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CATEGORY PICKS

  • Marmolada

    Marmolada
    While Kraków's super-saturated restaurant market has seen plenty of tankings of late, the team behind the ever-popular and duly praised
    Read on
  • Pod Krzyżykiem

    Pod Krzyżykiem
    Brimming with bizarre furnishings, including a section of glass flooring, the overall effect isn’t unlike climbing inside a giant Dali painting; the
    Read on
  • Pod Słońcem

    Pod Słońcem
    A typically beautiful Old Town cellar which includes a stone carving of Mr. Sun casting an eye over diners. The pancakes are a substantial meal in themselves,
    Read on
  • Pod Baranem

    Pod Baranem
    An admirable establishment near Wawel Castle, the interior of exposed brick and wooden ceiling beams, a fireplace and skillful mural of Kraków in one of
    Read on
  • Pod Aniołami

    Pod Aniołami
    Sit in the cellar and you can watch your shashlyk and steak grill right before your eyes. Filled with benches and casks, Under The Angels presents good food and
    Read on
  • Wierzynek

    Wierzynek
    Quite a launch party this place: according to legend the opening night back in 1364 was attended by five kings and nine princes. Since then it’s been one
    Read on

Krakow | Restaurants & Cafes | Polish

Arenda Café Restaurant
This upscale locale off Plac Nowy has redressed the menu for a new lease on life. Still present are the poshly-priced pierogi, now supplemented with a retinue of sturdy Polish and European dishes, including a spicy carrot creme soup (9zł), which is a great segway into any supper, be it veal cutlets with thyme sauce or Jewish pierogi with a butter blend topping. Taking a nod from the neighbourhood, Arenda also includes a cafe where you can lift a glass to their longevity without lifting a fork.
[...]



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ul. Nowa 3a

tel. (+48) 12 430 15 47

Open 12:00-23:00,
Sun 12:00-22:00.
Beetroot soup never tasted so good as it does at Awiw, accompanied with tasty croquette potatoes. Twenty different kinds of pierogi are also on hand for those tired of potato and cheese standbys. Given Szeroka’s not unfounded reputation as a growing tourist trap you could do worse than at thi [...]



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ul. Szeroka 13

tel. (+48) 508 11 95 74

Open 12:00-22:00
Experience the days of commie Poland in this delicious blast from the past. Find everyone from tramps to war veterans tucking into the cheapest food you’re ever liable to stumble on. Dine on boiling hot plates of traditional Polish goo and cabbage amid an interior reminiscent of a young offen [...]



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ul. Grodzka 47

tel. (+48) 12 422 68 07

Open 09:00-19:00,
Sun 10:00-19:00.
Brilliant. Not at the top of anyone’s list for a night of fine dining, that is not the point of Bar Smak. Instead this is a local place for local people who cram around the wooden tables to eat huge portions of well-loved standards, from cheap pierogi to excellent biogs to great big golonka. [...]



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ul. Karmelicka 10

tel. (+48) 12 431 21 49

Open 11:00-22:00
Biała Róża
While many of Kraków's finer restaurants emphasize everything that is medieval about traditional Polish food, Biała Róża has no difficulty demonstrating it as entirely contemporary and (gasp) European. Well-presented, outstanding fish and meat dishes (our 'pork sirloins coated with bacon, walnuts and basil with rokpol sauce' (36zł) were delicious) betray the prices, and the pre-meal cabbage pastry - while an apt introduction to Polish culinary invention - does a disservice to what's to come. Popular with older holidaymakers staying at the next door Radisson, Biała Róża offers fine service and fine dining in a spacious off-white interior of gold columns and understated swirl patterns with a fireplace and frosty chandeliers. Drop in weekdays between 13:00 and 17:00 for lunch under 20zł.
[...]



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ul. Straszewskiego 16

tel. (+48) 12 421 51 90

Open 12:00-22:00
Great pierogi are served in this bizarre little Polish place, where two oversized paintings of medieval knights greet you upon entering. Take the raised table and feast on both the pierogi and the beetroot soup, an unexpected delight served with great ravioli. [...]



