The best Polish food in Kraków comes down to ten dishes: pierogi (dumplings), żurek (sour rye soup), bigos (cabbage and meat stew), obwarzanek (a ring of twisted dough), kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet), gołąbki (cabbage rolls), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), barszcz (beet soup), sernik (cheesecake) and makowiec (poppy seed roll). A soup, a main course and a dessert cost 87 PLN, without a drink, in a self-service restaurant in the Old Town. Dish prices in this guide come from the menus of U Babci Maliny and Ariel and the price list of the milk bar Pod Temidą as published on their websites in October 2026; prices on the day may differ.
Why is Kraków one of the best cities for Polish food?
Kraków is one of the best cities for Polish food because the classic dishes are served within walking distance of each other, at every price level. In the Old Town, the restaurants in this guide are on Szpitalna Street, plac Szczepański, św. Gertrudy Street and Grodzka Street. In Kazimierz, on Szeroka Street, the Jewish restaurant Ariel lists pierogi and gołąbki next to its Jewish dishes.
The city also has two things of its own. The obwarzanek, a ring of twisted dough, has been baked here for centuries and is protected by an EU label. And the oldest market in Kraków that has never stopped trading, Stary Kleparz, still sells bread, cured meat, dairy and regional products from Monday to Saturday.
10 best Polish dishes to try in Kraków
These are the ten Polish dishes to try in Kraków. Each one comes with what to expect on the plate and, where a menu lists it, what it costs.
1) Pierogi
Start with pierogi, Poland's best-known dumplings. They are boiled or baked, and the fillings range from savory to sweet:
- ruskie: potato, farmer's cheese and onion
- with meat
- with cabbage and mushrooms
- with spinach and cheese
- sweet ones with farmer's cheese or fruit
A 300 g plate of boiled pierogi ruskie costs 37 PLN at the self-service restaurant U Babci Maliny in the Old Town, and 43 PLN at Ariel in Kazimierz. For more addresses, see our list of pierogi places.
How to order pierogi
For a safe first order, ask for pierogi ruskie. At U Babci Maliny the baked ones come as a 400 g portion for 42 PLN.
2) Żurek
Żurek is a sour soup made with fermented rye flour, served with white sausage, potatoes or a boiled egg. Many restaurants serve it in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.
At U Babci Maliny, żurek with potatoes and smoked sausage costs 18 PLN. The version in a bread bowl costs 37 PLN and is a meal in itself.
3) Bigos
Bigos, often translated as hunter's stew, is sauerkraut and fresh cabbage cooked slowly with meat, sausage and spices. Good bigos takes hours, and cooks say it is better the next day. Neither of the two menus we checked for this guide lists bigos, but the milk bar Pod Temidą on Grodzka Street has bigos domowy (homemade bigos) at 25.90 PLN.
4) Obwarzanek krakowski
The obwarzanek krakowski is a ring of two or three strands of dough twisted together, baked until golden and sprinkled with poppy seeds, salt or sesame. According to its entry on Poland's national List of Traditional Products, it measures 12 to 17 cm across and weighs 120 to 200 g.
The city's founding charter of 1257 already gave Kraków bakers the right to sell on the Market Square, and a city council resolution of 1529 mentions the baking of obwarzanki, the plural form. Today the name is protected in the EU as a Protected Geographical Indication. Obwarzanki are sold from blue street carts across the Old Town.
Best way to eat obwarzanek
Eat it the morning you buy it, while the crust is still crisp. It is a snack for walking, not a dish to sit down with.
5) Kotlet schabowy
Kotlet schabowy is a slice of pork loin, pounded thin, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. It comes with potatoes and cabbage or a salad, and English menus usually call it a breaded pork cutlet.
At U Babci Maliny a breaded pork cutlet with potatoes costs 39 PLN.
6) Gołąbki
Gołąbki are cabbage leaves rolled around a filling of meat and rice, baked or stewed and served in sauce. Tomato sauce is the classic choice.
At Ariel, gołąbki with meat in tomato sauce cost 45 PLN. U Babci Maliny serves a cabbage roll in game sauce with potatoes for 38 PLN.
7) Placki ziemniaczane
Placki ziemniaczane are pancakes of grated potato, fried until the edges are crisp. The plain version comes with sour cream. The heavy version is covered with goulash.
At U Babci Maliny, potato pancakes with sour cream cost 32 PLN and the Hungarian-style ones cost 49 PLN. Morskie Oko, a restaurant at plac Szczepański 8 in the style of Poland's mountain highlanders, serves placek po zbójnicku, a potato pancake with beef goulash and cheese.
8) Barszcz czerwony
Barszcz czerwony is clear beet soup, tart and slightly sweet. It is served plain in a cup, or in a bowl with uszka, small dumplings filled with mushrooms.
Plain barszcz costs 12 PLN at U Babci Maliny and barszcz with uszka costs 20 PLN. At Ariel, barszcz with uszka is 28 PLN.
9) Sernik
Sernik is Polish cheesecake. It is made from farmer's cheese, so it is denser and less sweet than an American cheesecake, and it may come with raisins or a chocolate glaze.
A slice costs 30 PLN at U Babci Maliny, where it is served with chocolate sauce, and 27 PLN at Ariel.
10) Makowiec
Makowiec is a roll of yeast dough rolled around a thick filling of ground poppy seeds. Polish families bake it for Christmas and Easter. Neither of the two menus we checked lists it, so look for it in bakeries and cafes.
Polish food prices in Kraków: what does a meal cost?
