🧾 Essentials
Tipping and the bill
Round up or add about ten percent — and say the total to the waiter rather than leaving coins on the table.
How it works here
Service is not usually added to the bill in Prague, and a tip is expected in restaurants and pubs with table service. Around ten percent is normal for good service; rounding up is fine for a couple of beers.
The Czech way to tip
Do not leave coins on the table when you go. When the waiter brings the bill, tell them the total you want to pay — "make it 500" — or say the amount as you hand over a card, and they will charge that. Saying *děkuji* ("thank you") as you hand over cash can be taken to mean "keep the change", so say it only if you mean it.
Paying in a pub
In a traditional pub the waiter marks each beer on a paper slip on your table. You pay once, at the end, often with the waiter doing the arithmetic from the slip in front of you. Groups usually pay separately — just say so.
Check the bill
In tourist-area restaurants, read the bill before you pay. Watch for:
- a cover charge or bread basket you did not ask for;
- a "welcome" shot of Becherovka or slivovice put on the table unasked — polite refusal is normal;
- a service line already added, in which case you do not tip on top of it.
None of this is common in the neighbourhoods. It clusters within a few streets of the Old Town Square.