I visited Krakow at the end of February, which might not be the ideal time of the year to visit Eastern Europe, but it was very fun nonetheless. Despite the fact that it was quite cold, it was actually sunny every single day and due to the fact that this is an incredibly walkable city we actually had a fantastic time! Another big plus of visiting at the end of February is that you’ll have the chance to witness pączki day – or Fat Thursday – which is the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. During that day the whole city smelled like freshly deep-fried donuts filled with jam or chocolate (Ermahgerd!). Thanks to a little bit of research I found numerous places selling vegan ones which made our visit and this Vegan Guide to Krakow so much sweeter! 🙂
Quick tip so you don’t make the same mistake we did: don’t organize an airport transfer through your accommodation. You’ll most likely pay triple the price you actually have to. We paid 100pln (23€) for that organized airport transfer and only 40pln (9€) when we took an uber. Uber is definitely the cheapest way to get anywhere so use that!
In my humble opinion, Krakow is the perfect place for a fun weekend getaway in Europe! It’s super cheap so you’ll be able to find amazing vegan food and accommodation for 1/2 of what you’d normally pay in any major European city! I’d recommend staying anywhere from 2-5 nights, after that you might get bored a little (especially during winter months). If you like this Vegan Guide to Krakow, leave a comment and rate it – if I forgot any recommendable places – please add them in the comments to help others! For more glimpses of my Krakow adventures follow me on Instagram!
Where to stay?
As a tourist there are 2 major areas in Krakow that are worth your while. The old city and the Jewish quarter (Kazimierz). Personally, I’d highly recommend staying in the Jewish quarter just because it’s quite hipster, full of young people, very photogenic and full of good vegan food. In any case, you’ll be at walking distance from the old city and everything in between in 15 minutes.
Bijoux Apartment Kazimierz
≈ $48 (42€)/night for 2 people
I can’t recommend this apartment enough. When I was saying that you get high quality for little money – I meant it. This place is beautifully designed, right in the heart of Kazimierz, 2-minutes away from a number of amazing vegan places and really well priced for what you get! There’s a 24/7 supermarket just around the corner where you can get some basic food supplies, wifi works great and the general rating of this place is superb!
Smile Apartments Kazimierz
≈ $40 (35€)/night for 2 people
Located just between Kazimierz and the Old Town this charming apartment offers options to either sleep 2 (studio apartment) or 4 people (superior apartment) which makes it a great choice for couples/friends or families. It’s really nicely designed with some of that charming Polish traditional flair and has everything you’ll ever need for a comfortable stay!
Where to eat?
Vegab
This popular vegan kebab place was probably the only one I actually knew from Instagram photos before coming here. There’s a little bit of a hype around it and I gotta say – with GOOD REASON. After having amazing vegan shawarma/kebabs in Tel Aviv I didn’t expect much but oh boy, they really know what they’re doing! They offer 4 different kebab versions in either classic or maxi (3,80-4,50€) where you can choose between dressing options like hummus/tahini/pickles – tzaziki/olives – mango/pineapple or peanut/coconut, which I had and was divine! Just do yourself a favor and get the maxi already. I don’t remember which size I had but between my boyfriends sneaking bites and me constantly hungry from all the walking there just wasn’t enough! 😀
Farma Burgerownia Roslinna
Since my boyfriend literally grew up on schnitzel, he won’t miss an opportunity to taste test vegan versions. It’s probably one of his favorite foods and we’re both so stoked every time we find an excellent vegan one. Well, this place has it! Farma is a great place if you crave some good wraps, burgers, hot dogs or gyros! Since we kinda exaggerated that day food-wise, we weren’t that hungry and ended up sharing this schnitzel salad, which was perfect! That dish wasn’t even on the menu but rather a daily special so I forgot to note down the price. The dish itself was everything my taste-buds craved during childhood, schnitzel, potato salad and pickles! 😀 Any German/Polish person (or from that general area) will know what I’m talking about.
