CHEAP EATS IN PRAGUE: WHERE BACKPACKERS CAN EAT WELL FOR LESS

Prague is not as cheap as it used to be, especially around Old Town Square and Prague Castle. But that does not mean you need to live on supermarket sandwiches for three days.

If you know where locals actually go for lunch, you can still get a proper meal in central Prague for around 100–200 CZK (€4–8). The trick is to look beyond restaurants aimed only at tourists. Czech canteens, weekday lunch menus, delicatessens and a few local chains can save you a surprising amount of money.

And cheap does not have to mean bad. You can try Czech classics such as goulash, svíčková — boiled beef served with a creamy root-vegetable sauce and bread dumplings, roast pork with dumplings, fried cheese or schnitzel without paying 400 CZK (€16) next to the Astronomical Clock.

The prices in this guide were checked in summer 2026. Daily menus change regularly, so always check the current board or menu before ordering. Euro prices are approximate and only there to give you a quick idea of the cost.

First lesson: learn the word “jídelna”

One of the most useful Czech words for a hungry backpacker is jídelna.

A jídelna is basically a canteen. You take a tray, choose from the dishes prepared that day, collect your food and pay at the counter. There is no long restaurant service and usually no need for a reservation.

Do not expect fancy interiors or food styling. People come here because they want lunch quickly and at a reasonable price. And that is exactly why you should know about them.

Another phrase worth remembering is denní menu or polední menu — daily or lunch menu. Many normal restaurants offer much cheaper food around lunchtime on weekdays, usually roughly between 11:00 and 15:00.

That can make a huge difference. A dish costing around 300 CZK (€12) in the evening may appear in some form on a weekday lunch menu for under 200 CZK (€8).

Czech canteens worth knowing

Havelská Koruna – Czech classics in the middle of Old Town

Havelská 23, Prague 1

Havelská Koruna is probably the easiest Czech canteen to recommend if you are already sightseeing in the historic centre. It sits between Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, so you do not need to travel anywhere just to find lunch.

When you enter, you receive a small paper card. The staff mark what you order on it and you pay everything when leaving. You choose your food at the counter and can combine different dishes and side dishes.

The current menu gives you a good idea of what classic Czech everyday cooking looks like. You may find svíčková with beef and bread dumplings for around 200 CZK (€8), Moravian-style roast pork with cabbage and dumplings for around 200 CZK (€8), or beef goulash with bread dumplings for around 190 CZK (€7.50). Simpler meals can be cheaper: dill sauce with eggs and dumplings costs around 145 CZK (€6), and soups generally cost around 55–65 CZK (€2–2.50).

It is not the absolute cheapest canteen in this guide anymore, and it is no secret among tourists. But considering the location, it is still much better than choosing the first restaurant terrace you see around Old Town Square.

What to try: svíčková, goulash, Moravian pork, dill sauce or kulajda — a creamy Czech soup with potatoes, mushrooms and dill — or simply whatever Czech special looks good that day.

Backpacker tip: go outside the main lunch rush if you can. Havelská Koruna can get very busy.

Jídelna Světozor – old-school lunch near Wenceslas Square

Vodičkova 39, Prague 1

Hidden inside the Světozor passage just off Wenceslas Square, this is another classic central Prague canteen.

It feels more like a traditional workers' lunch spot than a restaurant, which is part of the experience.

A particularly good deal is the daily menu for around 170 CZK (€7), which includes soup, one of the selected main dishes and a small dessert. The wider menu changes, but recent examples included tomato sauce with beef and bread dumplings for around 180 CZK (€7), pork roast with cabbage and dumplings for around 170–190 CZK (€7–7.50), schnitzel with potatoes for around 180 CZK (€7) and fried cheese with potatoes for around 180 CZK (€7). Vegetarian combinations such as spinach, egg and potatoes or dill sauce with egg were around 110 CZK (€4.50).

This is especially useful if you are around Wenceslas Square at lunchtime and want something much more Czech than another burger chain.

What to try: rajská — beef with sweet tomato sauce and dumplings — or one of the daily Czech specials.

Lidová jídelna Těšnov – one of the best real budget lunches

If your priority is actually eating cheaply rather than sitting somewhere photogenic, Lidová jídelna Těšnov is one of the strongest recommendations in this guide.

It is close to Florenc and Na Poříčí, an area many backpackers pass through anyway when arriving by bus or walking between the centre and Hostel ELF.

