Lizzy's Sweet Kitchen

Intro

It should be no surprise by now that I love food, I’ve always loved food. My favorite way to get immersed in a culture is through its food. Food tells stories; it brings together people who might never otherwise step foot in the same room. Food is like superglue, it’s ever-binding to a culture. It shows their history, the hard moments, the wealth, and everything in between.

We set our day in Kraków with a very light food tour, at least by my standards.

Obwarzanek Krakowski

First, we got Obwarzanek Krakowski. You can find them all over the city in blue carts. Some shops sell them, but the authentic experience is from a blue cart vendor. Wyatt chose the sesame flavor. It was a fun early take on the bagel. I know some people are very passionate about not calling this a bagel, but… ummmm, it is a circle of dough and has a pretty similar taste profile. I know this is probably my American side coming out, and I can fully accept that, but I really wanted a spread like cream cheese to complement it.

I usually don’t like bagels, yes, I know, but they’re often too much for me to enjoy casually. Once in a while, they hit the spot, but most of the time I’ll go for whole wheat toast with avocado and lox. Blame my dietitian mom for that. Haha.

Overall, I’d give the Obwarzanek Krakowski a 3 out of 5, which is probably my average rating. Why? I have jaw problems, Wyatt doesn’t, and we both split it, but at the end, we both said our jaws were tired. This probably had to do with freshness, maybe it wasn’t baked that morning. The flavor was good, nothing to complain about, but it didn’t wow me. Sesame and bread, it’s comforting and nostalgic for some, but not mind-blowing. I would love a spread, though. I completely get that it breaks the convenience of the snack, but I am a sauce and dip lady wholeheartedly, I can’t change that, sorry.

To clarify, 3 out of 5 is average, it’s not bad. Usually, that means less than good for me, but this just didn’t stand out. That said, I would definitely get it again. It’s especially good for someone who needs carbs to coat the stomach.

Cukiernia Kawiarnia Cichowscy

Next, we went to Cukiernia Kawiarnia Cichowscy. I found it while looking for the best pączkis in Kraków. This bakery’s items were absolutely beautiful! I wanted one of everything, but of course, I couldn’t do that. So we settled on one each. I chose pączek z róża, of course, and Wyatt got kruche serce.

The rose pączek was beautiful, with risen dough and a rich homemade rose jam. We actually had a rose pączki from a chain a couple of days before, and this one put it to shame. Honestly, I’d say this is one of the best pączki I’ve ever had, and that holds weight, growing up with a Polish grandma in Detroit, where Fat Tuesday was serious business. Some of my favorite memories are going to school that day and everyone bringing their own pączki, or teachers sharing them in class. Wyatt’s cookie reminded me of a Linzer cookie. The jam inside was raspberry, and it was crazy good.

Zapiekanki u Endziora

Next, we went to Zapiekanki u Endziora, said to be the place locals go. It was a round building with to-go windows all around. There was another Zapiekanki that had 95% of the windows, so we were a little confused if we went to the right spot.

We got the Diabelsko Ostra Zapiekanki, and the vendor asked if we wanted ketchup on it. We said yes, assuming that made it more authentic. It reminded me of Detroit pizza, solely because of the thick baguette crust. I gave it a 4 out of 5 at the time, but looking back, probably a 2.5 out of 5. It was fun Kraków food, but the ketchup was way too sweet, and the corn on top felt off. Wyatt did not like it and would probably rate it a 1 out of 5.

Overall, it was fun to try, and I might get it again, maybe just a different place, different flavor, and no ketchup. The baguette, however, I really liked. I love bread, hard to please there!

Wawel Castle Break

We walked off some of the food by exploring Wawel Castle. You can read more about it in my Kraków blog post linked here.

Ulica Krokodyli Pub & Cafe

It was a very hot 95-degree day, and I didn’t have much more food planned, so we stopped at Ulica Krokodyli Pub & Cafe to get a drink and relax. I got a vodka flight, not realizing it was eight shot-sized mixed vodka drinks. I laughed pretty hard, feeling like an alcoholic, until two older Polish ladies next to me got one each and finished theirs twice as fast as me. My husband and I laughed so hard. Honestly, they were really good, these weren’t straight vodka shots; they were mixed drinks separated into eight shot glasses.

Andrus Maczanka Po Krakowsku

After the bar fun, we went to our last planned food stop: maczanka at Andrus Maczanka Po Krakowsku, also in the Jewish Quarter. We split the maczanka, but honestly, we could have each gotten our own. It was our favorite thing of the day. If there’s one thing you try from this list, make it the maczanka. Juicy, tender, full of flavor, with pickles and sauce to complement it. Somehow, maybe it was because we split it, it felt light. This is one dish I will definitely try to recreate back in the States.

Zabka Convenience Stop

As that was the last planned food stop, we still needed lunch for the next day’s Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine tour, so we stopped at Zabka. My husband had eaten more maczanka than me, and I was curious about the Zabka hot dog. It was okay. I love hot dogs ever since discovering Costco ones, but the Zabka dogs were rolling all day on the warmer. They poured an absurd amount of ketchup on ours. I’m a mustard purist on a dog, so maybe I would have liked it if it was only mustard. The baguette was a nice idea but didn’t make it superior to a Costco dog. It’s an easy, convenient meal when you’re tired, though. I have already gotten it again.

Nysa Sausages

The next day, after a vodka bar visit, we grabbed sausages from the blue Nysa. The was kiełbasa, cooked over beech and fruit wood, had an incredible flavor I have had never experienced before. I’ve had a lot of kielbasa, growing up and even recently while we have been Poland, but this one stood out. Juicy, crispy on the skin, full of flavor. I’m not usually a crazy kielbasa fan, but this made me love it. If I lived in Kraków, I’d probably get it once a month.

The bread? Not great, but that’s not why we are here. Tough enough to make me anxious about my teeth failing out because of it. Bread rating: 2 out of 5. Sausage rating: 4.5 out of 5 from a non-kielbasa lover.

Note: This place is cash only.

Overall

We didn’t have a crazy food day, at least by my history, but I’m happy with what we did. We weren’t overly full, tried a lot of cuisines, and walked about 20,000 steps that day, which probably helped!

My advice: if you want to make your own food tour, check personal blogs for recommendations, split dishes so you can try more, and appeal to your taste buds. I prefer savory over sweet, because you can eat more of those than back-to-back pączkis. Kraków is beautiful, and we loved all the food we tried. I know I can be harsh on ratings, but overall, the food was delicious and I have no regrets.