Pierogowy Raj
Can’t go to Poland and not stuff your face with those heavenly fluffy pierogi aka dumplings. There are 2-3 good places in Krakow that offer vegan ones, Pierogowy Raj is definitely on the top of that list. They have sweet and savory ones, but we only took the pierogi stuffed with spinach/garlic/sesame, mushroom/lentil/onion and sauerkraut/mushroom – the 2 latter being our favorites. Also, do yourself a favor and ask for extra onions. The sweet ones they have are filled with strawberry or apple/rice/cinnamon. A normal portion is 10 pieces and will cost you around 3€ and fill you for a good few hours, we took half the portion so we could try more flavors.
Mo-Ja Cafe
If you’re looking for a chill cafe for a nice working session or simply enjoy your mornings Mo-Ja cafe will be right up your alley. They have a number of vegan milks, smoothies and juices, so first thing I did was order a nice green juice! They have 7-8 vegan options for main dishes, so you’ll find vegan apple pancakes, granola, and millet with caramelized pear for breakfast, vege power bowl for brunch or a vegan burger, pasta and zucchini roulades for lunch. Prices will vary between 4,20-4,80€ for a main dish.
WieloPole3
If you’re looking for veganized traditional Polish food, this is a MUST-GO. Wielopole is a hotel and vegetarian restaurant in one, so if you prefer a hotel option rather than apartment it might be worth checking this one out. Their food is simply amazing – very hearty, authentic and full of flavor! I tried the potato pancakes with dill pesto, samphire, cumberland sauce and extra tofu and couldn’t get enough of it (5.70€) and their phenomenal ‘bigos’ which is a traditional Polish dish made with sour cabbage, dried plum, mushroom, tempeh and homemade gluten-free bread (5,20€). I love their approach to traditional cuisine while putting a healthy spin on their dishes. It’s seriously good and I love being able to get a feeling for the more traditional Polish food.
Youmiko Sushi
If you’re craving vegan sushi, visit the talented folks over at Youmiko. Apparently their Warsaw branch is fully vegan and the Krakow one offer an extensive vegan menu. Their skills and inventions are really impressive and they really put a lot of emphasis on delivering the best possible sushi experience to you. It took a lot of restraint to wait until all sushi items arrived at the table and not eat them before so I could take a photo but I’m glad I did wait! 🙂 I didn’t take a look at the menu as we told them to just surprise us with their best collection of vegan sushi, so no idea regarding the prices. My absolute favorites were the ones with the avocado mountain, the fried zucchini and the ones on the left (you could just show them the picture and I’m sure they can tell you what’s what).
Zaczyn
Most possibly my favorite place for breakfast/brunch. I went here on my last day because I heard they sell vegan challah and oh boy, this place is AMAZING! It’s such a small bakery/cafe, located a bit on the outside that you might want to skip it, just don’t! Their food is incredible! They offer 2 breakfast options, sweet and savory, and those change every 2 weeks or so. I opted for walnut paste, marinated tempeh kale and grapefruit on their freshly baked sourdough bread which was SO GOOD. The sweet option was a cashew cream cheese with blueberry compote, which also sounded delish! And of course I couldn’t resist and also got one of their challah treats! Turns out all of their stuff is completely vegan! The vibe I got from this place was definitely very Berlin/hipster style with chill hip-hop music playing in the background, some cute dogs and very friendly service (which I’ve found to be a rare thing in Krakow).
Mihiderka
Stopping here was a last minute decision as we originally had something else planned, but I’m glad we did. Their vegan pho was exactly what I needed on a cold winter night. Unfortunately they didn’t have any more cheesecake left but it looked amazing from when we saw it before. If you’re craving hearty dishes, this place is your go-to. They have awesome looking gulasz (stews), soups, jackfruit bimbimbap and some sweet things. Prices vary from 6-7€ per main dish.
