7 Must Have Food Experiences in Krakow, Poland
Krakow is home to delicious street food, a wide variety of vegan restaurants, fun quirky dining experiences and of course, pierogi!
But it’s not just the food, be sure to check out the drinks here. The city’s nightlife is exciting with loads of inexpensive bars. With interesting local craft beers, swanky cocktail menus or techno nightclubs- there’s plenty to sip on.
Whatever your dining preferences, Krakow definitely has you covered.
After living in Poland for 6 weeks, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite and most memorable dining experiences so you can enjoy all the city has to offer.
Read: THE COMPLETE TRAVEL GUIDE TO POLAND
1. Krakow’s Hidden Bar
Looking for an intriguing night out? Krakow has a fantastic “word of mouth” hidden bar. A local tipped us off on a free walking tour we joined. In an old billiard’s bar, he said we would find an “out of service” bathroom. Intrigued, we went that evening in search of the mystery bar.
Sure enough, after searching around we found the bathroom door marked “out of service.”
Want to visit this secret bar yourself?
Head through the door and you’ll find yourself in a dirty, worn down bathroom…. But if you look closely, you might just notice how one section of the mirrored wall is actually a door…
Push through the mirror and you’ll find yourself in a swanky cocktail bar!
Neon lights and a up scale, unique drink menu make “Z ust do ust” a must see place in Krakow!
Location: Estery 18, 33-332 Krakow
2. Zapiekanka in the Jewish Quarter
All of the street food in the Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, is fantastic. Incredibly cheap, massive portions and full of flavor- there is a lot of great dishes to try! But you cannot come to Krakow without trying Zapiekanka.
Zapiekanka is a huge open faced sandwich made of half of a baguette topped with all sorts of sauces and toppings!
Typically with mushroom and cheese, the massive Zapiekanka is served hot and only costs around 9-12ztl. That’s only $2 or $3. I recommend adding jalapenos, salami, fried onions and lots of delicious sauces.
Location: plac Nowy 4B, 31-056 Kraków, Poland
3. Unique Candy-Sugar Foods at Mr. Pancake & The Pizza Boys
Prepare for sugar overload at this cheeky dive restaurant.
Snickers pancakes, cotton candy glitter champagne, Cheeto pizzas- Mr. Pancake has the best menu of fun, quirky (and horribly unhealthy!) concoctions!
Prepare to stray from your diet in this haven of caloric celebration. Paying homage to American overindulgence, this menu is full of delectably sinful treats not usually found in Poland – Fruit Loops, Marshmellow Fluff, candy floss and so much more!
Check out the patio during the summer or the porch with colorful blankets and heaters for winter time!
Location: Dolnych Młynów 10/1b, 31-124 Kraków
4. Hot Polish Donuts
Served hot and fresh this donut shop serves warm, yummy donuts filled and topped with a wide variety of tasty flavors. Chocolate raspberry is my go to! Located just off the main town square on Szewska, it’s just a short walk once you’re in the heart of Old Town.
I’ve tried hot Polish donuts in Warsaw and Zakopane but none of them were nearly as good as this location in Krakow!
Location: Szewska 25, 31-009 Kraków
5. Oscypek: Traditional Polish Smoked Cheese
What looks like bread is actually intricately designed smoked cheese.
Oscypek is made of salted sheep milk exclusively in the Tatra Mountain region of Poland. This delicious (and beautiful!) cheese is made by experts known as bacas. Often paired with cranberry sauce, Osypek can be served hot off the grill or purchased and taken home to heat up later. It’s also excellent cold!
The cheese is dense and “squeaks” with every bite!
You can frequently buy a small serving for the equivalence of $1- so cheap!
You can find this fancy cheese all over in Krakow or Warsaw but my favorite place is located on Szewska off the main square near the Hot Polish Donut shop.
6. Late Night 24 Hour Pierogi
Krakow is known for it’s bustling nightlife. With tons of bars and nightclubs lining the streets in Old Town, people are often looking for a late night, after bar close snack!
This cosy 24 hour pierogi shop is the perfect solution for polish food at ANY hour of the day or night.
I recommend the mix of traditional pieorgi so you can sample all the flavors! The meat and the classic potato with cottage cheese are my personal favorites though.
Location: Sławkowska 32, 31-015 Kraków
7. Krowarzywa Vegan Burger
I don’t follow a vegan diet and I’m STILL obsessed with this place!
Massive portions of great health food will have you feeling full but not weighed down after eating here. It’s all 100% vegan and 100% tasty.
The burgers and wraps are delicious. Wash it all down with a vegan smoothie and you’ll feel energized after such a treat to your body. Don’t believe me? Check out the reviews on this place, people absolutely rave about it! I ate lunch at Krowarzywa and came back again the next day 🙂
Location: Sławkowska 8, 31-014 Kraków, Poland
If you check out any of these spots, tag me in an Instagram story or post so I can reshare you on my page 🙂 Enjoy Poland!
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Wow this all looks incredible, I didn’t see any of these when I was in Krakow! That speakeasy bar looks sooo cool! WIll have to spend longer next time to sample some of the food 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Sophie x
We searched for the hidden bar last night and found out it closed during Covid. It’s now a restaurant and disco but about 5 minutes away there is another secret bar; William Rabbit & Co.
Oh I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t make it through covid… thank you so much for the update & I hope you had a great night regardless!