Photo: Alex Kehr

Since I love languages, my own and ones I’ve tried to learn, a little rhyming phrasal gem like “Prague kebab, Prague kebab” can stay on my tongue for days, balanced by the sauces of cool tzatziki and sweet hot chili.

Any rural town can offer chain eateries with ingredients shipped from a central warehouse in the middle of the continent. But independent ethnic 'fast food' – gyros, falafel, pizza, etc. – makes a city a city, the smells and flavors that make me repeat “Prague kebab, Prague kebab” to the rhythm of my footsteps when I need a meal at 1:30 in the morning before taking a taxi home… the best way to settle the stomach before morning.

Photo: GloomyCorp

The nature of any small business can be inconsistent, and Prague’s kebab joints are no exception. Open hours are based on ‘Prague time,’ which means that clocks are a general guideline for opening/closing times (for strict adherence to clocks, visit Germany instead). Fortunately, there are a lot of these places scattered throughout the center. If I find one of these establishments closed, the others are within a 5–10 minute walk from each other.