Food | Postcards From Here and There

Eating and Drinking in Kraków

The good news is that you can eat and drink in Kraków relatively cheaply which is excellent news if you are on a budget. It is perfectly possible to eat a simple two course meal for less than £5 and be more than satisfied with what you had. Eat Polish food if you want the best value and bargains, eating local dishes is one of the reasons I like to travel and I am sure that’s the case for many. If you like some variety there are restaurants offering a range of different cuisines from around the world as wells more fine dining options. The choice is yours. Here are some favourites from a recent visit to the city.

OLD TOWN

Pod Wawelem (Gertrudy 26-29). Close to Wawel Castle this is traditional Polish food served in a beer hall style setting. There is seating in a conservatory if you prefer something a little quieter. Portions here are very generous and you are unlikely to leave hungry. Beer served in steins is a speciality here and very good it is too, cold and refreshing after a day seeing the sights.

Milkbar Tomasza (Tomasza 24). Milkbars were popular and a common sight throughout Poland in the communist era as they offered cheap and filling food for workers. Since the fall of communism they have declined in number but Tomasza is still going strong. Order at the counter and your meal will be delivered to your table quite quickly. Expect good quality Polish food with the modern addition of paninis on offer. Milkbars do not traditionally serve alcohol and Tomasza is no exception.

U Babci Maliny (Stawkowska 17). Not the easiest place to find but well worth the effort. You must go through the building into the courtyard in the middle and then down the stairs to the basement where you will find the restaurant. It is well signposted along the way. The decor is fantastic and the food excellent. Seating is on benches at communal tables but don’t let that put you off. Order at the counter and they give you a ticket with a number. Wait until your number appears on the digital display and collect from the counter.

Gospoda Koko (Golebia 8). Close to the main square this charming restaurant offers quality local food at very affordable prices. Its much bigger than it appears, although there are relatively few tables as you enter from the street there is masses of additional seating downstairs. Once again order at the counter and food will be brought to your table. If you want alcoholic drinks you have to go to the downstairs bar for them and you can then take them to your table upstairs.

Stoccaggio Wine Bar (Krupnicza 9). Wine bar just east of the Old Town serving mainly European Wines and small plates. The wine by the glass list here is by grape variety so you are not really sure what you are going to get but the choices were fine on our visit. You can also buy wine to take away here as well.

House of Beer (Swietego Tomasza 35). If craft beer is your thing this is the place for you. With twelve taps and a huge choice of bottles there is something for everyone here. It certainly gets busy here but if its full at street level they open the downstairs area which is huge with very comfortable seating. Food here is also very good with burgers, hot wings and nachos on the menu.

Café Philo ( Tomasza 30). A small but atmospheric bar just round the corner from the House of Beer. Lots of posters and books to be found here and it is a bar with many locals drinking on their way home from work. Some nice jazz plays in the background.

KAZIMIERZ

The Jewish Quarter is home to many restaurants, cafés and bars. It is a bustling and busy place and well worth spending some time in after sight seeing is done for the day.

Kuchnia u Doroty (Augustiańska 4). Light and airy restaurant with some excellent local food, I particularly enjoyed the potato pancakes with goulash and there were many other interesting dishes on offer. It is full table service here and diners are served a complementary fruit juice on arrival which I thought was a very nice touch.

Alchemia (Estery 5). A cafe by day and a bar come evening time. Don’t expect to do some quiet reading of your guide book here as its dimly lit and has a shabby chic vibe which works really well. A great place to stop off for a beer before heading off to dinner.

Artefact Café (Dajwór 3). Came across this cafe/bar when walking back to the Old Town from Oskar Schindlers Factory in Podgórze. Consists of two rooms, one with shelves lined with books and the other with an interesting selection of photographs on the wall.

