Kraków is home to the country’s only 2-Michelin-starred restaurant, Bottiglieria 1881, which was awarded a wide acclaim in 2023. Chef Przemysław Klima draws deeply on Poland’s culinary spirit and childhood memories of perfect rural summers, serving dishes such as pickled beets, applewood-smoked trout, and a sauce made from walnut milk, bison grass, and seaweed oil. While Bottiglieria 1881 is a gourmet bar, the city has a number of restaurants that allow visitors to enjoy simple classics. chłodnikdelicious pink, chilled beetroot and yoghurt summer soup or a plate of Russian pierogiMeatballs made with white cheese and potatoes are fried crispy and served with bacon cubes and sour cream.
For more Krakow inspiration, check out our guides to the best hotels, bars and things to do.
Find a restaurant by area
old town
Philippine 18
This little restaurant inside the newly opened Hotel Indigo is a real gem. Chef Marcin Sołtys serves up a menu inspired by nearby Stary Kleparz, Krakow’s oldest farmers’ market. Think venison with juniper and trout roe, or beautifully presented crayfish and mushroom dumplings in a homely setting. The walls are covered in bright artwork from the Polish Poster School, the kitchen is open and the banquettes are powder blue. The bread is baked in-house, followed by really good food that puts a fresh, contemporary spin on Polish cuisine.
To contact: filipa18.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Chimera Salad Bar
Polish food is more geared toward carnivores than vegetarians, but this restaurant does its best to strike the balance with a wide range of vegetable-based salads. Set in a beautiful, lush, ivy-covered courtyard, surrounded by endless potted plants under a shaded ceiling, the 30-meter-long bar serves a large buffet of dishes such as Greek salad, red cabbage salad, lettuce and avocado salad, chickpea salad, and beetroot salad, as well as a smaller selection of meat and fish salads such as chicken and curry rice, smoked fish salad, and herring salad.
To contact: 00 48 12 292 12 12; chimera.com.pl
Reservations: Walk-in only
Prices: £
Trzy Rybki
This acclaimed restaurant is located in the Hotel Stary, which has won multiple awards for the way it masterfully infuses 21st-century luxury into a 14th-century setting. Trzy Rybki’s dishes are modern while referencing Poland’s culinary heritage. Try the beef tatare with shallots, kohlrabi, endive, black pepper and potato chips, or the Polish dumplings with a twist, stuffed with goat’s cheese and kimchi, a colourful beetroot and thyme emulsion. The restaurant’s Gothic windows with ribbed, vaulted ceilings add to the elegance of the experience, making it ideal for a special occasion.
To contact: 00 48 12 384 08 08; stary.hotel.com.pl
Reservations: Necessary
Prices: £££
Pod Aniolami
The restaurant, whose name means ‘under the angels’, is housed in Gothic cellars complete with original 13th-century features and thick exposed stone walls. Above it is an 18th-century house that served for many years as the workshop of Kraków’s goldsmiths; as a nod to its past, some of the dishes are covered in gold. The menu draws on the rich traditions of ancient Polish court cuisine. Try the goose breast carpaccio with plum alcohol, the soup with wild boletus mushrooms from the local mountains or the wild boar marinated in juniper. But leave room for their famous apple pie with cinnamon.
To contact: 00 48 12 421 39 99; podaniolami.pl
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Marmalade
It is located in Marmola, on the long, winding street from the Market Square to the Wawel, dominated by the white stone tower of the Romanesque St Andrew’s Church. It serves affordable and tasty regional specialities in a long, narrow restaurant decorated with flowers, folk crafts and lots of timber under canopied ceilings. Try the potato pancakes with beef goulash, which is typical of this part of Poland, Mašopolska; or the excellent Heart a soup of sour rye broth, white sausage and hard-boiled eggs, followed by a Kraków burger made from pork neck seasoned with caraway.
To contact: 00 48 012 422 02 33; marmoladarestauracja.pl
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
L Concept: Bar & Restaurant 13
Two former townhouses on Market Square have been transformed into Pasaż 13, a stylish shopping centre with a range of designer concept stores. Downstairs is L Concept, serving contemporary international cuisine with an Italian accent in a stylish setting inspired by the neighbouring delicatessen and wine shop. At the end of arched, exposed stone walls is an open kitchen offering minimalist cuisine. Here, try classic beef tartare, tagliatelle with shrimp or entrecôte with peppercorn sauce, before tucking into Babka Cytrynowa, a Polish lemon cake served with milk ice cream and fresh strawberries.
To contact: 00 48 12 617 0212; likusrestauracje.pl
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
Twins
With its impeccable period furniture, latticed wooden ceilings, antique tapestries and oil paintings, Wierzynek is a fascinating place to visit during your stay in Kraków because of the weight of history that accompanies your meal. Dating back to 1364, when the wealthy merchant Wierzynek hosted European monarchs on behalf of King Casimir the Great of Poland, the restaurant serves sumptuous dishes such as delicious crayfish soup or pheasant consommé, followed by duck breast with ginger sauce or venison with blackberry essence.
To contact: 00 48 12 424 96 00; wierzynek.pl
Reservations: Necessary
Prices: £££
Kazimyerz
Bottiglieria 1881
The first and currently only 2-star Michelin restaurant in Poland, this is the place to make a reservation if you want to understand the depth of Polish cuisine. A country devastated by wars and border changes, it has a passionate appreciation for its culinary heritage, and Klima is certainly one of those who have done so. Chef Klima manages to capture the essence of Polish cuisine in his rustic menu that transports you to another time and place, but if you keep up, you can understand the strength of a nation that has had to fight repeatedly for its survival.
To contact: 00 48 660 661 756
Price: £££
Reservations: necessary
Miodova Restaurant
Miodova is located on a popular restaurant street in Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter made famous in Schindler’s List. The restaurant is consistently praised for its classics, reinvented with a modern twist, inspired by a 19th-century cookbook. The menu features influences from the Austro-Hungarian to Jewish and Russian. Try the traditional Krakow pasta among exposed red brick walls. barszcz – Polish borscht – or a typical cucumber salad with dill and sour cream. Alternatively, have a pike perch fillet with pickled cucumber and white wine sauce, followed by a cheesecake.
To contact: 00 48 22 12 432 50 83; miodova.pl
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
Szeroka 12 Restaurant, Rubinstein Hotel
This hotel restaurant is named after the international cosmetics queen Helena Rubinstein, who was born next door, and offers a modern dining experience in the heart of the Jewish Quarter, with a large outdoor area for the summer months. The house speciality is the duck with spinach in a blackcurrant sauce, but try their dill cream soup and oscypek with sheep’s cheese, pear mustard and raspberries. There’s a good selection of wines by the glass, including some Polish options. Start the evening with a drink at the hotel’s sky bar, from where you can admire views across Kraków to the Wawel.
To contact: 00 48 12 384 00 00; szeroka12.pl
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
How we choose
Each restaurant on this curated list has been tried and tested by our visiting destination expert to give you the insider’s perspective. We cover a range of budgets from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants to suit every type of traveller’s taste, and our recommendations take into account the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price. We update this list regularly to keep up to date with the latest openings and up-to-date recommendations.