Top 10 Street Food You Must Try In Kraków, Poland

1. Kielbasa (lightly smoked sausage)

Kiełbasa is a favorite among street food lovers in Krakow, Poland. This is a lightly smoked sausage made from pork, lamb, chicken, beef, or turkey meat. Since the meat is cooked through smoking, you can eat it directly from the package. Kielbasa is full of flavor, as the meat is prepared with onion, garlic, and black pepper before it is smoked. It is mostly sold on the streets, but there are also restaurants and food trucks that dish out this delicious sausage.

2. Obwarzanek (a ring-shaped braided bread)

Obwarzanek is a ring-shaped braided bread, sprinkled with sesame seeds and salt. You can see it sold in blue rolling carts in every corner of the city. People in Krakow have been baking and selling this bread for more than 600 years. Because of its long presence, it is considered a symbol of the city and has been declared a protected regional food.

This bread is tasty, chewy, and filling and it is a common sight to see people munching the ring-shaped bread while walking on the city streets.

3. Polish paczki (fried doughnut)

Polish pączki resemble doughnuts, but can be filled with bits of orange zest, icing, jelly or jam, and other sweets. A sprinkling of powdered sugar adds to its sweetness and people with sweet tooth crave this local treat. In the United States, there is even a day named Paczki Day, which falls on a Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. In Poland, it is held on a Thursday after Ash Wednesday. During these days, sales of paczki reach their highest compared to any other days of the year.

4. Kumpir (baked potato)

Kumpir is a baked potato dish that is a popular street food in Krakow, Poland. To prepare the delicacy, the potato is baked in a special oven. The baked potato must be well-done, with the inside fluffy and the skin crispy.

The potato is cut in the middle and fillings are placed on top. Usual fillings may include cheese, sour cream, and chives. However, the Krakow Kumpir has more fillings, such as coleslaw, pickled cabbage, beets, sweet corn, olives, and a lot more. Kumpir is not just an ordinary baked potato dish – it has elevated this simple food to the next level.

5. Maczanka sandwich (pork tenderloin sandwich)

If you love street food, try a maczanka sandwich when you visit Krakow, Poland. This is a pork tenderloin cooked until tender and coarsely ground. Ingredients include parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, pepper, butter, and salt. The meat can be in the sandwich or as a topping and an ample amount of sauce is added.

This is a delicious and filling snack but beware! Because plenty of sauce is used, eating this street food might be a messy business, with sauce dripping from your mouth and onto hands and clothes! People that eat maczanka for the first time should be extra careful not to get sauce all over them.

6. Zapiekanka (open-faced sandwich)

Zapiekanka is a type sandwich that is made of a half of a baguette when sliced lengthwise. Any long bread roll can be used in place of a baguette. Placed on top of the open-faced bread are pineapple slices, bacon, mushrooms, ham, pickled cucumbers, olives, and a spicy sauce. Cheese and ketchup are also added.

The sandwich is placed inside an oven until the cheese has melted and the zapiekanka is ready to eat. Enjoy your sandwich while walking around the lovely city of Krakow.

7. Burgers

Burgers can be bought everywhere, all over the world. This comfort food is highly popular, but you can’t say that once you have tasted one, you tasted them all. All hamburgers are made with buns, but the toppings may vary. If you happen to visit Krakow, try the burgers and you’ll taste the difference. The burgers in Krakow are among the best in Poland. Have one and keep your guts full and happy with this delicious street food in Krakow.

8. Baguette

Baguettes are another popular street food in Krakow, Poland. It is a French bread but you’ll see people on the streets of Krakow munching a baguette on their way to work or to the shops and malls. Baguettes are also used for making the above-mentioned open-faced sandwich or for a submarine sandwich. When toppings are added, baguettes can be a filling snack.

9. Oscypek (smoked cheese)

Oscypek, or smoked cheese, is delicious street food in Poland. The cheese is made from the milk of sheep that are raised in the Tatra Mountains of Poland. The cheese is salted and smoked. During the holidays, oscypek occupies an honored place on the table, along with other sumptuous dishes prepared for special occasions. You can also visit food stalls where you can buy oscypek at any time of the year.

10. Offal (meat from internal organs)

Offal is a kind of street food in Krakow that is basically the internal organs of pigs, cows, and lamb, as the main ingredients. In Krakow, you can enjoy mouth-watering barbecued or grilled offal, dipped in a sauce that you have the privilege to choose. The meat can also be cooked and used as a filling for sandwiches or meat pies. Sweetbreads are cooked offal and not really bread. Those who have visited Krakow love this dish.

Discover the filling street food you must try in Krakow, Poland

If you are trying to see everything in Krakow in one day, don’t hesitate. You do not need to visit a restaurant and waste time waiting for your food to be served. You can keep your guts happy by enjoying some filling street food along the way. You can easily satiate your hunger by finding these top street foods you must try in Krakow, Poland.