They normally prepare more than twelve main dishes, two soups and several salads each day.

And the prices are hard to beat.

One recent menu included:

• Segedínský guláš with bread dumplings – around 135 CZK (€5.50). Despite being named after the Hungarian city of Szeged, this is a very typical Czech dish: a creamy pork goulash cooked with sauerkraut.
• Znojmo-style beef with rice – around 145 CZK (€6). This is beef served in a sauce with chopped pickled cucumbers, named after the South Moravian town of Znojmo, famous in Czechia for its pickles.
• Stuffed pepper with meat and tomato sauce – around 140 CZK (€5.50)
• Turkey ragout with mushrooms and rice – around 145 CZK (€6)
• Pasta carbonara – around 120 CZK (€5)
• Vegetarian risotto with cheese – around 100 CZK (€4)
• Sweet bread pudding with curd cheese – around 100 CZK (€4)
• Soup – around 35 CZK (€1.50)

Even drinks are unusually cheap. A 0.5-litre Pilsner Urquell was listed at around 30 CZK (€1.20) and draft soft drinks can cost only a few crowns.

This is not a place built for tourists. That is exactly the point.

What to try: simply look at the board and pick one of the Czech dishes of the day. If you do not understand the name, pointing works surprisingly well.

Backpacker tip: there may be a queue around lunchtime, but it normally moves fast.

U Rozvařilů – a Prague institution in Bílá labuť

If you want something that feels very Czech and slightly frozen in another decade, go upstairs in the Bílá labuť department store.

U Rozvařilů has been associated with inexpensive Prague food for generations. The current version keeps the traditional cafeteria system but has a surprisingly extensive menu.

And it may have the best prices for famous Czech dishes in this article.

Current examples include:

• Svíčková with bread dumplings – around 145 CZK (€6)
• Pork bites with spinach, cabbage and potato dumplings – around 135 CZK (€5.50)
• Pork schnitzel with potato salad – around 140 CZK (€5.50)
• Strong beef broth – around 55 CZK (€2)
• Grilled pork knee, around 1 kg – around 195 CZK (€8)
• ¼ grilled chicken – around 90 CZK (€3.50)
• ½ grilled chicken – around 175 CZK (€7)

It is also worth knowing for breakfast. On weekdays from 7:00 to 10:30 you can get scrambled eggs for around 65 CZK (€2.50), sausages from around 55 CZK (€2) or a slice of homemade Czech cake for around 35 CZK (€1.50).

If you want to try svíčková without spending 350–500 CZK (€14–20) in a central restaurant, this is probably one of the first places we would send you.

What to try: svíčková, pork with cabbage and dumplings, schnitzel or sekaná — Czech meatloaf.

Vegetarian food: Dhaba Beas and the closing-time trick

You do not need to eat meat to eat cheaply in Prague.

Dhaba Beas is a Czech-based network of vegetarian self-service restaurants serving mainly Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and other international dishes. You take whatever you want from the buffet and your plate is weighed at the till.

Typical choices include curries, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, rice, vegetable dishes, salads, chapati and sometimes dosa. The selection changes every day.

There are several useful branches right in central Prague, including:

• Týnská 19 – just behind Old Town Square
• Na Poříčí 26
• Vladislavova 24
• Štěpánská 61 in Lucerna Palace
• Na Příkopě 22 in Slovanský dům

But here is the important backpacker trick.

Many Dhaba Beas branches currently give 30% off during the final 45 minutes before closing and 60% off during the last 15 minutes.

So if you are not fussy about having every single dish available, a late visit can turn an already affordable vegetarian dinner into one of the cheapest meals you can get in central Prague.

Backpacker tip: Check the closing time of your specific branch first. For example, Týnská currently closes at 20:00, so the 30% discount starts 45 minutes before that and the biggest 60% discount applies only during the final 15 minutes. The selection will naturally be smaller by then.

Do not arrive expecting a full buffet five minutes before closing. Think of it as a bonus if the remaining dishes are things you like.

Want fast food? Try the Czech alternative

Bageterie Boulevard

Sometimes you do not want dumplings, a sit-down meal or a cultural experience. You just want food quickly.

In that situation, try Bageterie Boulevard.

It is a Czech fast-food chain built around freshly prepared baguettes, wraps, salads, soups and their popular roasted patatas with tartar sauce. You will see branches all over Prague, including right on Wenceslas Square and in other central locations.

