Pierogi & beyond: Food in Krakow for first-timers.

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What comes to your mind when you think of food in Krakow or Polish cuisine in general? Pasta lover that I am, my mind didn’t go further than pierogi, to be honest. But of course, I have heard the rumors. Rumors about how good Polish food was, how diverse, and how much more than just pierogi. 

I realized that it was high time for me to forego the Far East and just head a little east to see what it was all about. With that, I was grateful when Poland Travel invited me to Krakow to discover the city’s culinary treasures. Not one to say no when asked to eat my way around a city, I was more than keen to put on my comfy pants and jump on a plane. 

If you are keen to, follow along to discover some of the best food in Krakow with me.

KRAKOW ITINERARY: DRAGONS, DUMPLINGS & EVERYTHING YOU SHOULDN’T MISS.

Food in Krakow – What to eat and where to find it

Food in Krakow is a delicious mix of contrasts—humble countryside fare meets refined dishes once reserved for nobility. If you’re wondering what to eat in Krakow, expect hearty traditions and innovative touches. One thing is clear: the city does a great job of feeding you well—often too well.

Polish cuisine as a whole draws from its complex history. Over centuries, it absorbed flavors from neighboring regions, added a spin, and made it their own. With that said, here is a disclaimer: if I write about food in Krakow or Polish food, I am well aware that a dish might not have originated here or it might have more than one country that claims it as a specialty (looking at you, goulash!). 

With that out of the way, I won’t call it Krakow food but rather food you can eat in Krakow (and maybe some other places too). 

So what’s on the menu? 

Let’s start with pierogi, because yes, they’re worth the hype and deserve their own chapter. I love how so many cuisines have a version of a dumpling – it just shows that it is a universally acclaimed great idea. 

My first encounter with a pierogi takes me back to my childhood when my mother’s Polish friend brought us a plate of homemade pierogi with strawberries. I was excited. What was not to love? Pierogi were basically ravioli and strawberries were one of my favorite fruits. One bite later and I realized that I was confused: the dumpling dough with sweet filling just made no sense to my little taste buds. 

Now 30-something years later and I was keen to give them another try. How that turned out, read on… But in general, I made it my mission to eat as many pierogi as possible while I was in Krakow. And luckily these half-moon dumplings are everywhere. You’ll find classic fillings like potato and cheese (ruskie), minced meat, or sauerkraut and mushrooms. But you’ll also stumble on more modern versions with spinach and duck, and you can even find them in many supermarkets to heat up at home. 

More of the best food in Krakow:

Obwarzanek – Anything bread is huge in Krakow but obwarzanek probably takes the cake. You will see vendors on every street corner selling these bagel-like rings topped with sesame or poppy seeds. They are very similar to simits in Turkey and make for the perfect breakfast to-go or snack in between. 

Barszcz czerwony or borscht – A beetroot soup, here usually served as a clear consume and absolutely delicious. 

Bigos – This is often considered the national dish of Poland and is also known as a hunter’s stew. In goes everything that is available for slow cooking: various types of meat, sauerkraut and cabbage, maybe some wine. As far as I have learned there is no one recipe for bigos, everyone has their own version. 

Żurek – This is the most famous soup in Poland. It is a sour rye soup often served with boiled eggs and/or sausage. It is often shown in a bread bowl but in most restaurants these days you won’t be able to eat your zurek bowl as it is simply served in a ceramic bowl. 

Zapiekanka – Am I allowed to call it Poland’s version of a pizza? I might just do that but it is basically an open-faced baguette with melted cheese and many toppings, and one of the best street food in Poland.

Placek po zbójnicku – A crispy potato pancake served with either mushroom sauce or goulash. 

Maczanka krakowska – Another famous Krakow street food which is basically a pulled pork sandwich. 

Krakow food tour

Obviously, you can just eat yourself through the city on your own or you can hire an expert who will show you the best of Krakow food. I did just that with Tomasz from VeloWino, an enthusiastic foodie and Polish wine connoisseur. 

