Polish Restaurants in Krakow

Polish food hasn’t exactly set the culinary world alight in the way that French, Italian or Japanese food has, but its solid, filling and delicious dishes are of course extremely well represented in Krakow and worth exploring.

Polish cooking is hearty and revolves around some very common soups, main courses and puddings that are found all around the country, as well as some regional specialities. Needless to say the quality varies a lot depending on where you choose to eat, but price is not always a good indicator of the standard of food you can expect to be served. Poland, for example, has a lot of rather cheap milk bars (bar mleczny) serving simple food at student prices, but don't be put off by the lack of decor or waiter service - the food can often be very good indeed, the huge turnover in visitors meaning that almost always the food is fresh and tasty. Mid-range restaurants offering Polish food in Krakow are catering to both tourists and locals, so there is a wide range in quality, and here are where reviews from previous diners will come in most helpful. The top end Polish restaurants are generally extremely good, and there is not too much worry on that front as far as quality is concerned. But back to the food itself. You can read a lot more about Polish food itself on this article, but here are the main dishes to look out for:

Soups

Rosół, Barszcz and Żurek are the mainstays. Rosół is a soup broth or consommé mostly made from chicken, but can also be made from other poultry. It is a clear and delicious soup, often served with thin pasta (nitki). Like all soups, it can be a meal in itself or the start of a more extensive feast. Barszcz is beetroot soup similar to the German borscht. Again, it is clear and slightly sour, and can be served with tiny dumplings inside (z kołdunkami), especially at Christmas. The other most important soup is żurek, a sour rye soup made from demented flour and seasoning, and often served with hard boiled egg and small pieces of white sausage. Delicious!

Main courses

Polish dumplings (pierogi) are probably the main food that has international recognition, and on a day to day basis in Poland are joined by pork cutlets (kotlet schabowy) and probably potato cakes (placki ziemniaczane) as the most often eaten. All main courses are often served with a side portion of grated raw vegetables (surówki) which are more tasty than they sound. Almost everything is served with pickled cabbage (kapusta kiszona) and pickled cucumbers (ogórki kiszone), which are not to be missed.

Puddings

Cheesecake and apple pie are the staples here. In fact the famous ‘New York’ cheesecake is in fact of Polish origin, having been brought over to the States by Polish emigrants. Try to the real thing here in Krakow! Apple pie (szarlotka) is hugely popular with coffee in the many delicatessens and cake shops around the city. Smacznego!