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ul. Gołębia 2

tel. (+48) 12 430 26 83

Open 12:00-23:00
Decorated in the log-cutters style this venue is a preview shot of Zakopane life – here it’s all chunky tables and ceramic trinkets bought from the dodgy tourist stalls you’d usually avoid. The menu is meat heavy, and you can expect anything that ever lived on a farm to be hacked up and presented before you.
[...]



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ul. Brzozowa 18

tel. (+48) 12 292 33 17

Open 11:00-23:00
After a recent renovation, Chimera is more sumptuous than ever. Combining secessionist decor with cellar ambience, this charming veteran is favoured by local art mavens and academic owls dining on a range of Polish game options (geese, rabbit, deer) unveiled from beneath silver serving domes at the [...]



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ul. Św. Anny 3

tel. (+48) 12 292 12 12

Open 12:00-23:00
A usually reliable romp through the glories of Polish country cooking. The menu is a labyrinth of peasant dishes, with a vast choice of what nomrally amounts to enormous helpings of meat and potatoes, and complimentary lard to start your meal. Bright blue interiors come decorated with jars and pickles and strings of sausages, and staff are kitted out like saucy country wenches. Also on ul. Św. Agnieszki 1, C-6, (Open 12:00-22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00-23:00.)
[...]



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ul. Św. Jana 3

tel. (+48) 12 429 51 57

Open 12:00-22:00,
Fri 12:00-23:00,
Sat 12:00-23:00.
A huge and rowdy cellar complex with a restaurant, bar and disco in three seperate sections. The food is pretty tasty, well priced and Austrian-inspired. Their home-brewed beers come by the glass or in tall pipes: a private tap on your table. [...]



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ul. Podwale 6-7

tel. (+48) 12 429 25 05

Open 12:00-24:00,
Fri 12:00-01:00,
Sat 12:00-01:00.
Yellowing pictures of soldiers posing in trenches and a collection of 19th century clocks decorate this rustic-styled restaurant. Food has influences from around Central Europe with big helpings of steaks, pork, chicken and other farm animals. The Slovak cheese soup is a good starter, the pork [...]



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ul. Bracka 6

tel. (+48) 12 422 79 31

Open 09:00-23:00,
Fri 09:00-24:00,
Sat 09:00-24:00,
Sun 10:00-23:00.
Ultra stylish, with a design that incorporates lots of shining leather, bare bricks and circular patterns. But the best bit of all is the garden, an absolutely ace spot festooned with plant life. The menu features decent breakfast options, spaghetti, soups and chicken and pork cooked up in a variet [...]



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ul. Krupnicza 20

tel. (+48) 12 430 08 38

Open 08:30-21:15,
Sun 09:00-20:15.
This cellar restaurant has all the trappings of fine dining, from the cutlery to the candlelight and chandeliers, but with a bill that won't break your wallet. In fact the ambiance is downright romantic, disturbed only by the Polish Sting impersonator trying desperately to rock (but not too hard!) [...]



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ul. Pijarska 9

tel. (+48) 12 430 07 62

Open 12:00-23:00
The real virtue of Koko is revealed at 2:00 in the morning when you want a civilised sit down meal without the company of tzatziki dribbling drunks. Serving generous portions of stodgy Polish classics like cutlets, pierogis and potato pancakes for the same price as a kebab deep into drinking hours, [...]



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ul. Gołębia 8

tel. (+48) 12 430 21 35

Open 11:00-03:00
Inside the hotel of the same name, Gródek has even further refined the menu from its days as Cul-De-Sac and presents the best of Polish cuisine from a short and concise menu. We knew Polish food could taste good (but this good?), but it's always impressive to see it so well-presented. With dis [...]



