Food · Kraków · Poland
What to eat in Kraków
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Kraków, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Pierogi, Obwarzanek krakowski and Zapiekanka. Bar mleczny canteens, a survivor of the communist era, serve soups, pierogi and cutlets at very low prices; order at the counter and collect when your dish is called. Prices on the Main Square are noticeably higher; eat a street or two away or in Kazimierz for better value.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Pierogi
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 8
- Tipping
- About 10% is usual in sit-down restaurants for good service; check whether a service…
- Food experiences
- 4
11 foods to try
Dish · Vegetarian
1.Pierogi
Half-moon dumplings boiled or fried, filled with potato and twaróg cheese (ruskie), meat, sauerkraut and mushroom, or sweet fruit in summer, and topped with fried onion or soured cream.
Where: Milk bars and pierogi restaurants across the Old Town and Kazimierz; order a mixed plate to try several fillings.
Bakery · Vegetarian
2.Obwarzanek krakowski
Kraków's braided ring bread, boiled before baking and topped with poppy seeds, sesame or salt. It has EU protected geographical status and is sold from blue street carts.
Where: Street carts on almost every Old Town corner, especially in the morning when they are freshest.
Street food · Vegetarian
3.Zapiekanka
A long open-faced baguette topped with mushrooms and melted cheese, then ketchup or other toppings; a cheap late-night favourite since communist times.
Where: The hatches around the round market hall (Okrąglak) on Plac Nowy in Kazimierz, open late.
Dish
4.Żurek
Sour rye soup made from fermented flour, with white sausage, potatoes and a boiled egg, often served inside a hollowed bread loaf.
Where: Traditional Polish restaurants and milk bars across the city.
Snack · Vegetarian
5.Oscypek
A smoked sheep's-milk cheese from the Tatra highlands, pressed in decorated wooden moulds and often grilled and served with cranberry jam.
Where: Street stalls on the Main Square and at Christmas markets, and highland-style restaurants.
Street food
6.Grilled kiełbasa
Thick Polish sausage grilled over charcoal and served with mustard and bread, a classic evening snack.
Where: The sausage vans by the Hala Targowa market hall in the evening, and food stalls at markets and festivals.
Dish
7.Bigos
Hunter's stew of sauerkraut and fresh cabbage slow-cooked with several kinds of meat, sausage, mushrooms and prunes, often better the next day.
Where: Traditional restaurants and milk bars, and Christmas market stalls in winter.
Dish · Vegetarian
8.Barszcz with uszka
Clear, ruby-red beetroot soup served with tiny mushroom-filled dumplings called uszka (little ears); a staple of Christmas Eve but available all year.
Where: Polish restaurants and milk bars across the city.
Dessert · Vegetarian
9.Kremówka
Two layers of puff pastry filled with thick vanilla cream, made famous when Pope John Paul II recalled eating it in his home town of Wadowice.
Where: Cafés and patisseries in Kraków, and especially in Wadowice.
Dessert · Vegetarian
10.Pączki
Round, rich doughnuts filled with rose jam or custard and glazed or dusted with sugar; queues stretch out of bakeries on Fat Thursday before Lent.
Where: Bakeries and cake shops all over the city.
Drink · Vegetarian
11.Polish vodka (Wódka)
Poland takes vodka seriously, from rye and potato vodkas to Żubrówka, flavoured with bison grass, and fruit-flavoured nalewki liqueurs. It is traditionally drunk chilled with a pickle or herring.
Where: Vodka bars in the Old Town and Kazimierz, where shots come with small snacks.
Food experiences
Lunch at a milk bar
Bar mleczny canteens, a survivor of the communist era, serve soups, pierogi and cutlets at very low prices; order at the counter and collect when your dish is called.
Late-night Plac Nowy
Join the queue for a zapiekanka at the round market hall in Kazimierz, then try the bars around the square.
Stary Kleparz market
The historic market north of the Old Town sells seasonal fruit, mushrooms, cheeses, cured meats and pickles from the surrounding countryside.
Vodka tasting
Several bars and guided tastings explain rye and potato vodkas and fruit nalewki, paired with traditional snacks.
Quick bites and street food
- Obwarzanek krakowski — Street carts on almost every Old Town corner, especially in the morning when they are freshest.
- Zapiekanka — The hatches around the round market hall (Okrąglak) on Plac Nowy in Kazimierz, open late.
- Oscypek — Street stalls on the Main Square and at Christmas markets, and highland-style restaurants.
- Grilled kiełbasa — The sausage vans by the Hala Targowa market hall in the evening, and food stalls at markets and festivals.
Vegetarian options
Of the 11 foods in this guide, 8 are usually vegetarian: Pierogi, Obwarzanek krakowski, Zapiekanka, Oscypek, Barszcz with uszka, Kremówka, Pączki and Polish vodka. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Prices on the Main Square are noticeably higher; eat a street or two away or in Kazimierz for better value.
- Milk bars are self-service and close fairly early in the evening; go for lunch.
- Soup is often served as a starter and is a cheap, filling meal on its own.
- Check restaurant bills for a service charge, which some places add for groups.
- Book dinner at popular Kazimierz restaurants on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Tipping
About 10% is usual in sit-down restaurants for good service; check whether a service charge has already been added. Rounding up in cafés and taxis is common.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dzień dobry | Good day / hello |
| Dziękuję | Thank you |
| Proszę | Please / here you are |
| Przepraszam | Excuse me / sorry |
| Na zdrowie | Cheers |
| Smacznego | Enjoy your meal |
| Do widzenia | Goodbye |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Kraków famous for?
Pierogi, Obwarzanek krakowski, Zapiekanka and Żurek. Half-moon dumplings boiled or fried, filled with potato and twaróg cheese (ruskie), meat, sauerkraut and mushroom, or sweet fruit in summer, and topped with fried onion or soured cream.
+Is Kraków good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Pierogi, Obwarzanek krakowski and Zapiekanka.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Kraków?
About 10% is usual in sit-down restaurants for good service; check whether a service charge has already been added. Rounding up in cafés and taxis is common.