Snacks

Camelot is a unique place in Krakow, famous not only for its cabaret but also for its charming cafe and localization in one of the few crooked streets in an Old Town. Cafe Camelot located on the alley of Tomasza street has enchanting decor, full of incredible keepsakes, like paintings and folkloric figurines. In the original interior from the XIII century there are cozy rooms with old wooden floors, cluttered with rickety chairs, little candlelit tables and white tablecloths. I think you’ll feel like you’re in granny’s cottage. During the summer you can sit in one of the two gardens, surrounded by old walls and plants (there are blankets in case you’re cold).

You can eat here something good for breakfast or lunch, but they’re known for serving delicious coffees, hot chocolates, teas and desserts. In Cafe Camelot you will find probably the best szarlotka (apple pie) in town – hot pie served with vanilla ice-cream, cinnamon and whipped cream.

For an incentive I can only quote what David Streitfeld, Washington Post writer  claimed in 1998 in his article, “[it] might just be my favourite café in the world”.

The name of this place – Morela means apricot but in this place you won’t think about fruits as the food offered here will help you forget about them. Morela offers dishes from Polish cuisine and it is one of not many places where you can eat buckwheat, and not as addition to another dish, instead of potatoes.

You should know that in the past buckwheat and other types of groats were even more popular than potatoes. In Morela you can eat buckwheat as a main dish and I really recommend trying it but if you’re not sure you’ll become a fan of this type of food just ask the waiter for a sample. It is possible to choose one of few types of buckwheat – for example the one with bacon and plums, grilled chicken or peppers and olives. For every dish they offer also 2 types of sauces (horseradish and one of three choices: garlic, spicy and cocktail). Everything is baked in the oven and served on the wooden board with side dishes of salad and pickles. And be aware of horseradish sauce -sometimes it can be hot as hell!

But if you want to try something else I recommend you try a salad with lettuce, orange, blue cheese and cucumber.

Morela is a great place to have a coffee and some dessert while reading a book (your own or borrowed from their reference library).

At Morela you can choose seats inside the restaurant, in internal garden or tables at main street.

The name of this place is associated with design of its interior. Inside the cafe you will see plants – some of them are real and some of them, the ones made of metal, are twisted fancifully. Together they make an unusual contrast.

Café Botanica was the first café on Bracka street and still is very popular among people. It is a great place to have an afternoon coffee or tea while sitting by the huge window opened during the summer and watching people passing by. During winter time you warm up drinking hot wine or mead.

This place is also known for its food – tarts, quiches, salads and ciabatta sandwiches. Also you can try one of the types of toast, one not made from toast bread but from podpłomyk (a simple kind of flat bread made without yeast, a common kind of food in ancient Slavic societies).

It’s always difficult to decide what to eat there but I personally recommend you cheese tart with three types of cheese, rucola and tomatoes, fresh and as well sun-dried.

Every time I go to Mamma Mia I want to quote the famous saying of Oscar Wilde “I can resist everything but temptation”, and the temptation is food that tastes like in Italy.

This place consists of two separate units. One of them, with entry from Karmelicka street, we call railroad car because it is narrow and long. The second part with an entrance a few steps away, in the gate, is more cozy. When you enter the place you’ll see the cooks and before you take a place you will smell food that makes you feel really hungry. You can try there one of their calzone, delicious pastas (made according to Italian recipes) or simply pizza – delicate, thin crust from wood-fired oven.

Mamma Mia is very popular place and if you don’t like to wait for a table you better reserve one earlier; I always do that.

A good old Polish saying states “The fish likes swimming”. This combines two very famous Polish dishes – Vodka and herring. The first one no needs to be introduced to anyone. Everyone knows the taste. The last one is a specialty of Poland. If you want to taste how the best herring in Krakow tastes, you must visit the “Ambasada Sledzia”, which literally means The Embassy of Herring.

The place is quite big. It has a huge space outside where you can sit and relax during warm, summer evenings.

The design of the spot is really unique and the one who decorated it had an idea. There is a lot of black and white color broken with cemented bottles. Boring, white walls were topped with entries of the Embassy valuable visitors and decorated with poetry and the image of herring. The menu, which is by the way really simple, is written on the charcoal blackboard.

The rules are simple – you drink for 4 PLN and you eat for 8 PLN.

Let’s get back to herring. You definitely will not find better herring in anywhere. The place serves herring in many tastes – herring with onion and oil, herring in mustard (try this one I love it), herring with beets and many more.

As a complete appetitive, you need to order one of the Polish vodka specialties “Pigwowka”. Or if you prefer crystal polish vodka, go for shot. There is nothing better than delicious herring “swimming” in the shot of quality polish vodka.