Lunch is a pretty serious business in the Czech Republic, as it is in many parts of Europe. Unlike the British habit of ramming a sandwich down your throat whilst sitting at your desk, lunch is an opportunity to meet up with colleagues, get a change of scenery and eat a proper meal, sitting down in a restaurant, often with a beer. That said, most Czech workers don’t have a lot of lunch break minutes - 45 seems to be about the norm in my experience.
To balance the requirement for proper food in a short time, many restaurants in the city have a special business lunch menu. This changes daily and is either advertised on a blackboard or on a specially printed menu available on each table. The ‘denní menu’ is generally available for a limited time - 11:00 to 15:00 is quite common, but during this time, the regular menu is not available because the kitchen staff are focused on feeding the workers. In addition, this lunch menu will usually only be available in Czech.
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| Lunch menu at my local bar - Snemovna v Jakubsky |
Most places are quite happy for you to order a drink without eating, and if they aren’t too busy, the staff may help translate the menu for you, but don’t count on it. Typically, there will be a choice of two or three daily choices, two or three things that are available all week and a choice of soups. The food is clearly oriented to Czech tastes, and classic Czech dishes form the bulk of what’s being offered - but there are often some surprises. I recently had battered cod and fries, which would have given a good chippy in the UK a run for its money! The batter was sublime! A few days later, I was treated to a Philippine Adobo - which I’d never heard of - but will be making at home in the near future.
The great thing about this concept is that the food is amazing value. Before the pandemic and the subsequent rise in prices worldwide, I could have a main course, a half litre of Pilsner and a small dessert - which is included - for less than Kč 200 (£6.89). These days the prices have risen a little, but I rarely spend more than Kč 220 (£7.60) and especially in the summer, I don’t need to cook in the evening as a snack is plenty.
So, if you venture into a restaurant in the centre of town, or anywhere where there may be office workers, don’t be offended if the staff won’t let you have a full menu or if they are a bit busy. This is genuine fast food at its best.
