McCafe

Cappuccino and cake at T1 prices that beat Starbucks

At Terminal T1, McCafe sits inside the McDonald’s setup and pulls in people already queuing for burgers who just want coffee and dessert. It’s post-security on the non‑Schengen side, so this skews to long‑haul and UK/US flights. Think standard McCafe menu you’d see in Prague city branches: cappuccinos, lattes, hot chocolate, macarons, and counter cakes, all at the airport markup but still under what the Starbucks in the terminal charges.

Expect “fine, not artisan coffee” as one r/travel user put it, with prices higher than in the city but still in the $ tier for PRG: espresso-style drinks usually under the Starbucks level by a noticeable margin per cup. Pastries are the usual McCafe cheesecakes, muffins, and macarons that TripAdvisor reviewers mention as “same as town,” so no surprises on quality. It’s grab‑and‑go service at the counter; you pay first, then hover for your drinks.

Seating right by T1’s McDonald’s gets noisy and crowded during morning bank departures around 06:00–09:00 and again late afternoon. Families often camp here so parents can get a latte while kids eat McNuggets, which means lots of trays and strollers. Regulars dodge that by carrying their cappuccino back to gates C and D instead of hunting for a table in the shared seating zone.

Value play here: budget‑minded flyers use McCafe as a cheaper coffee‑and‑cake stop instead of dropping extra crowns at the independent cafés closer to the gate. Complaints focus on paying more than downtown McCafe branches, but multiple reviews still call it better on price than the sit‑down spots in T1. One TripAdvisor poster specifically mentioned choosing McCafe macarons and cappuccinos over Starbucks to save a few euros.

Tip: order your coffee and dessert here, then walk it to your gate; don’t plan a long sit during peak morning departures when the shared McDonald’s seating fills fast.