Restaurants in Kraków
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Chłopskie Jadło
Old Town (012 429 5157; ul Św Jana 3) This place, a short walk south of Wawel, looks like a rustic country inn somewhere at the crossroads in medieval Poland, and serves up traditional Polish ‘peasant grub’ (as its name says). Live folk music is performed here on Friday and Saturday, and seating in antique sleighs adds to the rustic atmosphere. We love the żurek (sour rye) soup in a bread loaf.
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Gruzińskie Chaczapuri
Gruzińskie Chaczapuri ul Floriańska (ul Floriańska 26) ul Grodzka (ul Grodzka 3) If you have a hankering for something a little different, this cheap and cheerful chain of Georgian restaurants with five branches in Kraków serves up grills, salads and steaks and, the house speciality: cheese pie.
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With Fire & Sword
Named after the historical novel by Henry Sienkiewicz, this dark, atmospheric restaurant re-creates the Poland of yesteryear. The wood interior is made even more rustic with animal pelts and a roaring fire. The menu features well-researched old-time recipes, such as the succulent roasted pig that comes stuffed with fruit.
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Jama Michalika
Established in 1895, Jama Michalika is famous as the birthplace of the Młoda Polska movement - a hang-out for writers, painters and other creative types in the days of yore. The grand Art Nouveau interior has historic appeal, but the bored staff do not offer much in the here and now.
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Bagel Mama
How clever of someone to think of selling bagels in the Jewish quarter. Whether you are a bagel traditionalist (lox and cream cheese) or a bagel innovator (warm brie and tomato), you'll find something you like. For some reason, there are also burritos on the menu.
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Café Alef
A number of restaurants in and around ul Szeroka offer Jewish-inspired dishes such as czulent (bean casserole with beef and vegetables), knyshe (aka knish, a dumpling with the filling of potato, ground meat, sauerkraut, onions or buckwheat groats) and stuffed gooseneck. Café Alef also features live klezmer music nightly at about 20:00.
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Restauracja Stylowa
If you thought you backtracked about 20 years when you arrived in Nowa Huta, the ‘stylish’ Restauracja Stylowa will confirm it. This local legend on the central square was the suburb’s most elegant eatery, and it probably still is. Ladies with variously coloured hair will bring you delicious soups and filling pierogi (dumplings) for pennies.
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Casa della Pizza
As the name would suggest, this is an amenable and unpretentious place in the Little Sq, away from the bulk of the tourist traffic. It has a very long menu of pizza and pasta dishes and a lovely terrace with perfect views of the Mariacki towers. The downstairs bar section is the Arabian-styled Shisha Club (www.shisha.pl), serving Middle Eastern food.
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Paese
The name hints at it but the Moor’s head with a bandana confirms it: this is a Corsican, not a French restaurant. The thatched-cottage décor is comfortable and the dishes – duck in lavender sauce, veal with rosemary, saddle of venison – well chosen and redolent of the maquis. Fish and vegetarian options are also on the menu.
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Metropolitan
Attached to the Hotel Saski, the Metropolitan is a snazzy fusion restaurant with a distressed Mediterranean look to it. It has nostalgic B&W photos of international locales plastering the walls and is a great place for breakfast. It also serves pasta, grills and steaks, and more ambitious things like honey and orange roasted duck leg.
reviewed
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Wentzl
Dating back to 1792, this historic eatery is perched above the main market square. With timbered ceilings above, Oriental carpets below and fine oil paintings all around, it is certainly a spectacular setting to feast on haute cuisine such as foie gras, chanterelles in cream, and duck marinated in żubrówka (bison grass vodka).
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Kuchnia I Wino
The name, 'Cuisine and Wine', may not suggest this bistro has a lot of imagination, however, the delightfully inspired Mediterranean menu is unusual in Kraków, featuring handmade pasta and fresh seafood. It's hard to resist the lovely garden setting, while the interior, with its sky-painted ceiling and Tuscan tones, is also inviting.
