Day 1 Prague: A breakfast that lasted till dinner

My mornings can be described in one word: rushed! Everyday I wake up at 7:30 to prepare for office. As a friend put it, I say “hi” and “goodbye” to the shower, dress really quick and hurry to the workplace. No breakfasts, no coffee, not even a glass of water. So during vacations, I make it a point to enjoy my mornings, staying in bed until my stomach grumbles and even more my breakfasts, preferably huge, greasy and very taste. On weekends, hubby makes me breakfasts like these.

On our first day in Prague, the good-looking receptionist of the hotel tipped up of a funky place to dine out. It was about a 5 to 7-minute walk from Lipova, the street where are are staying. The restaurant is called  Banditos and from the sound of it, you can tell that it is a Mexican diner.

Ive never been to Mexico so I do not have the faintest idea of what a “homey Mexican pub/diner” looks like but these adjectives came to mind when I was settled on my chair.

When we walk in, there was only two people inside, one Chinese girl having a solitary breakfast and a white girl at the back area drinking a cup of coffee. Two rock-star looking waiters/cashiers *you know black outfits, tattoos, long hair, beards, the works, were manning the bar. They weren’t very warm either, just polite and accommodating.

The walls were painted with distinct Mexican images and colors, green, red and funky skulls. At the far end of the place, near the kitchen, the walls were painted with cacti and what I presume is a Mexican desert. There was a small guitar and a drum piece hanging on the wall and a beer tray with a hand-painted face of a woman on the window sill.

It is very handy that the menu is well-described in English. I wanted a breakfast that was mentioned above so I went for the full English breakfast while hubby opted for the burrito with mashed red beans. I was wishing for a big serving and Banditos did not disappoint.

That is my full English breakfast, beans, two sunny-side up eggs, 3 pieces of hash browns, one big grilled tomato, 4 pieces of bacon, a french toast and mushrooms. Do I need to elaborate how worthy it was for 245 kr or about 9,50 euros?

Meanwhile, this is what hubby got. Like me, he wasn’t able to finish it. I took a couple of the hash browns as snacks for later.

After breakfast, we went out exploring the city. As we intended that this would be a no-stress holiday, we decided to forgo the usual planning and just follow where our feet will lead us.

At one point, we stopped for coffee and and a beer. That was in the middle of the afternoon when the sky is letting up a bit. We were  stiff and thirsty for standing still for 30min for the street artist.

It was an expensive coffee break. We chose the cafe of U Tri Pstroso Hotel and the menu is not exactly the cheapest in town. A glass of 350ml Pilsner cost 90kr (1 euro = 25 krone) which is average if you ask me but the Irish coffee was a whopping 285c.

Blame the appetite but despite the price, I also went for a strawberry fondue. Still cheaper than in West Europe but proved once more that Prague has become an expensive city.

Just like any other tourist city, Prague offers sweet street treats. I was lured to the heady aroma of a local  bread called Trdelnik, a pastry rolled in sugar and filled with either chocolate or cheese. It was good with a cup of coffee but I think even better with a bottle of Coca-cola.

So much for good food. Those three meals fueled my whole day. Up until the beer drinking at 9PM when we sampled traditional Czech cheeses.