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ul. Na Gródku 4 (Gródek Hotel)

tel. (+48) 12 431 20 41

Open 17:00-22:00
Hawełka
Kraków’s moved on, but Hawelka hasn’t. If you want to experience the Kraków of olde, this enduring, achingly formal holdover is the place to do it, just like Queen Elisabeth II, the King of Greece and numerous Austro-Hungarian Archdukes before them did at one time. The menu is an encyclopedic choice of traditional Polish game and seafood dishes served without interruption or reinvention since 1876, and the dining room is a very green (popular colour in those days) trip back to the turn of the 20th century with a reproduction of Jan Matejko's massive 'Prussian Homage' looming over the proceedings - perhaps the only inauthentic thing about having a meal in this legendary local institution. [...]



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Rynek Główny 34 (ground floor)

tel. (+48) 12 422 06 31

Open 12:30-22:30
The most elaborate-looking (not tasting) potato pancakes with goulash (placki ziemniaczane z gulaszem) in town. [...]



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Pl. Matejki 3

tel. (+48) 12 422 88 53

Open 09:00-20:00,
Sun 10:00-18:00.
Jarema
Classy Eastern Polish and other dishes from the region in a slightly ostentatious, 19th-century setting. Waitresses in traditional costume serve from a large menu including steak with quail eggs, a few vegetarian dishes, pheasant and wild boar. Despite the harking back to the good old days, this is [...]



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Pl. Matejki 5

tel. (+48) 12 429 36 69

Open 12:00-24:00
Kawaleria Szarża Smaku
Three vaulted rooms decorated with an equine motif – paintings of Cossacks and jockeys hang alongside sabres and hunting trophies – as well as an atmospheric whitewashed courtyard featuring a stone fireplace and potted shrubbery. The menu is a strong review of upmarket Polish dishes wit [...]



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ul. Gołębia 4

tel. (+48) 12 430 24 32

Open 12:00-23:00
Legendary local favourite serving traditional Polish dishes with slightly more ambiance than a milk bar. A great introduction to the concept that so much food could cost so little, the house specialty potato pancakes with goulash could easily feed a cavalry and still have a little something for you [...]



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ul. Miodowa 25

tel. (+48) 517 94 53 38

Open 10.00-21.00
This friendly little cafe/restaurant off Plac Wolnica has Sunday morning stamped all over it. The decor of antique furnishings and framed curiosities is half home-sweet-home, half Kazimierz half-light and the menu of Polish staples, breakfast items, pastas and salads brings above average results at [...]



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ul. Mostowa 2

tel. (+48) 12 430 07 95

Open 09:00-22:00
Marmolada
While Kraków's super-saturated restaurant market has seen plenty of tankings of late, the team behind the ever-popular and duly praised Miód Malina continues to open new establishments. Marmolada - their latest - follows the tried and true trend of Polish and Italian dishes, prepared and [...]



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ul. Grodzka 5

tel. (+48) 12 396 49 46

Open 12:00-23:00
Trust the line of cheapskates, tramps and drunks that form a queue outside this hole-in-the-wall budget experience. These sorts know a bargain when they see one and Endzior can stake a claim as a bona fide Kazimierz legend. Found in the central market building, invisible cooks serve up the best zap [...]



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Pl. Nowy 4b/14

tel. (+48) 12 429 37 54

Open 11:00-20:00,
Sun Closed.
Miód i Wino
Champion dishes of traditional Polish fare in a setting piled as high as the food with muskets, antlers and suits of armour. All extras (vegetables, bread) cost extra, and you'll need to explain clearly how you expect your meat to be cooked; but the flair of the service, quality of the food and fondness of the folk musicians playing full force nearby create a fun atmosphere that's completely worth being in.
[...]



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ul. Sławkowska 32

tel. (+48) 12 422 74 95

Open 11:00-23:00
Miód Malina
Consistently excellent meals have seen Miod Malina establish themselves as one of the top restaurants in town, so book ahead if you fancy taking in the Grodzka views afforded by the raised window-side seating. This cheerful looking restaurant comes with raspberries painted onto the walls and a pleasing glow that illuminates the darker evenings. Floral touches aplenty here, lending a storybook, candy cottage atmosphere, while the menu mixes up the best of Polish and Italian cooking. The prices remain pegged generously low making a visit here not just recommended (as the Michelin Guide 2009 did) but essential.  [...]



