18 Delicious Foodie Spots to Visit in Kraków, Poland

Boy, am I glad the food in Poland was cheap, because we ate out for literally every meal during my two week stay. Not an exaggeration–our apartment had a tiny fridge (like, way smaller than a standard mini fridge), two burners, and pans that didn’t work. Definitely not the ideal situation for three people, but luckily we were able to afford dining out multiple times a day, even on a budget!

The variety and quality of the food in Kraków was a truly pleasant surprise. I knew almost nothing about the city, and vaguely knew of some Polish foods before I visited, but we were spoiled for choice there. Delicious traditional foods, plus pretty much anything else you could think of: pizza, salads, spring rolls, pasta, quesadillas, cakes and pastries, bao buns, French fries, Dutch babies, gelato… we cover it all in this blog post! The easiest way for me to love a city is to have amazing food there, and my two weeks in Poland was filled with some truly awesome meals–here’s a collection of all my favorites!

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1. Mazaya Vegan and Vegetarian

Our first meal in Kraków was at Mazaya, a Mediterranean restaurant right near our apartment. It was late, we were starving, and it looked like a calmer refuge after a long travel day than the crowded, noisy bar next door. They had tons of different plate options, and it was all made fresh! Nothing like a yummy plate of falafel and hummus to end a tiring day of travel.

STANDOUTS:

Falafel & hummus

2. Tres Amigos (Forum Przestrzenie)

We ventured over to the river one day to find a huge indoor/outdoor food hall, with tons of restaurants inside and lawn chairs galore outside by the riverwalk. We grabbed some quesadillas and a Mojito pitcher and sat outside for a while, enjoying our meals and people watching on a lovely, sunny afternoon. It was insanely crowded, but if you get there early or go during a slower season, it should be even more enjoyable!

STANDOUTS:

Quesadillas

3. Frytki Belgijskie

I will get French fries anywhere and anytime, so when Liv asked if I would mind stopping for some on our way home one night, I was overjoyed. Seriously, I am never not thinking about fries. These ones were actually Belgian fries, and they were phenomenal; super crisp on the outside and insanely fluffy on the inside, and the sun-dried tomato sauce I paired them with might actually be the best dipping sauce I’ve ever had. They have locations all around the city, so if you see one, stop in!

STANDOUTS:

Belgian fries with sun-dried tomato & basil sauce

4. Frankie's

Frankie’s is a great little spot to grab a salad or healthy bowl for lunch, and we did so a couple times in Kraków. They have juices, shakes, power bowls, wraps, salads… need I say more? This chicken salad was delicious, though it did take an extremely long time for it to be ready–Liv and Nijal were already done with their food by the time I got mine. Despite that, it was great and I would definitely recommend!

STANDOUTS:

Chicken salad with pesto sauce

5. Miso Place

I always get excited when I can find a place to get bao buns, especially while traveling to new countries so often, so I was stoked to find them on the menu here. Honestly, the buns could have been a bit fluffier, but the chicken was delicious! Super crispy and moist, with tons of sauce. I didn’t realize that the cheesecake was vegan, though, so it definitely did not taste like I was expecting it to. The chocolate was bland and the cake crumbs were a little stale. I’d probably give it a 4/10.

STANDOUTS:

Glazed chicken bao

6. Grani Coffee

Grani was a great little breakfast spot within close walking distance of our apartment, and I’m sad that I only went once. It was my first Dutch baby experience, and my standard has been set pretty high! It was warm, fluffy, and delicious, topped with fresh berries and homemade cream. Their entire menu looked amazing, too, offering shakshuka, waffles, Spanish breakfasts, open burgers and more. They made a great cappuccino, too!

STANDOUTS:

Dutch baby

7. Mirror Bistro

I’m sure you can’t really go wrong getting pierogi anywhere in Kraków, but Mirror Bistro is 100% doing it right! I’d never had pierogi before, and this was probably one of my favorite food experiences I’ve had while traveling in general. We got to mix and match different flavors with each plate, so we got to try tons of savory and sweet options at once. The handmade pottery was gorgeous, and there were little souvenir magnets shaped like pierogi that you could buy all over the walls. 10/10 experience, would recommend time and time again!