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Dynia
While Dynia's interior is chic - with leather furniture and avant-garde floral arrangements - it is the gorgeous, green courtyard that is so enticing. Crumbling brick walls surround the fern-filled space, evoking an atmosphere of elegance amid decay. The menu is a modern European mix, with a few low-cal options on the 'fitness menu'.
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Nowa Prowincja
Gotta love this bi-level bohemian cafe, where Kraków's coolest cats come to drink strong coffee, smoke cigarettes and think deep thoughts. The original Prowincja (next door) still has hole-in-the-wall appeal, but head to the more spacious new outlet to order substantial food or sit at an old-fashioned school desk on the pavement.
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Café Manggha
Tucked inside the Manggha Centre of Japanese Art & Technology, this airy cafe claims to serve the best sushi in town, which is no doubt correct given the scant competition here. The food is authentic, though, and there's also a big choice of Japanese teas. From the outdoor terrace you can enjoy great views of Wawel Castle.
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Dawno Temu Na Kazimierzu
As you approach this restaurant from ul Miodowa, you'll see signs from yesteryear: Chajim Kohan's General Store, Szymon Kac Tailor, Nowak Grocery. The shop windows still display the goods from times gone by. Inside, the quaint restaurant serves decent Polish-Jewish food, though you're really coming for the historic atmosphere.
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Klezmer-Hois
More than any other restaurant, Klezmer-Hois evokes pre-war Kazimierz, with its tables covered in lace, and artwork inspired by the shtetl (Jewish town). Warm up with a bowl of delicious soup invented by Yankiel the Innkeeper of Berdytchov. In the evenings, folks gather for concerts of traditional Jewish music (8pm).
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Momo Bar
Vegans will cross the doorstep of this restaurant with relief - the majority of the menu items are completely animal-free. The space is decorated with Indian craft pieces, and serves up subcontinental soups, stuffed pancakes and rice dishes, with a great range of cakes. Go for the namesake momos (Tibetan dumplings).
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Arka Noego
Arka Noego (Noah's Ark) provides the typical Kazimierz eating experience, with lacy tablecloths, candles, a scattering of antiques and a vaguely Jewish-inspired menu. Dumplings, fish and turkey are offered, along with a big drinks list, including kosher vodka. There's live music most evenings for an extra charge.
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Nostalgia
A refined version of the traditional Polish eatery, Nostalgia features a fireplace, overhead timber beams, uncrowded tables and courteous service. Wrap yourself around Russian dumplings, pork loins in green pepper sauce, or veggie options such as potato pancakes. In warm weather there’s an outdoor dining area.
reviewed
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Farina
We don't often advise ordering seafood so far inland, but let Farina be the exception to that rule. Your server will bring over a cart showing off the creatures that are flown in from the coast, not to mention fresh flaky pike-perch from local rivers. Also on offer: homemade pasta and more traditional Polish fare.
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Młynek Café
This vegetarian cafe is the perfect pit stop on the 'other' side of Kazimierz. It offers delectable, animal-free soups and sandwiches; occasional concerts, poetry readings and art exhibits; a collection of typewriters and coffee grinders to admire; and outdoor seating overlooking the square. What's not to like?
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U Babci Maliny
U Babci Maliny ul Sławkowska (012 422 7601; ul Sławkowska 17) ‘At Granny Raspberry’s’ is a godsend for travellers on a budget, with hearty Polish staples at giveaway prices served in an overwrought boudoir-like basement eatery. Love the boas and the chandelier.
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Grill 15/16
The summer courtyard garden at this busy restaurant provides an attractive atmosphere for enjoying the grilled meat, steaks and fish served here. Dishes include fresh trout roasted over volcanic lava rocks, venison and T-bone steaks and salads. There's also a small children's menu and good vegetarian options.
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Orient Ekspres
Hercule Poirot might be surprised to find this elegant eatery here, well off the route of its railway namesake. The food is a mix of international dishes, served with wine by the glass. Mellow music, candlelight and the choo-choo-train theme make it a good place for a romantic tête-à-tête.
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