RESTAURANTS IN KRAKOW
CHERUBINO
International cuisine
Location: Old Town
One of the most popular restaurants in central Cracow, Cherubino offers fresh, hearty, Polish food cooked on an open elm-fired oven, with a dash of Tuscan cuisine thrown in for good measure. Add in the welcoming open fire during winter, and you have a terrific combination that brings locals and visitors back time after time, helped in good measure by the nineteenth-century horse-drawn carriage eating-booths (no mean hit with the kids), and cellar bar where you can drink until the early hours, presided over by a statue of Saint Paul.
WIERZYNEK
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
With a tradition going all the way back to 1364, it's hardly surprising to find that Wierzynek Restaurant has become something of a landmark in its own right within the Old Town. Its location on the corner of the Rynek and Grodzka Street places it right in the heart of Cracow's most important district, and makes it a favourite for visitors who want to watch the world go by from their tables overlooking the Market Square. Expect top quality traditional old Polish (Staropolska) cuisine, summer concerts as you eat, and a great allround atmosphere that has made Wierzynek one of Cracow's highlights. Guests that have visited include George Bush, Stephen Spielberg, and the Nobel Prize Winner Czeslaw Milosz.
WENTZL
International cuisine
Location: Old Town
Located in a fine fifteenth century building on Cracow's Rynek (Main Market Square), Wentzl Restaurant boasts one of the best views in the city, superb cuisine, and truly elegant dining. The splendid Renaissance interior is famous for its distinguished collection of paintings from Wojciech Fibak's "Ecole de Paris" cycle, and the regal atmosphere is heightened by the assortment of wines and Havana cigars to compliment the top quality cuisine. If you're after the best in Cracow dining, you may just have found it.
HAWELKA
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
Hawelka is something of a Cracovian institution. Founded in 1876, this is an elegant, rather formal throwback to the twilight years of the Austro Hungarian Empire. A stately portrait of the Emperor Franz Josef adorns the walls, resplendent with his legendary bushy whiskers - Hawelka hails from that golden epoch when the Austrians and Poles put aside their differences and Cracow regained its status as Poland's cultural capital. Thus you'll find Austrian classics amongst the traditional Polish fare, with goulash and Viennese dumplings served up with a hearty flagon of Polish beer. Less pricey than its sister restaurant the Tetmajerowska upstairs, this is still a pleasant place to enjoy well cooked Polish fare.
POD ANIOLAMI
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
Without doubt one of the top restaurants in Cracow, and with a whole raft of awards to prove it, Pod Aniolami (Under the Angels) is famous for its marinated meats, cooked on an elm wood-fired grill, as well as other traditional specialities. The restaurant can be found along the "Royal Way" leading from Wawel Castle to the Rynek (Market Square), in a splendid 13th Century building. It's genuine Old Cracow, with its own medieval courtyard with a mosaic-encrusted fountain to prove it.
WESELE
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
From the same people that gave Polish cuisine a welcome twist at Miod i Malina comes Wesele, a restaurant celebrating old Polish traditions, with a nod to famed Polish playwright Stanislaw Wyspianski's play of the same name. "Wesele" means "wedding" in Polish, and you'll certainly feel like you've been invited to a Polish wedding party here, where you can indulge in several courses of traditional Polish dishes, accompanied by a selection of wines from around the world. The rustic country-style interior recreates the atmosphere of an elegant Polish country manor house. If you're planning your own "wesele," there is a whole hall on the second floor prepared especially for private parties.
KAWALERIA
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
A stone's throw from Krakow's famed Main Market Square is Kawaleria Szarza Smaku - "Cavalry" with "a charge of taste." England may be most commonly associated with horse-riding and hunting, but the equestrian life was equally, if not more glorified here in Poland. Polish cavalry won fabled victories over the centuries, and this nostalgic looks back to an era of manor houses and country estates. The venue is equipped with a full bar, a cozy, smaller dining room as well as a large banquet hall. The latter rivals that of nobles' in size and features a gallery of paintings depicting all a cavalier would want in traditional Poland. Accompanying this exhibit of horses, horsemen, and men of war is a decor to match, as sabres and tapestries line the walls. You're sure to enjoy the atmosphere of this novel establishment as well as that of the surrounding Golebia St.
