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10 Great Kraków Street Foods You Need To Try
Sure, Kraków has many good restaurants. But there are dishes that are best enjoyed on the streets or on the go. Check out our list of the best Kraków street foods. And if you’re asking “ok, but where to find them?”, the answer is simple: in the streets!:)
(but to make things simple, we’ve added a link to FB profiles of most of foodtrucks and this is where you should head to check their current location)
01. Maczanka sandwich from Andrus Foodtruck
Maczanka is a traditional dish from Lesser Poland region: slice of pork loin served on a roll and slathered in a rich gravy. Chef Kamil Bryś has adapted this old recipe to modern times. At his Andrus Food Truck you can get Maczanka in a convenient sandwich form. Chef Bryś serves slow-cooked and extra tender meat in big roll with copious amount of sauce and various toppings.
Feel warned: this sandwich is still a messy business.
02. Pekelfleisch / cured beef sandwich from Meat & Go
Before reuben and pastrami sandwiches became the staples of Jewish delis in the U.S., cured beef was eaten all over Eastern Europe. At Meat & Go you can get delicious old-school sandwich with cured, slow-cooked beef. The meat is moist and spicy and the bread is liberally dressed with horseradish and mustard. You can even order reuben sandwich as an off-menu item.
03. Zapiekanka from Plac Nowy
Created in the 70. to emulate pizza, it quickly became our go-to fast food. Today you can buy zapiekanka in every Polish city, but only in Kraków it has iconic status. Check out one of the vendors at Plac Nowy‘s (Nowy square) Okrąglak (The Roundhouse). Classic zapiekanka is just a halved baguette topped with mushrooms and cheese baked until the bread gets crispy and the cheese melts. Then it’s garnished with ketchup, chives or fried onions. It’s super simple and super delicious. Today zapiekanka comes in a lot of variations with a bunch of fancy toppings.
04. Offal from Walenty Kania’s “kitchen for adventurous”
Walenty Kania looks like he’s just stepped out of a time machine. The dishes he prepares in his “kitchen for adventurous” as he calls his food truck, are pretty vintage as well. He uses original recipes from 18th and 19th-century Polish cookbooks. And when it comes to offal we used to be really creative back then. The menu changes every day and you can check it on Kania’s Facebook page. Every day there’s different offal-based special. Lambs’ kidneys fried with red pine mushrooms, chicken gizzards stew or beef cheek goulash are among Kania’s signature dishes. You can also taste unusual sausages: roe deer (Bambi), goat and mutton.
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05. Obwarzanek
It looks like a thin bagel or simplified pretzel and it’s actually connected with both. Obwarzanek is the ancestor of today’s bagel. And the bakers who created it where inspired by German pretzel. However, forget cream cheese and lox. Don’t wait till you order a beer. Obwarzanek is a typical mid-day snack. Polish people buy it on their way to work or school and eat it on the go. We don’t make obwarzanek sandwiches and we don’t dip it. The most popular type of obwarzanek is topped with poppy seeds. You can get it with sesame seeds, salt and cheese as well. Obwarzanek has crusty skin, it’s slightly sweet and much lighter thank your typical New York style bagel.
Today we take obwarzanek for granted. You can buy for next to nothing in majority of Polish cities. However, the bakers of Kraków created it in the 15th century as a special gift for the king of Poland. Back than it used to be a real treat!
Look out for obwarzanek stalls in street corners and squares: this is where you buy them.
06. Baked Potato from Pan Kumpir
When you think about eastern European cuisine, stereotypes come to mind: meat and potatoes. Even though Polish cuisine has much more to offer, we still love our potatoes. Kumpir is a nice example of a creative approach to this simple root veggie. Basically, kumpir is a huge baked potato, split in the middle, served with a stuffing of your choosing. The flesh is soft and slightly sweet and the potato has nice and chewy crust. You can order it with just cheese and chives or more elaborate toppings like fried eggs and bacon.
The servings are really big!
07. Ice cream from Starowiślna
It’s probably the most well known ice cream parlor in Kraków, even though it’s more of a „hole-in-the-wall” kind of place. During the season, long lines form outside the shop. The owner – pastry chef Stanisław Sarga has been making ice cream for 30 years. They serve just a few classic flavors, but it’s well worth the wait. The ice cream is all natural, made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
08. Sausage from Blue Nyska
These two guys have been doing this for 24 years, way before food trucks got popular. Every night they park their blue van – „Nyska” in front of Hala Targowa (Grzegórzecka St.). Then they grill sausages over open fire. It’s simple as that. The sausage has crispy, caramelized skin and garlicky taste. It’s served with mustard & ketchup and a fresh bun. It’s a perfect drunk food.
09. ChłopBurger from Streat Slow Food
Polish people fell in love with burgers and today you’ll find them everywhere. Streat Slow Food is probably the best burger joint in Kraków. Besides American-inspired classics, SSF menu showcases local ingredients and flavors. Try ChłopBurger with horseradish sauce, pickles and onion jam.
10. Grilled oscypek with cranberries at street markets
Oscypek cheese is a well-known local delicacy. For some people, the salty and smoky flavor of this firm sheep’s milk cheese is an acquired taste. They usually change their mind after trying grilled oscypek served with cranberries. The combination of flavors (salty, smoky, sweet, sour) and textures is a heaven for taste buds. If you’re heading for Zakopane, the capital of Polish Tatra mountains, you’ll find it everywhere. When in Kraków, look for it in street markets and fairs.
Text: Halina Jasonek
We’re Eat Polska. We run culinary tours about food and vodka in Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk. We’re also passionate foodies and city explorers, and this blog is where we share our hints with you.
- Tags: 10best, best, burger, cracow, food, icecream, krakow, maczanka, obwarzanek, offal, oscypek, street, streetfood, zapiekanka