Domowka Café (Miodowa 28). Just loved this place. Called in early evening and the place was really busy, always a good sign, and there were no available tables. The helpful guy behind the bar suggested additional seating downstairs and we were lucky to bag the last table. Nearly everyone was playing board games and the atmosphere was lovely. On top of this they have a great range of craft beers. We stayed much longer than intended!

PODGÓRZE

Krako Slow Wines (Lipowa 6). Called after a visit to Oskar Schindlers Factory as its next door and was not disappointed. Serving natural wines, beers and a nice selection of dishes for both lunch and dinner. Staff are knowledgeable and very helpful when choosing wines. Wish I could have spent more time here.

Covent Garden

Covent Garden ranks among the top tourist destinations in London. It actually covers quite a large area but many visitors don’t ever go far beyond the famous piazza. Once the home of a fruit, vegetable and flower market the square is now bustling with shops, bars, restaurants and street performers. It can get very busy, especially at weekends, so not surprisingly the best time to visit if you don’t like the crowds is early morning while most people are still tucking in to the hotel buffet breakfast. This gives the best opportunity to savour the area and its buildings which include the Royal Opera House and St Pauls Church which is also known locally as the Actors Church.

Beyond the piazza there is so much more to enjoy, especially in the narrow streets in and around Seven Dials. It is such a lovely area to wander around with its eclectic mix of independent retailers, restaurants, coffee shops and bars. Here are some of my personal favourites in and around the Covent Garden area.

Timberyard (7 Upper St Martins Lane). Proudly providing workspaces for remote workers and digital nomads this is so much more than a café. The window area is consequently always busy with customers working away on laptops but the central area, with its multi coloured seating, is designated as laptop free for those that want to indulge in the art of conversation. Not only is the coffee here excellent, with beans from East End Coffee, there is also a very good range of food and snacks. Oh and the service here is superb.

Monmouth Coffee (27 Monmouth Street). An institution in Seven Dials having opened as long ago as 1978 when they roasted beans in the basement and brewed coffee in the shop above. The roasting is now undertaken elsewhere but the coffee in the shop remains as good as ever. They take pride here in sourcing coffee from small independent growers around the world so there is always something new on offer. The only downside is that the shop is small with only a limited amount of seating but the coffee is so good no one really minds.

Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels (Neal’s Yard). This delightful courtyard, named after seventeenth century developer Thomas Neale, is picture perfect complete with climbing plants, hanging baskets and planters. This makes it a popular haunt and it is well worth a visit. Home to numerous cafés, and health food outlets it also houses Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels wine bar and restaurant. The menu here is largely French as is the excellent wine list. It is ideal for a quick glass at the end of a busy day seeing the sights. They have a great selection of champagnes here if you feel like celebrating or just fancy some bubbles.

Neals Yard Dairy ( 17 Short’s Gardens). London has some great cheese shops and this is one of them. Specialising in mainly British and Irish cheeses it is a great place to come if you want to discover more about local products. They also offer courses but for those you will have to travel to their other outlet in Borough Market.

The Cross Keys (31 Endell Street). The demise of the great British pub has been well documented in recent years. If you want to a see an example of why they should be wholeheartedly supported and preserved look no further than the Cross Keys. The exterior is enticing enough in itself with its lush vegetation and floral hanging baskets. You could almost be excused for not being able to locate the door. Inside it has real character with plenty of pictures, instruments, mirrors and bric a brac. A real feast for the eyes. The beer is pretty good too.

10 Cases (16 Endell Street). Restaurant, shop, wine bar, there is something for everyone here. For me though its all about the wine. Not content to serve the same wines all the time the philosophy here is one variety and exploration. The wines change frequently, are always excellent and prices are reasonable compared to many similar establishments in central London. It does get quite busy as people leave work so getting in can sometimes be a challenge but it is well worth it.

Hawksmoor (11 Langley Street). Located in there basement of the former Watney-Combe brewery this is probably my favourite steak restaurant in the capital and is one that I return to time and again. Prices are not cheap but the quality is high and the cocktails excellent. They also have a very reasonable, if limited, pre and post theatre menu. Always advisable to book ahead here.

