Krakow has been for centuries a cosmopolitan city and its food has been influenced by various cultures. Jewish, Lithuanian, Belarusian, Ukranian, Russian, Hungarian and German traditions had an impact on the local cuisine. Traditionally Polish food is hearty and filling, with thick soups and sauces, abundant in potatoes and dumplings, rich in meat but not in vegetables. Poland’s most internationally known dishes are bigos (sauerkraut with a variety of meats), pierogi (sauerkraut with a variety of meats) , pierogi (ravioli-like dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese or minced meat or cabbage and wild mushrooms) and barszcz (red beetroot soup, originating from Russian borsch). We highly recommend that you try a couple of these during your stay in Krakow.
Krakow restaurants (restauracja) will delight and fill you as the city has become a food paradise – the old town is tightly packed with gastronic venues, reputedly 300 of them – catering for every pocket from rock bottom to top-notch. And the old Jewish quarter Kazimierz hosts many restaurants that cater for a range of budgets and tastes. Generally restaurants in Krakow open around 9am or 10 am (usually with a breakfast menu) or about noon. Closing time varies greatly from place to place but usually restaurants will stay open until 11pm or until the last guest leaves. Menus are available in most restaurants in Polish or English and so if you are given an only Polish menu be sure to ask your waiter for an English menu.
These days in Krakow you will be absolutley spoilt for choice with a host of restaurants to choose from so to ensure that you sample only the best restaurants in krakow we have developed for you our our Krakow restaurants guide.