During a tour with him, you will not only learn about the history of Polish food but also eat. A lot. According to Tomasz, a golden rule of Polish hosts is to serve enough food to make a table collapse. Let’s just say that your trip to Krakow is not the time to be on a diet. 

I did a private tour with Tomasz to visit the oldest Krakow food market, Stary Kleparz. As you may know, I love food markets and how they are so different and so similar at the same time in different countries. And how you can often find fresh veggies next to kids’ pajamas. 

Before we got to the market we had gotten some obwarzanek and at the market we bought cheese to go with them. On the menu was bundz, a soft sheep cheese with fenugreek and black cumin from the Carpathians south of Krakow, and, my new favorite, oscypek, a smokey hard cheeses. 

We also got some kabanos sausages, a great snack with beer (or as a hangover cure), or just to munch on as a second breakfast. 

There are also a couple of little trailers that sell all sorts of street food as well as premade meals to take home. This is the perfect spot to have a typical placek po zbójnicku – a potato pancake with goulash. And in my case: a pierogi z truskawkami, yes, the infamous strawberry dumpling. I was hoping for a great redemption arch but to be honest, while I can eat dumplings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the sweet filling is just not for me. Still, I tried… 

Book a guided Krakow wine bar tour with Tomasz

Drinking wine in Krakow

Polish wine? Chances are you have never heard of that. No worries, because I hadn’t either. So when I arrived in Krakow and was told – you are going wine tasting – I was excited and a bit concerned at the same time. Having just returned from Cape Town and its treasures in a glass I was wondering if I would have to fake my enthusiasm. 

Luckily I was in for a pleasant surprise. 

The wine-making industry in Poland is a young one, barely 30 years old. Tomasz has an interesting article about it on his website. Its history is forged by wars, communism, chilly climate, and resilience as well as a bit of global warming. But by now there are around 400 vineyards in Poland with some excellent wines like Pinot Noir or Solaris, orange wine, and even sparkling that can easily hold up to some big names. 

Many restaurants in Krakow proudly carry Polish wines, there are plenty of cozy wine bars, and of course, you can book a tour with Tomasz to go on an extended wine tasting tour in Poland. 

If you want to keep it simple I recommend you head to the Dzikie Wino wine bar at the end of the Stary Kleparz. Whatever you order please have a glass of the sparkling rose from Smolis vineyard – it is delicious. Maybe go for a bottle. 

Best places to eat in Krakow

So where to find all these amazing morsels? Honestly, a week is obviously not enough to eat my way through a city properly or even declare my favorite Polish restaurant in Krakow, but I tried my best and gave it a shot. 

Here are the restaurants I visited that I can highly recommend if you are heading to Krakow. 

Tip: Lunch seems to be a late affair in Krakow and I saw many restaurants plenty busy around 3 pm. If you are heading to a popular spot in the evening, reservations are definitely recommended. I usually got in somehow as I was dining solo but if you are not, booking a table even a few hours in advance will help. 

Farina // If you are looking for an elegant restaurant in the old town with a focus on fish, Farina is your place to go. It is located just around the corner from the Czartoryski-Museum so perfect for lunch after sightseeing. 

While the star is definitely fish you will find meat dishes as well though to be honest, vegetarians won’t have much choice. Start with a White Truffle & Pear Martini or dive right in (yes, pun intended) and get the best of two worlds with a Vodka & Oyster cocktail.

Afterward, start with a fish soup or a tuna tartare, or head straight for the mussels. Alternatively, there are various seafood and fish available – they serve both whole fish as well as fillets. If you hadn’t had your fill of pierogi for the day, you may have to go without at Farina, but the black tortellini with salmon make more than up for it. 

Szara Gęś w Kuchni Restaurant // Szara Gęś means Grey Goose which explains both the menu as well as some of the decor. The restaurant is right by the main square in the old town, located in a historic building that used to be a bookshop. 

If you can’t wait for the yearly Christmas goose, this place is for you, because it tends to be Christmas every day at Szara Gęś. That said, even if you are not a fan, there will be something for you on the menu: lots of fish and vegetarian options are available as well.