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ul. Grodzka 40

tel. (+48) 12 430 04 11

Open 12:00-23:00
Morskie Oko aims to capture the mountain spirit of Zakopane so there's plenty of primitive looking furniture, waitresses with bits bursting out of tradtional costume and regular live bands making a racket. The food is caveman in style, delicious hunks of grilled animals. [...]



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Pl. Szczepański 8

tel. (+48) 12 431 24 23

Open 12:00-24:00
Smashing Polish cuisine served inside an intriguing interior that features a fireplace, wood beams and a galaxy of rural decorative touches. It’s a light and warming design with plenty of glass bottles and rusty trappings to act as visual diversions and the menu proves equally well thought out. Choose from local classics like the wonderfully fluffy pierogi or opt for the king-sized duck served with baked apples.  [...]



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ul. Karmelicka 10

tel. (+48) 12 425 42 60

Open 12:00-23:00
Permanently steamy windows hide this low-budget legend. The menu, typed out on a piece of paper tacked to the wall, features standards like pork chops, bigos and, in our opinion, the best żurek in town. Despite down-scaling their once 'round the clock service, off-duty taxi drivers and spa [...]



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ul. Św. Sebastiana 33

tel. (+48) 724 67 11 61

Open 11:00-22:00
Crowded with barrels of mead, bear skins and even a winged Hussar, the timber interior is a masterpiece. But the history isn’t confined to the décor - the recipes were researched in the local Jagiellonian Library. It's essentially a feast of meat with roast pig on a spit being the specialty.
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Pl. Serkowskiego 7

tel. (+48) 12 656 23 28

Open 12:00-23:30,
Sun 12:00-21:30.
This cult eatery has enjoyed enough success to open a now stunning six locations around Kraków. Though it may be impossible to 'reinvent' a food as versatile as the pierogi, 'U Vincente' has tried with apple and liver, minced meat and lentils, and chicken and spinach among the two dozen or more options - and top it off with your choice of a variety of sauces and extras. Popular, cheap and cheerful (thanks to a sunflowered Van Gogh interior), takeaway may be your best option at peak feed times. Other prime locations at ul. Józefa 11 (J-4) and ul. Rakowicka 19 (J-2).
[...]



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ul. Bożego Ciała 12

tel. (+48) 501 74 74 07

Open 12:00-20:00,
Fri 12:00-22:00,
Sat 12:00-22:00.
Pod Aniołami
Sit in the cellar and you can watch your shashlyk and steak grill right before your eyes. Filled with benches and casks, Under The Angels presents good food and an engaging atmosphere. [...]



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ul. Grodzka 35

tel. (+48) 12 421 39 99

Open 13:00-23:00
Pod Baranem
An admirable establishment near Wawel Castle, the interior of exposed brick and wooden ceiling beams, a fireplace and skillful mural of Kraków in one of the rooms, offest by framed photos of family and guests on the walls, creates a truly comfortable and classy dining environment. Serving Polish standards including Jewish-style carp and cream of wild mushroom soup in a breadbowl, the menu features more meat than you'll find at a livestock market, with deer and wild boar getting into the menagerie as well. Our shredded pork wrapped in cabbage leaves with mushroom sauce left us more than satisfied, but the true standout was the complimentary pre-meal smalec and bread - maybe the best we've tasted in Kraków. For those stricken with food allegies, this is one of the only places in town to offer gluten-free meals, of which their menu dedicates a page.
[...]



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ul. św. Gertrudy 21

tel. (+48) 12 429 40 22

Open 12:00-23:00
Pod Krzyżykiem
Brimming with bizarre furnishings, including a section of glass flooring, the overall effect isn’t unlike climbing inside a giant Dali painting; the strange sculptures and stained glass are a great conversation point if you’re on a tricky first date. Service is young and flawless, while [...]



