Czech Lunch Menu

The Czech Lunch Menu

Have you ever been to a restaurant, opened the menu at lunchtime and a piece of paper falls out. You pick it up and put it back in the menu almost without thinking about it which is a shame because it might have saved you some money. Same with the Chalkboard Menu that was outside of the restaurant that’s offering the same but maybe with some local abbreviations.

That little piece of paper was the Czech lunch menu, what Czechs call Denni Menu or Poledni Menu. Lets not mess about, the main advantages of the set lunch menu is that it is cheap and gets on the table fast. Don’t expect big portions and you normally have a choice of courses. Personally I like a starter and a main course. Note that this is usually only going to be available Monday to Friday. Czechs like to eat early so expect this offer from 11am onwards and although the majority of places will have finished by 2pm I have seen lunch menus available until 4pm outside of the centre.

czech sign saying poledni menu which means the czech lunch menu being served between 11am and 3pm — This sign is saying that the Poledni Menu (Lunch Menu) is between 11am and 3pm

The Czech lunch menu usually takes meals from the larger A La Carte menu that may include some Top Czech Food Picks but the choice is smaller i.e. a choice of a soup or hot starter or salad, a choice of two or three main meals and a choice of dessert. This is often displayed in the window or on a chalkboard outside. Any drink is extra but even so, for a basic restaurant 2-course meal plus drink you’ll be looking at @CZK150 and better standard restaurants may hike that to @CZK250 but the Czech lunch menu is always the cheapest restaurant option by 30% at least.

Drawbacks? well not if you are in the centre of town unless you want peak time when tables might be scarce. More likely is out of town where the main menu may be translated but almost certainly the lunch menu will not. But as I’ve said, usually you’ll find elements of the Czech lunch menu in the main menu anyway. Secondly it’s first come first served so after 1230 you may be told that some options are no longer available. The only other point to mention is that the Czech lunch menu is not seen as a leisurely sit down meal. It’s served fast and they expect you to eat, enjoy and leave.

So give it a try but remember this is only a lunch option.