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Food tours in Krakow: what to eat and which tour to book
Kraków eats like southern Poland: pierogi with potato and cheese or meat, sour rye soup (żurek), stews of cabbage and sausage, smoked sheep's cheese from the Tatra highlands, and the ring-shaped obwarzanek sold from street carts on almost every corner. Much of the best value is in milk bars (bar mleczny), cheap canteens left over from the communist era, and in late-night snack food such as the zapiekanka baguettes of Plac Nowy in Kazimierz. Prices are still noticeably lower than in Western Europe, although restaurants on the Main Market Square charge for the view.
Use this page to decide what to order and where. The dishes and areas below say what each place does well and when its stalls are open. The tours are real listings on GetYourGuide and Viator; most prices are approximate because we could not open every listing, and group sizes and prices change, so confirm on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Krakow
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumplings pierogi | Boiled (sometimes then fried) dumplings. The classic Kraków filling is ruskie: potato, curd cheese and onion. Meat, sauerkraut-and-mushroom and sweet fruit versions are common. | Milk bars in the Old Town and Kazimierz for the cheap version; sit-down Polish restaurants for larger portions. | roughly PLN 15–25 a plate in a milk bar, PLN 30–45 in a restaurant (about €4–11) |
| Sour rye soup żurek | Tangy soup made from fermented rye flour with white sausage and a hard-boiled egg, sometimes served inside a hollowed-out bread loaf. | Milk bars and traditional Polish restaurants across the Old Town and Kazimierz. | roughly PLN 12–20 in a milk bar, PLN 25–35 in a bread bowl at a restaurant (about €3–8) |
| Open-faced baguette zapiekanka | Half a baguette topped with mushrooms and melted cheese, then ketchup and many optional extras; Poland's classic late-night snack. | The hatches around the round market hall (Okrąglak) on Plac Nowy in Kazimierz. | roughly PLN 15–30 depending on size and toppings (about €4–7) |
| Kraków bread ring obwarzanek krakowski | Boiled-then-baked ring of dough, topped with poppy seeds, sesame or salt. It has EU protected status and is sold from blue street carts all day. | Street carts throughout the Old Town, the Planty park and near tram stops; best early in the day when fresh. | about PLN 3–4 each (under €1) |
| Smoked highland cheese oscypek | Smoked sheep's milk cheese from the Tatra highlands, usually grilled and served with cranberry sauce. Note that much of what is sold in the city is cow's-milk 'gołka' or similar cheese rather than true oscypek, which is seasonal. | Grill stalls at Stary Kleparz and at the Christmas market on the Main Market Square; highland-style restaurants. | roughly PLN 5–10 per piece (about €1–2.50) |
| Grilled sausage from the blue van kiełbasa z grilla | Grilled pork sausage with mustard and bread, sold at night from a pair of blue vans beside the Hala Targowa market hall; a Kraków institution after a night out. | Ulica Grzegórzecka, next to Hala Targowa, in the evenings. | roughly PLN 20–30 for a sausage with bread (about €5–7) |
| Hunter's stew bigos | Slow-cooked sauerkraut and fresh cabbage with several kinds of meat and sausage, often with prunes or mushrooms. | Traditional Polish restaurants and milk bars; also at the Christmas market in season. | roughly PLN 18–40 a portion depending on the place (about €4–9) |
| Potato pancakes placki ziemniaczane | Fried grated-potato pancakes served with sour cream, or 'po węgiersku' (Hungarian style) under a goulash. | Milk bars and Polish restaurants. | roughly PLN 15–35 depending on topping (about €4–8) |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Plac Nowy (Kazimierz)
Square in the old Jewish quarter with a round market hall (Okrąglak) whose hatches sell zapiekanki late into the night. By day there are small market stalls, and at weekends a flea and second-hand market. The surrounding streets are full of bars and cafés.
Stary Kleparz
Old covered and open-air produce market just north of the Old Town, used by locals for fruit, vegetables, cheese, cured meat, bread and pickles; good place to buy smoked cheese and seasonal berries or mushrooms.
Hala Targowa (Grzegórzecka)
Market hall east of the Old Town, known for its Sunday flea market and, at night, the blue sausage vans on the street outside.
Kazimierz
Former Jewish quarter with the city's densest mix of restaurants, cafés and bars: Jewish-style restaurants around Ulica Szeroka, Polish bistros, street food and craft beer. Most food tours visit it.
Old Town milk bars
Cafeteria-style bar mleczny canteens on and around Grodzka and other streets off the Main Market Square serve pierogi, soups and pancakes at very low prices; you order at a counter and collect when your dish is called.
