Jama Michalika

A literary lair with good food and decent atmosphere

Food

Service

Atmosphere

At Jama Michalika, you pay for the atmosphere of legend: as any artsy local (and the front page of the menu) will tell you, the café is the old haunt of literary greats. The restaurant boasts its prominence as a creative haven and meeting place of some of Poland’s foremost writers, dramatists, journalists, and satirists, and this has its charm and undeniable appeal. But the green walls and dramatic décor border on kitschy, the service is languid, and the menu bears price tags a bit higher than in comparable Krakow eateries. Nonetheless, the menu is extensive and features a vast array of borschts and soups, Polish crepes, and a selection of meat and poultry dishes including rarer items such as rabbit, quail and pheasant. A tea and coffee menu takes up a couple of pages, presenting you with myriad options about additions to your hot drink (jam, honey, whipped cream, regular cream, rum, cognac, advocaat) to complement your selection from a long list of authentic Polish pastries. The food here is tasty and the portions are not lacking, and Jama Michalika is worth a trip for its history and as a tourist stop. But if show-stopping Polish food or desserts are what you’re looking for, you’re better off somewhere else, where the waiters are keener and the coffee is cheaper.