was not burnt, but baked from fire and wood. The fire will expand from Karlín to Letná next year.
Flour
The bakers use Probio's single-variety Royal bio-flour. Breads 33 and 66 are named after the percentage of rye flour they contain. After a few years, however, the bakers recalculated the proportions, and they ended up at 27 and 72%. But the names have become so popular that no one dared to change them.
Sweet pastries
Pastries, filled buns and cakes made with rye leaven and kremrole baked in a wood-fired oven. Sweet pastries are as much an Eska icon as bread.
