10 Best Places to Eat in Krakow
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Krakow eats span two extremes and not much padding in between: a 20-35 PLN milk-bar lunch at one end, Bottiglieria 1881 in Kazimierz, Poland’s only two-Michelin-star restaurant, at the other. Between them sit the city’s real street food, zapiekanka at Plac Nowy and pierogi by the dozen, plus a craft-beer and vodka-cellar scene that’s as much a Krakow night out as the restaurants themselves. Check rates on Booking.com for a Kazimierz base, most of this list is walkable from Szeroka Street.
10 places to eat, at a glance
| Pick | Dish | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Bottiglieria 1881 | Tasting menu, Poland’s only 2-star Michelin | Kazimierz |
| Folga | Bib Gourmand tasting menu | Plac Nowy, Kazimierz |
| Bar Mleczny Pod Temidą | Milk-bar soup + main, 20-35 PLN | Old Town |
| Bar Mleczny Targowy | Cheaper milk bar, mostly locals | ~10 min from Old Town |
| Pierogi Mr Vincent | Pierogi, ~16 PLN/10 dumplings | Kazimierz |
| Endzior (Zapiekanki u Endziora) | Zapiekanka, 6-10 PLN | Plac Nowy, Kazimierz |
| Miód Malina | Traditional Polish sit-down | ul. Grodzka |
| Stary Kleparz | Oscypek and produce market | North of Old Town |
| A vodka tasting cellar | Żubrówka, Wyborowa flights | Old Town cellars |
| PINTA | Craft beer, 14 own beers on tap | Old Town brewpub |
Bottiglieria 1881, the splurge
If you eat one tasting menu in Krakow, make it this one. Bottiglieria 1881, at 5 Bocheńska Street in Kazimierz, is Poland’s only two-Michelin-star restaurant, its first star came in 2020, the second in 2023, and the 2026 Michelin Guide confirms it’s held the rank for a fourth consecutive year. Tasting menus run weekends only, 290 PLN for five courses or 360 PLN for seven, with a shorter à la carte menu on weekdays. Book well ahead. Folga, also on Plac Nowy, holds a Bib Gourmand and is the more accessible way to eat well in the same neighborhood.
Milk bars, Krakow’s own invention
The bar mleczny, a subsidized cafeteria concept, was born here: Poland’s first opened right on the Main Market Square on 30 May 1948, a fact Krakow’s official tourism site still points to with some pride. Bar Mleczny Pod Temidą is the only true milk bar inside the Old Town proper, with an English menu, so it runs busier and pricier than the rest. Bar Mleczny Targowy, about 10 minutes further out, has no English menu and is cheaper and more local. Either way, a full meal of soup plus a main runs 20-35 PLN, arguably the best value-to-authenticity ratio in the city.
Pierogi and zapiekanka, the two street-food staples
Pierogi Mr Vincent on Bożego Ciała in Kazimierz is the budget pick, about 16 PLN for 10 dumplings, ruskie (potato and curd cheese) is the everyday classic despite the Russian-sounding name, it’s actually Polish-Galician. For zapiekanka, the halved-baguette “Polish pizza” piled with cheese and mushrooms, Plac Nowy’s octagonal Okrąglak hall is the cult location, and Endzior (Zapiekanki u Endziora, Plac Nowy 4B) is the best-known stall, from about 6-10 PLN. On the street, look for obwarzanek krakowski, a boiled-then-baked pretzel ring legally protected since 2010, sold only by bakers in Kraków and Wieliczka counties, from Old Town carts for a few złoty.
Miód Malina and the mid-range traditional spots
Miód Malina on ul. Grodzka, Restauracja Starka in Kazimierz (try the walnut cake), and Chłopskie Jadło (gołąbki, beer-marinated sausage) cover sit-down Polish classics, kotlet schabowy, żurek, bigos, in the 35-55 PLN range. Restauracja pod Baranem runs a 20 PLN daily lunch special if you want the same style of food for less.
Stary Kleparz market and the drinking side
Stary Kleparz, Krakow’s traditional market north of the Old Town, is the spot for oscypek, the Tatra region’s smoked sheep’s-milk cheese, best late spring through summer. To drink, Polish vodka culture means neat, ice-cold, one shot at a time, paired with pickles or herring, Żubrówka (bison grass) and Wyborowa (rye) are the names to know, and cellar tasting flights pair 6-8 styles with snacks. For beer, PINTA is an Old Town brewpub with 14 of its own beers on tap, and Strefa Piwa on Józefa Street in Kazimierz pours 18 craft beers in a cellar setting.
Is Krakow food actually cheap?
Yes. A milk-bar meal runs 20-35 PLN, a zapiekanka a few złoty, and even a mid-range sit-down dinner rarely tops 60-80 PLN a head. The splurge end, Bottiglieria 1881’s tasting menu, is the exception that proves the rule. See our Krakow on a budget tips for the wider daily-cost picture.
Do you need to book restaurants in advance?
For Bottiglieria 1881 and Folga, yes, both fill up on weekends. Milk bars and the Plac Nowy stalls are walk-up only, no reservations exist for either. Browse a Krakow food and vodka tasting tour if you’d rather have several of these stops guided in one evening.
One concrete tip: bring cash for milk bars and the Plac Nowy stalls. Card terminals exist but queues move faster with złoty in hand, and a few of the cheapest, most local spots still don’t take cards at all.
Planning the wider trip? See the Krakow first-timer base guide and the best day trips from Krakow .