Some of the regular options include:

• Caesar – chicken, parmesan, bacon, lettuce and Caesar dressing
• Bruselská – chicken, blue cheese, BBQ sauce and grilled onion
• Sweet Ribs – slow-cooked pork ribs, onion marmalade, BBQ sauce and cheese
• Caprese – mozzarella, tomatoes, pesto, mascarpone and rocket

Current online prices vary by branch and ordering method, but individual baguettes are generally in roughly the same price category as other international fast-food meals rather than restaurant dinners. Patatas are currently around 70 CZK (€3) on delivery menus.

Is it traditional Czech food? No.

Would we choose it over automatically walking into Subway? Yes.

It is a useful Czech chain to know, especially for a quick meal before a train, a night out or another few hours of sightseeing.

Chlebíčky, snacks and takeaway food

Apetit Dlouhá

Dlouhá 23, Prague 1

Apetit is another useful place to remember when you are walking around Old Town.

During the week, its self-service canteen currently offers a lunch menu for around 155 CZK (€6) including soup and a main course.

The actual dishes change. One recent week included options such as:

• potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat and cabbage,
• Hungarian goulash with bread dumplings,
• roast pork neck with spinach and potato dumplings,
• fried meatloaf with mashed potatoes,
• chicken Thai-style with rice,
• mushroom risotto,
• gnocchi with tomato and basil.

There is also a section selling chlebíčky, filled baguettes, salads, cakes and other takeaway food.

That makes Apetit especially practical if half your group wants lunch and someone else just wants a snack.

Libeřské lahůdky – try a Czech chlebíček

There are several Libeřské lahůdky branches in Prague, including Vodičkova 9 and a branch near Florenc at Biskupská 1, which is particularly convenient when staying at Hostel ELF.

A chlebíček is a traditional Czech open sandwich, usually made with white bread and combinations of ham, egg, cheese, potato salad, roast beef or different spreads.

Think of it as something between a sandwich and party food.

Current takeaway prices are around 50–55 CZK (€2–2.20) for many individual chlebíčky. You can also get simple hot meals: chicken schnitzel with potato salad costs around 120 CZK (€5), fried cheese with potatoes and tartar sauce around 115 CZK (€4.50) and fried cauliflower with potatoes around 115 CZK (€4.50).

It is particularly useful for:

• cheap breakfast,
• food before a train,
• something to take to a park,
• a quick snack when you do not want a full restaurant meal.

Try two different chlebíčky rather than buying the same supermarket sandwich you could get anywhere in Europe.

Want table service? Good Czech food in the city centre

Cheap canteens are useful, but sometimes you want to sit down, order a beer and have someone bring your food to the table.

You will obviously pay more. But there are still good options in central Prague that make far more sense than picking a random restaurant directly under the Astronomical Clock.

Lokál – reliable Czech pub food

There are several Lokál restaurants around Prague, but two are especially useful for visitors:

Lokál Dlouhááá – Dlouhá 33 for Old Town.

Lokál U Bílé kuželky – Míšeňská 12 for Malá Strana and Charles Bridge.

Lokál is more expensive than a jídelna, but weekday dishes can still be reasonable for the centre.

A recent Dlouhá menu included:

• pork belly with cabbage and dumplings – around 235 CZK (€9.50)
• meatloaf with mashed potatoes – around 220 CZK (€9)
• pork liver with rice – around 215 CZK (€8.50)
• vegetable patties with potatoes – around 195 CZK (€8)

At U Bílé kuželky, recent weekday choices included pork with paprika and pasta for around 215 CZK (€8.50), fried minced-meat patty with mash for around 235 CZK (€9.50) and potato pancake with sauerkraut for around 195 CZK (€8).

Some famous dishes cost considerably more. A Lokál fried cheese is currently around 315 CZK (€12.50) and weekend dishes such as duck can reach around 405 CZK (€16).

So if you are on a tight budget, check the daily menu rather than automatically choosing the most famous dish.

What to try: whatever Czech main is on the daily board, plus a properly poured Czech lager.

Pivovar Národní – lunch plus beer from the brewery

Národní 8, Prague 1

Pivovar Národní is especially useful at lunchtime.

It is right in the city centre and brews its own Czech Lion lager, currently around 60 CZK (€2.50) for 0.4 litre.