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Rynek Główny 39

tel. (+48) 12 433 70 10

Open 12:00-23:00,
Fri 12:00-24:00,
Sat 12:00-24:00,
Sun 12:00-24:00.
Not exactly compelling proof of Podgórze's oncoming emergence from its wartime shadow, Pod Lwem's opening is nonetheless noteworthy testament to the district's development. Unfortunately the boring, understated interior of candy-striped benches and a few strips of wallpaper suggest that someth [...]



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ul. Józefińska 4

tel. (+48) 519 37 47 37

Open 08:30-22:00,
Sat 09:00-22:00,
Sun 09:00-22:00.
Pod Słońcem
A typically beautiful Old Town cellar which includes a stone carving of Mr. Sun casting an eye over diners. The pancakes are a substantial meal in themselves, and there’s a heap of grilled and skewered animals to pick from as well. Meals are delivered by an efficient team of scurrying waiters [...]



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Rynek Główny 43

tel. (+48) 12 422 93 78 ext.16

Open 12:00-23:30
The place to visit if you’re looking to hit your daily calorie quota in one meal. Hunks of meat and cabbage cascade off the steel pans and wooden boards they’re served on, while busty village wenches weave between the bench seating serving frothing steins of lager. Great for groups and families, kids have their own large rumpus area, while the grown-ups soak up the beer hall atmosphere shouting over energetic live folk music. Litre beers are encouraged and half-price on Mondays, and there's a handy 'vomitorium' in the men's room - ie, two enormous steel basins for those suffering from over-consumption to hock their recently imbibed pork hocks. Class.
[...]



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ul. Św. Gertrudy 26-29 (Royal Hotel)

tel. (+48) 12 421 23 36

Open 12:00- 24:00,
Sun 12:00-23:00.
A beautiful network of brick cellars near the Old Theatre dressed up in frilly Belle Epoque style and packed with busts, paintings, mirrors and curios. This is where Britain's Prince Edward enjoyed dinner in November 2004, though no word on what his highness ordered. Despite the truly sumptuous surroundings, the food can be rather hit or miss making Poezja Smaku either the highlight of your trip or a sincere disappointment.
[...]



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ul. Jagiellońska 5

tel. (+48) 12 292 80 20

Open 12:00-23:00
The definitive local dining experience. Join the queue and order big plates of piping hot food dished up from metal containers, before bussing your dishes to the wash-up window. Choose from the likes of cutlets with mashed potatoes, spinach or beet salad sides, soups, pierogi and other timeless classics. Far better than it looks or sounds, Polakowski is an editorial fave. Essentially an upmarket milk bar this place has gone the extra yard (or justified the extra zloty) by adding a toilet and English language menu.  Also on Pl. Wszystkich Świętych 10 (C-4).
[...]



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ul. Miodowa 39

tel. (+48) 12 421 07 76

Open 08:00-22:00
A hunters heaven with big slabs of animals cooked to local recipes and served up in dinosaur-size portions by multi-lingual staff. This chain of restaurants have established themselves as the place to go for a first time test of Polish hospitality, and the rough cut, faux peasant interiors really c [...]



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ul. Św. Jana 30

tel. (+48) 12 433 98 25

Open 12:00-23:00
The vodka concoctions here are fabulous, but don’t dare get ruined on them before you experience the restaurant out back – schoolboy error. Scarlet walls choc-a-block with black and white etchings provide a cool atmosphere to drop back into the leather seating before diving into a menu filled with perfectly prepared Polish dishes. 
[...]



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ul. Józefa 14

tel. (+48) 12 430 65 38

Open 12:00-23:00
Stodoła 47
A rustic surprise on flashy Florianska street, Stodoła 47 leaves the door open for those who may not have grown up in a barn, but wouldn't mind eating in one.  Full of farming falderal, haybales, chopped wood and animal skins, the menu of grilled meats - including roasted turkey in ap [...]