A full Polish meal in Kraków, with żurek, a pork cutlet and cheesecake, costs 87 PLN without a drink at a self-service restaurant in the Old Town. The table compares similar dishes on two menus: that self-service restaurant and a restaurant with table service in Kazimierz.
| Dish | U Babci Maliny, Szpitalna 38 (self-service) | Ariel, Szeroka 17 (table service) |
|---|---|---|
| Pierogi ruskie | 37 PLN | 43 PLN |
| Pierogi with meat | 39 PLN | 44 PLN |
| Barszcz with uszka | 20 PLN | 28 PLN |
| Gołąbki | 38 PLN (one roll in game sauce, with potatoes) | 45 PLN (with meat, in tomato sauce) |
| Sernik | 30 PLN (Viennese, with chocolate sauce) | 27 PLN (Pascha) |
The 87 PLN meal is the one in the upstairs self-service room of U Babci Maliny. The downstairs room at the same address has its own menu with higher prices: boiled pierogi ruskie cost 40 PLN there and żurek with potatoes and sausage 22 PLN. One detail from its menu: groups of five or more pay a 10% service fee. For low prices, go to a milk bar, an old-school cafeteria. At the milk bar Pod Temidą on Grodzka Street, the bar's own price list has pierogi ruskie at 31.00 PLN, less than at U Babci Maliny, while a pork cutlet with potatoes and salads costs 39.90 PLN, about the same as there.
Vegetarian Polish food in Kraków: which dishes are meat-free?
Vegetarian Polish food in Kraków is easier to find than the meat-heavy menus suggest. These dishes from the list above are usually made without meat:
- Pierogi ruskie, pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, with spinach and cheese, and the sweet ones
- Plain barszcz and barszcz with mushroom uszka
- Placki ziemniaczane with sour cream
- Obwarzanek, sernik and makowiec
The menus we checked do not list ingredients, so if you eat no meat at all, ask about the soup stock and about toppings such as fried bacon. Żurek and bigos are cooked with sausage or meat. Ariel also lists gołąbki with mushrooms in mushroom sauce.
How to plan a food day in Kraków: what to eat and in what order
To plan a food day in Kraków, eat one snack, one soup, one main course and one dessert, and walk between them. Polish portions are large, and four small stops work better than two heavy meals.
A route that is easy to follow:
- Start with an obwarzanek from a street cart in the Old Town.
- Have żurek or barszcz czerwony to start.
- Choose one main course: pierogi, bigos, kotlet schabowy or gołąbki.
- Finish with sernik or makowiec in a cafe.
If you only have time for one sit-down meal, order żurek and pierogi and buy the obwarzanek on the way.
Where to find the best Polish food in Kraków: restaurants and milk bars
To find the best Polish food in Kraków, pick the area first and the restaurant second. Three areas cover almost everything.
- Old Town: U Babci Maliny, a business that has been cooking old Polish dishes since 1992, has a self-service room upstairs at Szpitalna 38; the restaurant lists opening hours of 11:00 to 23:00. Morskie Oko (plac Szczepański 8) makes its pierogi in its own kitchen and has live singing by highlander musicians. Pod Wawelem (św. Gertrudy 26-29), at the foot of Wawel Castle, is known for pork knuckle.
- Kazimierz: Marchewka z Groszkiem (Mostowa 2), where everything is made on site and there is a different lunch special every weekday, and Ariel (Szeroka 17) for pierogi and gołąbki next to Jewish dishes. Our guide to where to eat in Kazimierz has the full list.
- Stary Kleparz (Rynek Kleparski 20): the market for bread, cured meat, dairy and regional products, open for shopping from Monday to Saturday.
Milk bars, in Polish bary mleczne, are old-school cafeterias that serve the same pierogi, soups and cutlets for less money than restaurants with table service.
If you are staying near the center, you can reach all of this on foot. If you would rather cover more ground with less walking, look at our Kraków electric cart tours. For a day outside the city, plan dinner back in Kraków after the Wieliczka Salt Mine tour or the Auschwitz-Birkenau tour.
Final tips for eating Polish food in Kraków
Three final tips for eating Polish food in Kraków. Order less than you think you need, because a soup and a plate of pierogi is a full meal. Check the weight on the menu: restaurants such as U Babci Maliny print the portion in grams next to the price. And keep some cash for market stalls and milk bars.
The shortest version of this guide is four words long: obwarzanek, żurek, pierogi, sernik.
Want help fitting meals around your hotel, tour times or transfers? You can reach our team through the about and contact page, and there are more ideas on our Kraków travel blog.
What food is Kraków famous for?
The obwarzanek, a baked ring of twisted dough sold from street carts, is the food most closely tied to the city, and its name is protected by an EU geographical label. Beyond that, Kraków is known for the Polish classics: pierogi, żurek and bigos.
How much should I budget for Polish food in Kraków?
Around 87 PLN buys a soup, a pork cutlet and a dessert, without a drink, in a self-service restaurant in the Old Town. In our comparison of two menus, four of five dishes cost more in the restaurant with table service.
What is a milk bar in Kraków?
A milk bar, in Polish bar mleczny, is an old-school cafeteria that serves pierogi, soups and cutlets at low prices. At Pod Temidą on Grodzka Street, pierogi ruskie cost 31.00 PLN and a pork cutlet with sides 39.90 PLN on the bar's own price list.
Is żurek always served in bread?
No. The standard serving is a bowl. The bread bowl is a separate item on the menu: at U Babci Maliny it costs 37 PLN, compared with 18 PLN for żurek with potatoes and sausage.
Can vegetarians eat traditional Polish food in Kraków?
Yes. Pierogi ruskie, pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, potato pancakes and clear barszcz are usually made without meat. Soups such as żurek usually contain it, so it is worth asking about the stock and the toppings.
