There is a belief that a Polish dish has to consist of meat – if there is none on the plate, it cannot count as a proper meal. Chimera’s popularity undermines this belief.
It’s a salad bar hidden in the courtyard, very close to the Main Square. You can choose from various cold and warm dishes (some also have meat in them), drinks and desserts. Among old classics there are also fresh, original flavors, like nettle juice or known-but-rare broad beans.
Unless there is a big queue, which happens quite often during lunchtime, you should be able to get your food very quickly and enjoy it in the lovely garden. It’s covered and heated, so you can also sit there during winter (enjoying the seasonal warm soups). It’s a brilliant spot – if you’ve spent more time in Krakow, you’ll surely bump into someone you know.
Chimera is a great example of unpretentious, well-prepared food which can suit very different tastes. Some ingredients are less ‘ordinary’ (rice noodles, mussels, wild rice), but you can also find “typical” Polish flavors, such as celeriac or herring, which are equally good. As a former employee, who had the pleasure of eating these meals during every shift, I can confidently recommend this immensely and continuously popular spot.