I had my first borscht here – a lovely consume of beets with a goose croquette that was so morish. After, I went for Polish potato dumplings with porcini, Jerusalem artichoke, and truffles. Unlike regular pierogi these resembled really light fluffy gnocchi. 

Szara Gęś is also great if you are keen to try some fancy herring and crave a whimsical desert, aptly named Grey Goose. 

Karakter // If you are asking yourself where to eat in Krakow that offers a modern touch, then head to Karakter in Kazimierz. It has all the makings of a modern bistro with an atmosphere and great staff to match. 

What can you eat? I would describe the dishes as unusual, modern Polish. There are definitely some more interesting concoctions on the menu like a donut with breaded pork shank, fried capers, horseradish creme, and mustard icing. Or tartare with smoked tuna and a pear and parmesan puree. 

There is even a section on the menu called ‘Back to the future’ where things get even more wacky but in a really good way. That said, this was one of the Krakow restaurants that had quite a few dishes with horse meat on the menu (you can choose between beef, horse, or ostrich for your tartare for example). It is what it is but just be aware that this is a thing in Krakow.

Make sure to speak to the lovely sommelier, because next to great cocktails like a Potato Sour, they have a lot of interesting wines on the menu including a good Polish selection. 

Kapłony i Szczeżuje // If you are especially interested not just in Polish food but the cuisine of Polish Jews head to Kapłony i Szczeżuje in Kazimierz. I finally ate my first Polish herring here. They have a few versions and I went for szuba which is smoked herring with beetroot, apples, herb mayonnaise, and egg yolk. If you are not sure herring is your thing, this is a great dish as it is not too fishy. 

I also had a lovely plate of pierogi with potato filling, cream, and herring roe. They also have a more interesting take with foie gras and roe deer meat but I wasn’t in the mood for too many experiments. 

That said, if you are in the mood for something unusual this is the place for you as they are giving new life to old Polish recipes. These include delicacies like duck tongues, veal brain on toast, goosenecks, and roasted bone marrow. And of course, traditional Jewish specialties like gefilte fish. 

In addition, a great selection of Polish and natural wines even by the glass. 

Smakołyki // I went to Smakołyki which was probably my favorite restaurant in Krakow. I love places that take traditional food and put it in a modern context, and Smakołyki does that really well. 

The atmosphere in the historic building could be cold considering the huge windows and high ceilings but luckily they found a good lighting and interior designer and there is a live pianist in the evenings. Plus the staff is just so kind and fun. 

So what’s on the menu? All the Polish classics: pierogi, goulash, schnitzel aka pork chop fried in lard, borscht, zurek… I went for the beef tartare with egg and anchovies, capers, and pickle and because trying everything is part of my job I had the pork chop afterward. One of the best I have had in a long time – get the chanterelle sauce to go with it! 

An added bonus: they have some great cocktails, including a matcha-vodka concoction – needless to say this little matcha-lover had a couple. 

Okrąglak // The nice thing about eating in Krakow is that there are open-air food courts everywhere. If you are staying in the Jewish area, Okrąglak is a great place for Polish street food like zapiekanka. 

Okrąglak is a round building, formerly a kosher slaughterhouse, and now a sort of kiosk for what many consider the best zapiekanka in town. Zapiekanka is kind of like a pizza but not like a pizza. But there will be cheese, usually mushrooms, some sort of meat, and sauces – the options are pretty neverending.

While I can’t vouch whether it is the best in town, the line was pretty long when I arrived. Too long in fact and so I did what the lazy modern traveler does – I went back to my hotel and ordered my zapiekanka with Uber Eats. Don’t judge – I had just climbed 800 steps in the salt mine that day… 

Tip: Chances are you won’t need much cash in Krakow. In fact, I never got any and paid for all my food with my credit card. You can even get obwarzanek which cost only a few zloty and pay it with your card at most vendors. 

This article was written in cooperation with the Polish Tourist Office in Berlin and its partners. You can find more information about traveling to Poland at www.poland.travel. To get more tips about Krakow, visit www.krakowheritage.com. Read more about the Malopolska region at www.visitmalopolska.pl.

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