Stanfords (7 Mercer Walk). A presence in Covent Garden since 1853, and having recently moved from premises on Long Acre to its current location, this is the number one place for travellers. They have an incredible selection of travel, guides and maps downstairs that you will never be stuck for ideas for where your next destination should be. I love it in here and they also serve a nice line in coffee if you feel you need a little caffeine to help with the browsing and decision making.

Dishoom (12 Upper St Martins Lane). Always popular and busy at any time of day and it is easy to see why. A Bombay styled café in the heart of London serving delicious Indian food that you won’t find on more traditional restaurant menus. The no reservation policy except for parties of ten or more means you may have to wait for a table but its well worth it. Go for breakfast/brunch, it makes for a great start to the day.

Margot (45 Great Queen Street). I went here for an early dinner one evening recently and was very impressed. From the minute you walk in the door the welcome and service are excellent. This is a restaurant that I know I shall be visiting again. The Italian menu has such a good range of dishes that I found making a choice difficult, in the end I went with pasta and wasn’t disappointed as it was perfectly cooked. The wine list offers a good range of wines by the glass.

Rules (34-35 Maiden Lane). Rules can lay claim to be London’s oldest restaurant dating back to 1798. It specialises in traditional British food including a good selection of game. Upstairs is the cocktail bar which to me is one of London’s hidden gems. Unquestionably traditional it is a great place to start an evening even if not eating in the restaurant. The cocktails are wonderful and prepared and presented as they should be. Not cheap but well worth if for a special treat.

Polpo (6 Maiden Lane). Following a delightful negroni at Rules head across the street to Polpo for a selection of Venetian small plates of well crafted Italian food. The atmosphere here is casual, relaxed and informal and the food is always good and the bill won’t break the bank.

Champagne + Fromage (22 Wellington Street). An excellent selection of grower champagnes together with a menu that includes cheese and charcuterie boards, salads and baked cheeses. Buy by the glass or bottle you can’t go wrong here if you are a fan of champagne and who isn’t?

Le Caprice

THIS RESTAURANT HAS NOW CLOSED

In a world where restaurants seen to come and go in the blink of an eye there is something reassuring about Le Caprice in London’s Piccadilly. A feature on Arlington Street for over thirty years it stands as a testament to the fact that if you give people what they want they will come back again and again. My visit last week was the first in a number of years but it hadn’t changed much, still as busy as ever and we were extremely lucky to get a table for lunch without a reservation. There are still the celebrity photographs on the walls but it is so much more than that, it is a calm and relaxing dining room despite being busy, where service is attentive without being overbearing. It is so comfortable that you want to come back, maybe not next week, but it will always be on the list of restaurants to visit in London.

The menu has a certain familiarity about it with some well chosen specials of the day. There is something for everyone in what might be described as a modern British style. The cooking is good and consistent across the dishes we had. The tuna ceviche had lovely balance with the chilli complementing and enhancing rather than overpowering with its heat. The John Dory, perhaps my favourite fish, was just excellent, perfectly cooked and with a chorizo croquette that had crispness with a beautifully smooth filling. To finish the Seville orange almond cake was perfectly moist and the olive oil ice cream was subtle and delicate.

Deep fried ricotta stuffed zucchini flower, shaved asparagus and tomato

John Dory roasted with cauliflower and chorizo croquette

Seville orange almond cake with olive oil ice cream.

Mixed berry and honeyed mascarpone with apricot ice creams

The relatively short wine list features mainly French wines along with some well chosen bottles from the rest of the world. We went with the Good Ordinary White from nearby merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd. Nothing ordinary here, bags of lime and gooseberry with freshness and a great accompaniment to lunch. As you might expect from its location prices aren’t cheap here but in my view it offers value for money on many levels and I for one will be back one day.