Cafes indulge in flight of fancy at Prague airport
Usually, keeping some (non-liquid) snacks on hand when you are traveling by plane is a good way to avoid the steep prices of airport cafes and restaurants. But hunger, jet lag and curiousity at the airport are a dangerous combination and can easily throw your travel budget out the window. Prague Ruzyne Airport is, as most other airports, certainly an expensive spot to dine out, so if you do indulge yourself, avoid doing the currency conversion as you pay for the limp half-sandwich or tiny glass bottle of mineral water.
What is extremely interesting is that, in researching to write this post, I found that 23 of the restaurants and cafes and delis in Prague Ruzyne Airport are owned by Fast Food Servis food and beverage company. Which means that the same exact foods and drinks options are offered at these spots in the airport, BUT not always priced the same. For example, the Black and White café’s cheapest food item, including desserts, is a “home-made ham” and egg baguette for 155 Kc. If you roll over to Porto Café Restaurant, however, this same sandwich will cost you 180 Kc. My guess is you are paying for the lovely wooden interior featured at Porto. But also, Porto Café Restaurant is so named because it happens to be one of the few places that offers a full menu, not just snacks like baguettes and desserts as most of the other cafes do, including Bar in the Sky and Black and White café.
One point I should make: avoid the EU Café upstairs in terminal 2, which, for example, charges about 150 Kc for half a glass of orange juice. The customers here are mostly slick suited business types along with a handful of unsuspecting tourists.
If you are longing for a first or last sip of Pilsner Urquell beer, I urge you to enjoy your Czech beers outside the airport, but if temptation cannot be resisted, you are going to find yourself paying about 135 Kc for .5L of draft Pilsner—in town prices average between 30-40 kc. Or another option is to purchase a can for about 40-45 Kc at the duty free shops in both terminals.
Terminal 2 is the newly built, flashier terminal and therefore offers the flashier cafes with prices to match. Just as you enter Terminal 1, before you hit the check-in gates, you will find a “Fresh Food Service” cafeteria where the prices for hot meals are the lowest on offer in the entire airport. I won’t guarantee the quality here, but how can you go wrong with a chicken gyros (135 Kc) or nachos and cheese (160 kc)—well actually, don’t answer that.