Eating out in Prague: what meals cost, from lunch menus to dinner

At 12:15 on a weekday, a queue forms outside a plain-looking restaurant on a side street. The queue is not tourists. It is office workers who know that between late morning and early afternoon, a hot meal costs less than at any other hour. They are there for the denní menu, and learning it is the single best money-saving move in Prague's food scene.

This guide is about the pattern of prices, not the numbers. Restaurant prices change with rents, wages and food costs, and every figure printed in a guide ages quickly. The pattern holds longer.

The lunch menu: how it works

Many restaurants offer a denní menu (daily menu) on weekdays, usually around lunchtime. It is a short, fixed list, often a soup and a choice of a few main courses, with prices shown per item or as a set. It is cheaper than the same dishes ordered à la carte in the evening, because the kitchen cooks a limited number of dishes in volume.

The menu is usually on a board outside or posted on the restaurant's page, written in Czech. A few words decode most of it:

• polévka: soup
• hlavní jídlo: main course
• dezert or moučník: dessert
• k pití: to drink

Ask whether soup is included with the main or priced separately, since it varies. Some places stop serving the lunch menu at a set time, so go early.

Locals' map of price

Prices climb with proximity to the main sights. The same schnitzel, soup or plate of dumplings is cheaper two streets from a famous square than on it. Neighbourhood pubs and canteen-style places generally cost less than modern restaurants in the centre. Our guide to how a Czech pub works explains ordering and paying, and the budget lines explainer shows where eating out sits next to rent and transport.

For the full picture of what you pay for a night out, look at a menu board and add three things: the drink, the tip and any extras that arrive uninvited.

Read the menu and the bill

Prices on Czech menus include VAT, so the number you see is the number you pay. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) supervises consumer practices in restaurants, including price information.

Check for:

• Service charge. If there is one, the menu should say so. If it is stated, you do not need to tip on top unless you want to.
• Cover or bread charges. Some places put bread, sauces or nuts on the table and charge for what you eat. Ask whether something is free before you touch it.
• Drink sizes. Beer is listed by volume, such as 0.3 l or 0.5 l. Compare like with like.
• The total. Read the itemised bill. If something is wrong, point to it and ask politely.

Tipping in Prague is customary: round up or add around 10 per cent (see tipping in Prague). Tell the waiter the amount you want to pay as you hand over the money.

Different meals, different budgets

Breakfast and coffee. Cafés vary widely. Coffee in a stand-up place costs less than in a table-service café. Bakeries sell pastries and sandwiches to take away.

Lunch. The denní menu is the benchmark. Compare it with a sandwich, a supermarket meal or a street-food snack.

Dinner. À la carte, with starters, mains and drinks adding up. Share a starter, skip the second round of drinks or choose a pub over a restaurant to bring the bill down.

Takeaway and delivery. Delivery apps add fees and menu mark-ups, so check the price against the restaurant's own menu.

Special occasions. Book ahead for busy evenings and ask about set menus. We do not recommend particular restaurants here, because quality and prices change.

How to budget it

Decide how many meals a week you eat out and where. Replace two evening meals with weekday lunch menus and the drop in the total is noticeable. Track one month of spending and compare with the groceries line. Put both into the monthly floor.

For an official context, the Czech Statistical Office publishes consumer price statistics, which are useful for the long view but not for tonight's dinner.

Allergens, seating and small manners

Czech menus mark allergens with numbers from one to 14 beside each dish, following EU rules. A key to the numbers is printed on the menu, and staff will help if you ask. If you have a serious allergy, say so before you order, in English if you must.

In busier restaurants, a sign may ask you to wait to be seated. In pubs, you usually choose a free table yourself and say hello to the waiter. Menus are often on the table or brought on request. If you want the bill, ask for it by saying platit, prosím (to pay, please), and tell the waiter whether you pay together or separately before they start adding things up.

Frequently asked questions

What is the denní menu?

A fixed weekday lunch offer, usually with soup and a choice of mains, priced below the same dishes in the evening.

Is service included in the bill?

Sometimes. If a charge applies, the menu should say so. Otherwise tip by rounding up or adding around 10 per cent.

Are prices in Prague restaurants shown with VAT?

Yes. The price on the menu is the price you pay, plus any service charge that is stated.

Can I pay by card everywhere?

Mostly. Some small pubs and stalls prefer cash, so ask before you order.

Where can I find official price data?

The Czech Statistical Office publishes consumer price statistics at czso.cz.

Today: find the nearest restaurant with a lunch board and go before 12:30.