Main Market Square (Rynek Główny)
The historic square has the obwarzanek carts and, from late November to around Christmas, a large Christmas market with grilled cheese, sausages and mulled wine. Restaurants on the square itself are the most expensive in town.
Food tours in Krakow compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krakow Old Town and Kazimierz Half-Day Food Tour | half day (about 3–4 hours) | about €75–95 per adult (seen as roughly $82–103) | — | First-timers who want both the Old Town and Kazimierz in one tour; the tastings amount to a full meal. | Check dates |
| Krakow: 4-Hour Polish Food Tour | 4 hours | from €98 per person | max 8 | Travellers with a long afternoon or evening who want the tour to replace a meal. | Check dates |
| Krakow: Guided Polish Food and Drink Tour with Tastings | about 3.5 hours (as indicated by the listing address; confirm on the page) | from €93 per person | — | Visitors staying in or near Kazimierz who want food and local drinks with background on the district. | Check dates |
| Krakow: Street Food Walking Tour | 1.5 - 2 hours | from €39 per person | private (your group only) | Budget-conscious travellers and anyone who prefers snacks to sit-down tastings. | Check dates |
| Krakow: Traditional Jewish Ashkenazi Food Tour | 3 hours | from €94 per person | max 10 | Visitors interested in Kazimierz's Jewish history; a different angle from the standard Polish food tours. | Check dates |
| Krakow: Pierogi Power Cooking Class with Marta | 3 hours | from €68 per person | — | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
Krakow Old Town and Kazimierz Half-Day Food Tour
On Viator
- Length
- half day (about 3–4 hours)
- Price
- about €75–95 per adult (seen as roughly $82–103)
- Included
- 13–14 foods with vodka and craft beer: 3–4 street-food samples plus 10–11 samples of Polish dishes such as homemade pierogi, regional soups, main dishes and a dessert.
- Suits
- First-timers who want both the Old Town and Kazimierz in one tour; the tastings amount to a full meal.
- Starts
- Old Town (check listing)
Krakow: 4-Hour Polish Food Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Eat Polska
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €98 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 40 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 8
- Included
- Tastings of traditional Polish food at several venues; check the listing for drinks included.
- Suits
- Travellers with a long afternoon or evening who want the tour to replace a meal.
Krakow: Guided Polish Food and Drink Tour with Tastings
On GetYourGuide · run by Delicious Poland
- Length
- about 3.5 hours (as indicated by the listing address; confirm on the page)
- Price
- from €93 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 165 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Polish food and drink tastings, focused on Kazimierz.
- Suits
- Visitors staying in or near Kazimierz who want food and local drinks with background on the district.
- Starts
- Meet next to Three Musicians Fountain at Plac Wolnica Square at Kazimierz district
Krakow: Street Food Walking Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by EXCURSIONS CITY
- Length
- 1.5 - 2 hours
- Price
- from €39 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 420 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- private (your group only)
- Included
- Street food tastings on foot; typical Kraków street foods are obwarzanek, zapiekanka and grilled oscypek, but check the listing for the exact menu.
- Suits
- Budget-conscious travellers and anyone who prefers snacks to sit-down tastings.
Krakow: Traditional Jewish Ashkenazi Food Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by BestKrakowWalks
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €94 per person
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- A selection of Israeli mezze and a full Ashkenazi Jewish meal, with the history and heritage of Kraków's Jews.
- Suits
- Visitors interested in Kazimierz's Jewish history; a different angle from the standard Polish food tours.
- Starts
- The guide will be waiting just by the main entrance to 'Tempel' synagogue
Krakow: Pierogi Power Cooking Class with Marta
On GetYourGuide · run by Pierogi Power
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €68 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 9 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Welcome drink (tea and coffee) Aprons Cooking class Pierogi making Home-made cheesecake with salty caramel sauce Fresh coffee or tea Transportation to the location
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- The address is ul. Władysława Anczyca 11 / 5 (ie building number 11, apartment 5 on Anczyca Street). It is very easy to get to, being about 10 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes by tram from Rynek Glowny, if you take a tram, choose number 1, 2 or 6 heading to Salwator, and take the stop after that (it is the final stop where the trams turn around after the Salwator Pętla stop). It is then a pleasant 4-minute walk up the hill to the apartment.
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Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Kraków street food is mostly snacks: obwarzanek from carts by day, zapiekanki at Plac Nowy and grilled sausage from the blue vans at Hala Targowa at night, plus grilled oscypek at markets. It is cheap and filling, and much of it is eaten late, after the bars.
Sit-down meals
For Polish cooking at its cheapest, use a milk bar: order at the counter, pay, and wait for your dish to be called; menus are often only in Polish, so have a translation app ready. Polish restaurants in Kazimierz and the Old Town side streets serve fuller versions with beer or vodka. Restaurants directly on the Main Market Square cost noticeably more for similar food.
