Restaurants QUICK EATS Here we list the local alternatives to the fast food franchises you might be familiar with from back home (if it’s the ‘Golden Arches’ you’re looking for you’re on your own). Note that Kazimierz is a Mecca for fast street food, with zapiekanki dispensed daily from Plac Nowy, and the food truck movement finding its home on Skwer Judah (p.83) and Plac Izaaka (K-8). For more fast dining options, get adventurous by visiting a local milk bar (p.82) or Vodka & Herring bar (p.82). CHIMERA SALAD BAR Sealed off from the elements, this gorgeous courtyard buffet overflows with ambience year round. Full of potted plants, natural sunlight and surrealistic murals, Chimera’s popular salad bar may be the most pleasant budget dining environment in town. Overwhelmingly vegetarian, while it might not be the best food in town, it is fast, cheap and exceedingly easy for foreigners simply say ‘proszę’ and point at your pick of the salads, quiche, stuffed vegetables and more. Recommended. QI‑5, ul. Św. Anny 3, tel. (+48) 12 292 12 12, www. chimera.com.pl. Open 09:00 - 22:00, Sun 11:00 22:00, Closed Mon. €. 6W MAZAYA FALAFEL After years of kebab stands pretending to serve falafel (“we just ran out”), Kraków finally has an authentic, outstanding chain of falafel shops, thanks to none other than the most dreaded bogeyman in all of Europe: Syrian migrants . This is the real deal: delicious falafel, hummus in which you can actually taste tahini, baba ghanoush, pomegranate sauce, pickled veggies and more - available in an array of pita wraps and platters (our go-to is the Rummen wrap). Finally. Also at ul. Legionów Piłsudskiego 2 (K-10) and ul. Grzegorzecka 40 (M-6).QK‑6, ul. Starowiślna 10, tel. (+48) 534 92 51 35, www.mazaya-falafel.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00. €. 6W PIZZATOPIA This casual and cleverly branded pizza joint on bustling ul. Szewska lets you ‘Build Your Own’ pie for a flat 24zł - with no limit on ingredients. Choose between the classic or multigrain version of their light, chewy crust, and then from four base sauces, seven different types of cheese (including vegan mozzarella), six kinds of meat, over a dozen veggies, and a dozen finishing sauces. Fast and fired for less than 3 minutes, the menu also includes a few of their own creations, fresh salads, craft beers, and their own sodas. A brilliant concept that’s love at first bite, don’t be surprised to see this franchised all over PL in the coming years.QI‑5, ul. Szewska 22, tel. (+48) 570 06 51 95, www.pizzatopia. com. Open 11:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 01:00. €€. o6W 98 Kraków In Your Pocket
INTERNATIONAL ALCHEMIA OD KUCHNI An extension of the legendary bar of the same name, Alchemia od Kuchni serves a spot-on menu of sit-down street food, burgers, vegetarian eats and eclectic entrees including fresh fish, curries and more. Open late and also open early, the simple, white tile and brick aesthetic is reminiscent of NYC or Copenhagen’s meatpacking districts, the prices won’t divest you of your beer money, and the service is light years ahead of the bar next door. Rather than just cashing in on the location and crowds, the team behind Od Kuchnia obviously cares, making it possibly our favourite thing about Alchemia these days.QK‑8, ul. Estery 5, tel. (+48) 882 04 42 99, www.odkuchni.com. Open 08:00 - 23:00, Mon 10:00 23:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 24:00. €€. o6W BOTTIGLIERIA 1881 Discreetly hidden off Plac Wolnica, this small, intimate wine bar exudes class and taste with a sharp decór of stonework and timber, an open kitchen, VIP service, and an expertly stocked wine cellar with over 450 vintages. Chef Paweł Kras offers signature tasting menus (served from 18:00), and also regularly changes the mercifully concise menu of mouth-watering sous vide dishes, which the deft recommendations of the sommelier perfectly complement. A great place for business or courtship, Bottiglieria received an ‘Award of Excellence’ from Wine Spectator magazine, and also a top local award for their cuisine. Hardly a surprise, since there are few venues in Kraków as beautifully elegant and unique as this one.QK‑9, ul. Bocheńska 5, tel. (+48) 660 66 17 56, www.1881.com.pl. Open 13:00 - 23:00. Closed Mon, Sun. €€€. W BUNKIER CAFE This veteran crossover venue - essentially an enormous year-round terrace on the Planty - continues to be the same perfect place for an early morning paper read, afternoon coffee and cigarette, after-work drink, casual first date, conversational English lesson, or people-watching piwo that it has been since we first published this guide. In addition to good coffee and cakes, however, Bunkier has gone bistro and now offers some of the best budget eats in the area. Drop in for breakfast until 12:00, after which tuck in to tasty burgers, bagel sandwiches, a yummy pulled pork sandwich, fish and chips, salads and more. As a result, we spend more time there now than ever before.QI‑5, Pl. Szczepański 3A, tel. (+48) 12 431 05 85, www.bunkiercafe.pl. Open 09:00 - 23:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 24:00. €€. Xo6W COPERNICUS Inside one of Kraków’s most exclusive hotels you’ll find one of its most exclusive restaurants, with high-class service inside an elegant gothic interior that features original frescoes. Copernicus is enthusiastically awarded each year, and its gourmet cuisine has been enjoyed by Nobel Prize winners (Miłosz, Szymborska) and political dignitaries (Vaclav Havel, Helmut Kohl) alike. The menu changes every month and is kept simple by Chef Marcin Filipkiewicz who offers a