Weekday lunch specials are served from 11:00 to 15:00 and recent menus included dishes such as:

• Hamburg-style roast pork with bread dumplings – around 185 CZK (€7.50)
• fried chicken stuffed with blue cheese, fries and tartar sauce – around 190 CZK (€7.50)
• penne with tomato, chilli, garlic and Grana Padano – around 170 CZK (€7)
• roast beef with boiled egg and dumplings – around 190 CZK (€7.50)
• grilled white sausage with potatoes – around 180 CZK (€7)
• soup – around 50 CZK (€2)

That means you can have a full restaurant lunch and a locally brewed beer for roughly 230–250 CZK (€9–10) if you choose carefully.

The regular evening menu is more expensive.

So again: lunchtime is the backpacker move.

One of the best budget surprises: Jídelna Vikárka at Prague Castle

Jídelna Vikárka is a proper Czech canteen hidden just beside St. Vitus Cathedral. It is also used by people working at Prague Castle, but it is open to everyone. From the main entrance of the cathedral, turn left and look for the signs for Jídelna — they are surprisingly easy to miss when the area is crowded.

And unlike most food you might expect at one of Prague's biggest tourist attractions, the prices are genuinely backpacker-friendly.

Main dishes generally cost around 130–200 CZK (€5–8) and the daily soup is around 49 CZK (€2). On weekdays, there are usually four daily main dishes to choose from, while weekends normally have three.

Recent daily menus have included dishes such as:

• chicken in paprika sauce with pasta – around 145 CZK (€6)
• potato dumplings filled with smoked meat, served with white cabbage and fried onion – around 150 CZK (€6)
• pork curry with coconut milk and rice – around 155 CZK (€6)
• sweet potato dumpling-style rolls with poppy seeds and sugar – around 130 CZK (€5)
• tuna salad with egg – around 140 CZK (€5.50)
• daily soup – around 50 CZK (€2)

There is also a regular selection of Czech classics available beyond the changing daily menu. Depending on availability, you can order dishes such as svíčková, goulash, schnitzel or fruit dumplings.

The official canteen currently lists its opening hours as 11:00–15:00 every day, so this is very much a lunch stop rather than somewhere to come back for dinner.

Backpacker tip: if Prague Castle is part of your sightseeing day, plan your visit so you are around St. Vitus Cathedral at lunchtime. Instead of leaving the castle area and searching for an affordable restaurant, you can have a proper Czech meal right there for around €5–8.

It may not be the most stylish lunch of your trip, but eating a plate of Czech food for around 150 CZK a few steps from St. Vitus Cathedral is exactly the kind of Prague trick worth knowing.

How to find cheap food without this guide

Once you understand a few Czech words, it becomes much easier to find your own places.

Look for:

Jídelna
A canteen. Usually one of the cheapest choices.

Denní menu / polední menu
Daily or lunch menu. Normally available on weekdays.

Hotová jídla
Ready-made cooked dishes.

Lahůdky
A Czech "delicatessen" selling chlebíčky, salads, cold food and often simple hot dishes.

And check what time lunch ends. A great 170 CZK (€7) offer at 13:30 may become a completely different 300 CZK (€12) menu at 16:00.

Do not judge a place only by the interior either. Some of the least fashionable-looking restaurants and canteens in Prague are exactly where people working nearby eat every day.

One final money-saving option: use the hostel kitchen

You also do not need to eat out three times a day.

If you stay somewhere with a shared kitchen, buy breakfast or a few ingredients at a supermarket and save restaurant money for the meals you actually want to try.

At Hostel ELF, guests can use the shared kitchen, and depending on the current programme there are also hostel food events such as BBQs or dinners. They are less about fine dining and more about doing what hostels are supposed to do: putting travellers around the same table.

And if none of the places in this article sounds right, ask at reception.

Prague restaurants change, daily menus change, and sometimes the best recommendation is simply the place someone ate at yesterday.

The short version

If you want the cheapest proper Czech lunch, try Lidová jídelna Těšnov or U Rozvařilů.

If you are already in Old Town, try Havelská Koruna or Apetit Dlouhá.

If you are around Wenceslas Square, try Jídelna Světozor.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, go to Dhaba Beas — and remember the closing-time discount.

If you want quick fast food, try Bageterie Boulevard.

If you want a Czech pub with table service, check the daily menu at Lokál.

If you want lunch and locally brewed beer, try Pivovar Národní.

And if you are visiting Prague Castle around lunchtime, try Jídelna Vikárka — one of the most surprising places in Prague to get a proper Czech meal

Eating cheaply in Prague is still possible. You just need to know where locals look — and occasionally learn one Czech word before lunch.