STANDOUTS:

Italian raspberry (raspberry, mascarpone, cottage, vanilla)
Ukrainian classics (potatoes, cottage cheese, onion)
Greek greens (feta, spinach, garlic)
Kraków style (potatoes, Polish sausage, bacon, onion)
Japanese cake (poppy seed, dried fruit, apple, lemon)
Sweet cherry (slightly sweetened sour cherry)

8. Pijana Wiśnia

Walking to the Old Town, we stopped into a Pijana Wisnia shop for a drink. Liv and Nijal had tried this alcohol while they were in Prague and highly recommended it, and now I totally agree! It’s a Ukrainian cherry liqueur that’s best served warm, though I think ours was just room temp since it was April. Regardless, it was deliciously sour and sweet, and made for a really yummy stop on our walk.

STANDOUTS:

Pijana wiśnia

9. Pizzatopia

Even in a beautiful, unique city like Kraków, sometimes you just crave a big, greasy, carby pizza filled with even more carbs. Enter, this pizza from Pizzatopia. Smothered in garlic sauce and covered in bacon and potatoes, it truly hit the spot after a long day at the co-working space. It might not have been the best choice to eat right before getting ice cream, but in the moment it just felt right. No regrets.

STANDOUTS:

“In the Field” - garlic sauce, blue cheese, smoked bacon, potatoes, basil, olive oil

10. Good Lood

Definitely a bit of a walk outside the city, but Good Lood was, in fact, very good. We were looking for something sweet late one afternoon, and there was literally nothing open except for this ice cream shop, so we trekked out to it and realized tons of other people had the same idea. The line was pretty long so we waited a bit, and by the time we got to the front, a lot of the flavors were sold out. I’m not usually a caramel girly, but I was honestly surprised by how much I loved it! Truly hit the spot after a long walk, and luckily there was a tram right down the road that we took home.

STANDOUTS:

Caramel & pink Himalayan salt ice cream

11. Kolanko No 6

I don’t normally crave salads, but when I do, it’s this one. I don’t know if it was the long walk beforehand, or the sun beating down on us all afternoon, but this salad was just so damn good. Piled high with grilled chicken and bacon, topped off with fresh veggies, and a drizzle of garlic and herb dressing? Chef’s kiss. And it was only like $7 USD. Also, all salad should be served with half a baguette.

STANDOUTS:

Chicken & bacon salad

12. La Baguette

I’m so so glad we popped into this quaint little bakery one day on a whim! La Baguette had an incredible selection of tarts, pies, cakes, you name it. They had preserves and juices too, but you know I only had eyes for the sugar overload in the window case (wouldn’t you?). I went with a raspberry passionfruit tart and a slice of Basque cheesecake, and both were great. I liked the tart more, but that’s just because I always lean more fruity.

STANDOUTS:

Raspberry passionfruit tart
Basque cheesecake

13. Wręga

There are always gonna be nights where you can’t decide what to eat while traveling, and one of those nights ended up with us at Wręga at 10:00pm. In our defense, we could not get a table anywhere to save our lives, and after probably an hour of wandering aimlessly around, we popped into this inconspicuous spot and actually had a decent meal! Though, a pornstar martini usually does the trick no matter where you are. The tomatoes seemed a bit out of place in this tagliatelle dish, but overall it was yummy.

STANDOUTS:

Tagliatelle special

14. Wietnam

We stopped into Wietnam on our way home one afternoon and it was the perfect spot for a quick bite! I wasn’t super hungry so I just got their pork spring rolls, and they were just enough without being too filling. We also tried their mango sticky rice, but I didn’t get a picture. It also wasn’t very memorable, so it’s fine. The spring rolls, though–definitely recommend.

STANDOUTS:

Fried pork spring rolls

15. Yolk Cafe

When we were forced to find a co-working space after finding out our Airbnb had no working wifi (a story for another day), we became members at Yolk, and they happened to be opening up a cafe the week we joined! It was a great little spot to grab a coffee or pastry before starting our work for the day, or to take a treat home after working. My favorite was this cinnamon twist–super flavorful, warm, and fluffy!

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