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ul. Floriańska 47

tel. (+48) 12 292 49 25

Open 11:00-22:00,
Fri 11:00-23:00,
Sat 12:00-23:00,
Sun 12:00-22:00.
Entering this hidden cellar through the courtyard of a building on the corner of Sławkowska and Św. Marka streets, you'll descend the stairs and greet a crossword-puzzled babcia who decides if you can enter this kitschy country cottage of wooden benches slung with sheep hides. You'll be grateful to have garnered her approval once you've tried the soups served in breadbowls and pierogi served on breadplates (really), to make no mention of the city-famous 'placki po węgiersku' - an enormous plate of potato pancakes smothered in gulasch, cheese and sour cream. With budget prices for outlandishly large and delicious servings, this should be a go-to for anyone being introduced to Polish food...or who hasn't eaten in three days. Also with a location at Szpitalna 38.
[...]



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ul. Sławkowska 17

tel. (+48) 12 422 76 01

Open 11:00-21:00,
Sat 12:00-21:00,
Sun 12:00-21:00.
Named after a village near Kraków known for its colourful houses, U Zalipianek's bright, traditional floral patterns are juxtaposed with the curmudgeony old-timers occupying the seats. More than likely most of the conversations revolve around crappy pensions and the good 'ol days when everybod [...]



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ul. Szewska 24

tel. (+48) 12 422 29 50

Open 09:00-22:00
U Ziyada
The menu is an interesting mix of Polish and Kurdish cooking, and while it alone doesn't justify your taxi fare, the location absolutely does. Set in a magnificent hillside castle once home to a detachment of Luftwaffe officers, the panoramic views of the Wisła river are outstanding and wi [...]



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ul. Jodłowa 13, (Zwierzyniec)

tel. (+48) 12 429 71 05

Open 10:00-22:30
Wesele
If you’re a fan of Miód Malina, and let’s face it, who isn’t, then it's time you visited Wesele, a project brought to you by the same gang behind MM. If your Polish is as good as your Chinese then the first thing you’ll need to know is what the name means – it’s ‘wedding’, and the interiors are a dead giveaway, filled with ribbons, flowers and candles. An impressive venue alright, and with all the clinking glasses and smiley people it doesn’t take much vision to imagine you actually have gate crashed a wedding. The menu is classic Polish cooking done exactly the way it was meant, and the goose breast is fabulous. Also recommended by the Michelin Guide 2009.
[...]



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Rynek Główny 10

tel. (+48) 12 422 74 60

Open 11:00-23:00
Wierzynek
Quite a launch party this place: according to legend the opening night back in 1364 was attended by five kings and nine princes. Since then it’s been one esteemed guest after another, with former diners including De Gaulle, Bush, Castro and other bods who influence the way the globe spins, as well as starlets like Sophie Marceau and Kate Moss. A set of wooden stairs lead to a series of imposing rooms decked out with tapestries and plantlife while a seriously high-end menu includes sturgeon, deer and lamb.
[...]



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Rynek Główny 15

tel. (+48) 12 424 96 00

Open 13:00-23:00
The angle on this most recent of Polskie Jadło offerings is 'pieconki': dishes cooked in the large wood-fired stove in the middle of the restaurant. Seemingly prepared beforehand, the large-portioned food goes in and comes out fast with terrific results including potato pancakes, assorted meats, the garlic and caraway flatbread which precedes each meal, and even desserts like roasted apples with caramel and Advocaat. The folk decor is typical of the brand with emphasis here on antiquated kitchen knickknacks and utensils recreating a pre-electric village eatery. Also at ul. Szpitalna 40 (I-2).
[...]



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ul. Św. Tomasza 8

tel. (+48) 12 428 00 22

Open 12:00-23:00
Poland in a nutshell. Join legions of happy locals tucking into the legendary pierogi served with no fuss, no formality by an unsmiling lady from behind a counter. It is a long way from fine dining but for a quintessential Kraków experience there are few better places to come. The three tiny t [...]



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ul. Sławkowska 32

tel. (+48) 12 422 74 95

Open 24 hrs.