Welcome to our short guide to the best street food in Krakow! Are you visiting the cultural capital of Poland? If you’re a foodie like us, you’re probably interested in exploring the city’s street food scene while sightseeing. Krakow, Poland, is known for having rich history and culture, but it also has great street food. In Krakow, street food comes in many forms. You can find regional, national and international delicacies made of a great variety of ingredients. In case you wonder what to eat and where to find quality street food in Krakow, we've prepared a quick guide to give you some ideas. W

Where to find a good food truck in Krakow?

Before we get into our list of most common Polish street food, here are a few suggestions for places where you’re most likely to find it. You’ll see that some snacks are easy to find everywhere in the city, including the Old Town. For others, we recommend checking out Hala Targowa (an outdoor market) or Plac Nowy (eng. The New Square) in the district of Kazimierz (known as the Old Jewish Quarter). Are you looking for an actual food truck park with a variety of food to choose from? We recommend the Judah Square Food Truck Park in Kazimierz or the trendy Dworek Street Food Park close to the Old Town.  You can also venture outside the city centre. For example, in the interesting Nowa Huta district, there’s the Encek Food Truck Park.

What to eat from street food trucks in Krakow

You already know what places in Krakow are your best bet when it comes to finding street food. Now, it’s time to see what kind of tasty food you can find there.

1) Obwarzanek

Since it’s considered a symbol of Krakow, we have to start our list from Obwarzanek. If the name doesn’t mean anything to you, don’t worry, we don’t blame you. Obwarzanek is a type of bagel, also known as a pretzel. It has a chewy texture and is usually sprinkled with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. It is believed that this braided pretzel originated centuries ago in Kazimierz, Krakow’s Jewish Quarter. You are likely to find Obwarzanki easily enough all around the city, but the Old Town should be the easiest. There, you can get them from street vendors on pretty much every corner. Krakow bagels are perfect if you’re feeling peckish and want to eat something on the go. In addition, they are very cheap. If you want to know more about this Krakow bagel, we have an entire post about it here –> https://mrshuttle.com/what-is-krakow-bagel/

Krakow Pretzel

2) Maczanka

Maczanka is typical for the region and popular among the locals. It is a pork tenderloin sandwich with lots of sauce, which makes for messy eating, but very satisfied taste buds. Other ingredients are cheese, parsley, butter, pepper and salt, among others. Of course, these days you can find a few varieties of it on the menu. Want to know the best food truck in Krakow to try a mouth-watering maczanka? Most locals would say you should head to the Andrus Food Truck at Judah Food Market.

3) Zapiekanka

Typical not only for Krakow but the whole of Poland, zapiekanka is very popular Polish street food. With its origins in the communist era, it’s very simple but does the job of keeping your stomach happy. Served hot, it is a baguette cut in half (lengthwise) most often covered with cheese, ham, mushrooms and ketchup. The baguette is briefly baked in the oven to melt the cheese and make the bread crunchy. Many compare it to a baguette pizza, but decide on your own and let us know what you think. If you want one of these delights, then we suggest that you head over to Plac Nowy. There, you will often see lines of people waiting to get theirs.

4) Grilled oscypek served with cranberries

Have a taste of Polish cuisine in the form of an oscypek, a smoked cheese made from salted sheep milk. The real oscypek is produced only in the mountains and it’s easiest to find it in Zakopane. However, if you’re not planning to visit Zakopane anytime soon, Krakow is a good place to try it. Look in the Former Jewish District or the Old Town. If you do plan a trip to Zakopane, have a look at what other food you should try there.

Polish smoked cheese made of sheep's milk

5) Kiełbasa

There’s really not much to say about kiełbasa (sausage). If you’re hungry and don’t care about frills, getting a freshly grilled sausage is an effective solution. We recommend getting one from Kiełbaski z Niebieskiej Nyski (eng. Sausages from the Blue Nyska). This is quite possibly the first food truck in Krakow. Started over 25 years ago, to this day you can go to Hala Targowa and have a grilled sausage from the Blue Nysa van (Nysa is a van model from the communist times). If you get stuck looking for the van, ask a local, everyone knows it! Another great and popular food truck for sausages from different kinds of meat is Walenty Kania “Kuchnia dla odważnych” (eng. Walenty Kania’s Kitchen for the brave).

6) Pierogi

If you’re looking for some traditional cuisine, don’t pass on a stuffed dumpling. There are many restaurants that serve pierogi, arguably the most popular Polish dish. You can also get them from food trucks. Stuffed dumplings in Poland are typically filled with cabbage, mushrooms or ground meat. However, these days you can find them with all kinds of fillings. For example, you can try sweet pierogi with fruit like strawberries or blueberries. Yum!

7) Knysza

A bread roll filled to the brim with local ingredients. Usually there are plenty of veggies like cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and roasted onions with mayo or garlic sauce. Although most popular in the Silesia region and Wroclaw, you can find Knysza on the food truck menu in Krakow too.

8) Kumpir

Hungry as a wolf and want a filling meal? You can’t go wrong with a kumpir. The name probably doesn’t ring a bell, but you can compare it to the UK’s jacket potato. It is a stuffed baked potato of an impressive size to allow for a lot of filling. Kumpir can be served with a variety of fillings and there is usually a plethora of them on the menu. Ingredients can include bacon, mushrooms, cottage cheese, Greek salad and many, many more. Just choose whichever one strikes your fancy.

8) Burgers

Like in many other places around the world, burgers are a popular street food also in Krakow. So if you’re looking for something more international, you’ll find plenty of food trucks around the city selling delicious burgers. You can even find some with a local twist. Among the most popular places is Kiosk Streat Slow Food.

9) Rurki z kremem

If you’re craving some sugar, we also have a dessert option for you. Rurki z kremem (sometimes called waffle torpedoes) are cream rolls – waffles tubes filled with whipped cream. You can find this sweet snack in most cafes, pastry shops and some ice cream food trucks.

10) Pączki

If rurki z kremem a.k.a. waffle torpedoes are not sweet enough for you, fresh doughnuts are another good dessert to have while in Poland. Rather than having a hole in the middle like donuts, Polish doughnuts are typically jelly-filled instead. Of course, you can find them with many other sweet fillings. To find the best pączki in Krakow, avoid buying them from supermarkets. Rather, look for fresh ones from bakeries or places that specialize in them.

Explore more of Poland

Once your stomach is satisfied, you can continue with your sightseeing. If you haven’t seen much of Krakow yet, consider joining MrShuttle’s Krakow Memorial Route Tour or book this private city walk with a tour guide. And if you’ve already seen Krakow’s attractions in the city centre, we recommend experiencing the ideal socialist city on our Nowa Huta Tour. We have many more tours in Krakow that you can check out here –> https://mrshuttle.com/destination/poland/krakow/?tours