Cooking classes
Pierogi classes are the standard option: you make the dough and two or so fillings, then eat the result, usually with a drink. Local operators such as Delicious Poland and Eat Polska run them; we did not confirm a cooking class listing on GetYourGuide or Viator for this page, so book through the operator or check the platforms yourself.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | PLN 80–120, about €19–28 (obwarzanek breakfast, milk-bar lunch, zapiekanka at night) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | PLN 180–260, about €42–60 (two sit-down meals with a beer or wine) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | PLN 450+, about €105+ (tasting menu at a well-known restaurant with drinks) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Workable. Pierogi ruskie (potato and cheese), sauerkraut-and-mushroom pierogi, potato pancakes, zapiekanki and many soups are meat-free, but żurek, bigos and many broths contain sausage or meat stock, and smalec (lard spread) arrives as a free starter in many places. Kraków has a good number of vegan restaurants, mostly in Kazimierz and the Old Town.
Halal: Halal options are limited to kebab shops and a few Middle Eastern or Indian restaurants. Pork is in a large share of traditional Polish dishes (sausage, lard, bacon in pierogi and stews), so ask before ordering. Vegetarian pierogi are the safest traditional choice.
Gluten-free: Harder than in Italy. Pierogi, obwarzanek, zapiekanki and żurek (rye) all contain gluten. Many mid-range restaurants mark gluten-free ('bezglutenowe') dishes on the menu, but milk bars rarely do and cross-contamination is common.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Men approached on Floriańska Street and around the Main Market Square, often by friendly women, and invited to a bar or club where the drinks bill runs to thousands of złoty, sometimes charged to a card under pressure. Foreign embassies have warned about this for years. Decline invitations from strangers to 'a great bar nearby', check drink prices before ordering, and keep your card in sight.
- Dynamic currency conversion: card terminals in restaurants and exchange machines offer to charge you in euros or your home currency at a poor rate. Always choose to pay in PLN (złoty).
- Poor-rate exchange offices (kantor) and euro ATMs around the Main Market Square and Floriańska. Compare the buy/sell rates shown, use exchange offices a few streets away, or withdraw złoty from a bank ATM and decline the conversion offer.
- Restaurant terraces on the Main Market Square and Floriańska with prices well above the rest of the city, plus a service charge added for groups. Read the menu prices before you sit, check the bill for 'serwis', and eat a few streets away in the Old Town side streets or Kazimierz.
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Common questions
Do I need to tip in Kraków?
Around 10% is normal in sit-down restaurants when service was good; nothing is expected at milk bars, street stalls or counters. Be careful with the word 'dziękuję' (thank you) when the waiter takes your payment: it is often understood as 'keep the change'. Check whether a service charge is already on the bill, especially for groups. On food tours, guides appreciate a tip of roughly PLN 20–40 per person.
Which food tour is best for a first visit?
A half-day tour that covers both the Old Town and Kazimierz is the simplest choice: it gives you pierogi, soups, street food and usually vodka in one go, and replaces a meal. If you are mainly interested in Jewish history, the Ashkenazi food tour in Kazimierz is a different angle. If you are on a tight budget, eat at milk bars and Plac Nowy instead; that covers the basics for little money.
Is street food in Kraków safe?
Generally yes. Zapiekanki, obwarzanki and grilled sausages are cooked in front of you and sell in large volumes, so turnover is high. The usual rules apply: busy stalls are better, and grilled cheese and sausage should be hot through. Tap water in Kraków is officially safe to drink, though many locals still buy bottled water.
How much should I budget for food per day?
On a budget, about PLN 80–120 (€19–28) covers an obwarzanek and coffee, a milk-bar lunch of soup and pierogi, and a zapiekanka or sausage in the evening. A mid-range day with two restaurant meals and a drink is roughly PLN 180–260 (€42–60). Tasting menus at well-known restaurants start around PLN 350–500 before drinks.
When are the markets open?
Stary Kleparz usually opens Monday to Saturday from early morning to late afternoon, with shorter Sunday hours; mornings are best. The zapiekanka hatches at Plac Nowy open from late morning until late at night. The blue sausage vans by Hala Targowa work in the evenings, roughly from 20:00 into the early hours. Hours change on public holidays, so check before a special trip.
Should I book food tours in advance?
In summer, at weekends and during the Christmas market period, book a few days ahead, as small-group tours fill. Outside those times a day or two is usually enough. Most GetYourGuide and Viator listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, so booking early carries little risk. Tell the operator about vegetarian or other dietary needs when you book.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.