SZARA NA KAZIMIERZU
International cuisine
Location: Kazimierz
Charming service, superbly prepared food, and an enviable location on Kazimierz's most historic plaza - all these ingredients look set to ensure that Szara will be a runaway hit. The owner knows what he is doing, and he comes fresh from the success of his flagship restaurant on Cracow’s main market square. The decor of his new venture takes its cue from its predecessor, but upstairs a private dining room is being created for special occasions. Above all, the food is delicious and it is presented with flair. You'll find one of the best steaks in town, whilst the other dishes - which have a Scandinavian accent - are of a similar calibre As so often with a standout venue, it's all in the detail, and even the bread is a notch above your average.
POD KRZYZYKIEM
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
Pod Krzyzykiem is something of a tongue-twister for non-Slavic souls - it means under the little cross. Inside, you'll find a distinctive restaurant with all kinds of eccentric Cracovian flourishes. The owner has woven echoes of Stanislas Wyspianski's designs into the decor, with spiralling chestnut leaf balustrades, which were a hallmark of Cracovian art nouveau. This is an upmarket place offering high standards of service and well-delivered Polish and International cuisine. It's bright and cheerful and could well be a hit in Summer when the tables stretch out onto the square. Prices won't break the bank by Western standards either.
TETMAJEROWSKA
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
Tetmajerowska is amongst the swishest of Cracow's restaurants, with an ambience that transports you right back to the Belle Epoque. Exquisite murals by the legendary painter Wlodzimierz Tetmajer encircle the room, whilst smartly dressed waiters breeze in and out brandishing silver platters and bottles of chilled vodka. This restaurant would make a fine choice for a special occasion dinner or a business lunch that aims to evoke the best of Old Cracovian style. The excellent roast duck is a surefire choice, amongst a host of other Polish classics, such as fillet of pork cooked in the style beloved of that connoisseur of Poland's monarchs, the goodly King Stas.
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
French cuisine
Location: Old Town
Descend the stairs and savour one of Cracow's premier gastronomic experiences. Cracow is a city of cellars, but few can match the magic of Monsieur Cyrano. The Polish owner spent many years in France, and she has created a wonderful marriage of Old Polish style and French epicurean panache. Decked out with charismatic antique furnishings, Cyrano is a favourite with actors, art dealers and old Cracow hands. Distinguished guests have included Roman Polanski and Prince Charles. Drop in for a memorable lunch or dinner.
LA FONTAINE
French cuisine
Location: Old Town
Slip into one of Cracow's cellars for some of the best French cuisine available in the city, prepared by a two-times award-winning chef. There's a delightful summer garden to compliment the upmarket interior, but wherever you choose to dine here, expect the finest quality of service as well as food, and make sure to leave plenty of room for the fabulous dessert trolley. Rather elegant.
CHLOPSKIE JADLO
Polish cuisine
Location: Old Town
Traditional Polish food from the ever-popular Chlopskie Jadlo can now be found on Cracow's Royal Way between the Rynek (Market Square) and Wawel castle, along Grodzka Street. The highly-successful recipe remains the same - hearty portions of rustic peasant fare in a genuinely traditional setting. Try the golabki (stuffed cabbage leaves) and the potatoes with garlic sauce, and don't forget to book a table in advance, particularly at weekends, as places can be hard to come by. A Cracow winner.
SZARA
International cuisine
Location: Old Town
Szara is certainly amongst the best restaurants in Cracow. It's got it all - a magnificent location on the market square, a beautifully restored gothic ceiling, friendly service, delicious and well-presented food - you could go on. It's a distinctly unpompous place too. Try the Raraka with Sour cream and Caviar, or the magnificent Bouillabaisse soup. During the season you may have to book, but its worth taking the time to do so - if you're sitting outside the view is one of the best in town.
DA PIETRO
Italian cuisine
Location: Old Town
Da Pietro was the first Italian restaurant to open up on the Market Square back in 1992. The 14th century cellar of the Hetman House provides the setting, as suddenly you leave modern Krakow behind and step into Renaissance Italy. Of course, modern conveniences like air-conditioning and friendly service have not been forgotten. Over the years, Da Pietro's menu has been adjusted many times to satisfy the needs of their guests and the whims of their chefs, while the wine list has expanded to include one of the finest selections in town.
