Kraków is a small, charming city in Poland with beautiful architecture, a lively city center and of course delicious traditional foods that cannot be missed! Here is why you’ll fall in love with Kraków, the yummy edition.
First item on the list is Paczki. Paczki are traditional polish donuts without the hole! Yes…this means biting into a delicious stuffed center with a variety of flavors. The traditional flavor in Kraków is the rose but I’d make it a point to try a few flavors, my personal favorite was filled with blueberry and cream cheese. Other flavors included caramel, Nutella, raspberry, pistachio amongst others but they do rotate daily as they are freshly made so not all flavors are available every day. There are locations spread throughout the city center but Dobra Paczkarnia was my go-to spot as they had multiple locations. I found it a great sweet breakfast option or sweet afternoon treat.
Next up is the Obwarzanek. The Obwarzanek is a braided ring-shaped bread very similar to the traditional bagel found in the United States. While also boiled and baked, the polish take on a bagel is larger in size (up to 7 inches!) While there are storefronts for purchasing Obwarzanek, the traditional recipes are only sold from the blue carts found on the corners in old town. They are freshly delivered each morning and range from 2 zloty to 3.5 zloty–less than a dollar!. Only the traditional flavors are sold here which include salt, poppy, sesame, everything and cheese. This is a great and affordable option for the non-sweet tooth lovers for breakfast!
The best surprise during my visit to Krakow was the Galumpki. Galumpki is stuffed cabbage filled with either a meat and rice mixture or a vegetarian option of rice and mixed veggies. The galumpki are topped with tomato sauce and served hot. My person favorite was the rice and meat and so good that I found myself going back to the same place three times! While the dish is not as easy to find in every restaurant, Pierogarnia Krakowiacy was the go-to spot as they have multiple locations and the dish never disappointed!
*These particular galumpki are served in two and are quite large, perfect for sharing!
The next must-try I learned about during my walking tour of the city is the Zapiekanki. It is a flatbread traditionally served with cheese and mushrooms and the option to add additional toppings. I added on kielbasa (traditional Polish sausage) and pickles, and it was mouth watering! Our tour guide told us this is a quick and cheap meal for lunch or for a late night snack after a night out drinking. They are sold are various booths in the market located in the Kazimierz (old Jewish quarter) neighborhood.
And the item I would hope to be on everyone’s list planning a trip to Krakow…pierogi! Pierogi are filled dumplings, boiled and served. Each restaurant might have their own take on a pierogi with different stuffing options as well as toppings of onions, sour cream or butter. The traditional and perhaps most popular are the Ruskie, potato and cheese filled. These were my favorite as well, as I tried them at different restaurants every night for 5 nights!
Whether it’s the food, culture or history bringing your travels to Krakow, make sure not to miss these five best foods of the city!