Miodova
This restaurant is located in the Kazimierz district, in a restored tenement with a modern interior. Mateusz Turaj, the chef, previously worked at the Ancora restaurant in Kraków, where he learned from Adam Chrząstowski, another eminent cook. Miodova serves modern Polish cuisine, sometimes inspired by recipes from a 19th-century Polish cookbook, Ilustrowany Kucharz Krakowski by Maria Gruszecka (this is where their recipe for crayfish soup comes from), and Jewish and Austrian-Hungarian cuisines. On the menu, you’ll find baked goose stomachs with tomatoes and rosemary, young herring in a herbal pancake with gherkin, or modern variations of pierogi Polish dumplings - for instance, with lamb brawn and grana cheese. Wines from Central-Eastern Europe go great with these dishes - especially the one from Srebrna Góra, a small village located near Kraków!
Zazie Bistro
Zazie Bistro is one of the most popular restaurants in town, whether it's among Cracovians, Varsovians or tourists. It's always full so booking a table in advance is a wise move. Located in Kazimierz, it references the style of a French bistro and specialises in cuisine with a French twist. Head chef Daniel Myśliwiec, who previously worked in Spain, was recently dubbed a young talent by Gault & Millau. Their calf sweetbreads served with brown butter, ricotta ravioli, dried duck breast, yolk and roasted pistachios has been their best-selling snack for a few years now, as well as the Parisian liver pâté with armagnac-soaked dried plums. In addition to dishes with non-obvious connections, such as lamb shank in chocolate sauce with potato puree, caramelised chicory, apples and almonds, you can always count on classics such as beef bourguignon.
Pod Baranem
The restaurant Pod Baranem has been operating successfully for many years. Located near Wawel Castle, it introduces guests to the secrets of traditional Polish cuisine with an original flare. The interior is unique, perhaps a bit old-school; the waiters are nonchalant, but professional. On the one hand, you 'feel' the old communist era, while on the other you are surrounded by art – for example, the paintings of Edward Dwurnik. Owner and chef Jan Baran describes the restaurant’s food as ‘family cuisine’. Apart from traditional Polish dishes like stuffed cabbage (cooked with groats, and in a sumptuous mushroom sauce) and the delicious duck, the 'must haves' here are game, pies, and fish from the restaurant’s own smokehouse. There is probably no other place evoking the spirit of the past so well - in a good, incredibly tasty way.
Studio Qulinarne
Studio Qulinarne is one of the most pleasant restaurants in the Kazimierz district. It has a beautiful summer garden with a small playground for kids. Housed in a post-industrial, restored glass building that is part of a former tram depot, the restaurant boasts a sleek and modern interior. Passionate about modern cuisine, chef Oskar Zasunia brings together Polish and international influences in his dishes. In the summer, the menu features rabbit loin with lovage, common morel, fermented spring onion and buckwheat, or pheasant with beef tongue, chocolate, spinach and a potato chip. Or maybe you’ll feel like having beef tartare with shiitake-enoki marmalade?
Ed Red
This recently-established steak house near the main square specialises in meat dishes, especially steaks prepared from the limousine breed of cattle raised naturally in Poland. The respected chef Adam Chrząstowski heads the Ed Red kitchen. The restaurant offers not only dry seasoned steaks with classic French sauces such as demi glace, but also a number of other more daring options that are worth a try – offal on grilled toast (which is increasingly common in Poland), calf thymus, tongue, liver, brains, and recently even bull testicles, beef heart, baked marrow bones or brawn. Their Polish farmer’s cheese is also a must and always on the menu.
And for wine afterwards: Lipowa 6F
The wine bar (and shop) Lipowa 6F is located next to the Schindler’s Factory Museum. It specialises in the wines of Central and Eastern Europe. In its post-industrial interior, you can sip Armenian brandy, spirits from Hungary, Romania and Poland, Polish ciders and regional beers. You can also snack on Polish farm cheeses and Hungarian cold cuts. Lipowa is famous for organising interesting meetings with the eminent food and wine specialists, inluding chefs and wine-makers. Last year, Polish magazine Wino dubbed the place the best promoter of wine culture in Poland thanks to its event series Podwieczorki na Dwa Kieliszki (editor’s translation: A dessert and two glasses). Outside the entrance to the shop, a food truck offers visitors a variety of excellent grilled specialties from the Caucasus, including lamb in pomegranate sauce and eggplant with coriander.
Written by Magdalena Kasprzyk-Chevriaux, June 2015, translated by A. Aniskiewicz, July 2015. Updated May 2016, with translation by N. Sajewicz.