Krowarzywa
Vegan burger galore! This place is very well know for their burgers. Their signature chickpea burger was pretty tasty and I really liked the amount of options you can choose from. You first choose your patty, whether you want to have it in a burger, as a wrap or salad bowl, then your sauces + extras, and they even offer gluten-free buns. They also had amazing vegan pączki for Fat Thursday, so yeah…. win win! The burger cost me 3,60€ which is probably the cheapest I’ve ever paid for a vegan burger in a restaurant! 😀
Glonojad
I can’t attest to how their food actually tastes, because this vegetarian place was unfortunately closed due to renovations when I was visiting, but they’re supposed to be one of the most popular vegan go-to places in the city. Double check if they’re open before you go as they’re located quite a bit north of the old town!
Vegano Cafe
This place is an all vegan cafe where we stopped on our way to the airport. We took a uber from our apartment in Kazimierz to here which cost us around 1.50€. It’s located a bit outside of the city! I can highly recommend it as a place to stop on your way to the airport, drink a quick smoothie and take a sandwich for take-away so you have great food for the flight. They offer toasties (1,80-3€) – made with either hummus, avocado, vegan cheese/ham or peanut butter jelly – ciabattas (2,30-3,50€), salads, granola and different pies, juices + smoothies! I had the avocado, sun-dried tomato ciabatta, a piece of the banoffee pie and a blueberry smoothie which where all great!
Veganic
We almost skipped this place, but as we had some extra time to kill before our flight and it was located just around the corner of Vegano Cafe we decided to come to Veganic. What we didn’t know is that on Sundays they have a great vegetarian/vegan brunch! They had a vast array on tasty salads, pastries (non of which were vegan unfortunately), jams, milks, etc. on display and the atmosphere and design of this place is super charming! It’s quite a large establishment and I wish we’d come here to try their lunch/dinner menu as I’ve heard that they have great vegan stuff! Nevertheless, I can definitely recommend this place! 🙂
Pizzatopia
I actually didn’t eat here but loved their concept and my boyfriend’s pizza looked amazing! This pizza place cooks every pizza in 3 minutes and they come out surprisingly amazing! The stuff is INCREDIBLY nice and super helpful and just makes you feel happy! The dough is soft, thick on the edged and thin in the middles and really tasty! They have a standard vegan pizza with vegan cheeses, sauces and tons of veggies but you can also DIY your own vegan pizza according to what you like from the menu! And most importantly they’re open until 01:00 in the morning so this would definitely be my go-to place for late night pizza cravings! 🙂
More recommended places…
Hamsa /Cheder
You’ll find tons of Israeli restaurants in the Jewish quarter that serve a variety of vegan dishes including hummus, falafel, salads, pitas etc.! Since we visit Israel frequently we weren’t really attracted by this but in case you don’t or never have I’m pretty sure their food will be amazing! 🙂
Pod Norenami / Ka Udon Bar- Pho
We didn’t have time to make it here and didn’t feel that much like Asian food while we were in Krakow but both of these places come highly recommended by locals and other vegan restaurant owners! While Pod Norenami has an amazing variety of Asian dishes and extensive menu with things like vegan dumplings, sushi, beans, faux meats like tofu ‘beef’ in different sauces etc., Ka Udon Bar focusses on authentic Japanese cuisine including deliciously filling udon noodle soups with kimchi, veggies and tofu!
Bhajan Cafe / Hariprasad
If you’re a lover of Indian food I’m sure you’ll appreciate both of these places! While Hariprasad is a small food bar which offers samosas with different fillings plus dahl, curries, chapati, lunch sets, laddu, and mango lassi – Bhajan Cafe is a vegetarian restaurant serving sattvic vedic cuisine with a fully vegan breakfast and gluten-free options. Apart from their food options they also host yoga and meditation classes!
Momo
Tibetan food made in Kazimierz. Their menu is mostly vegan without any egg and includes the popular Tibetan dumplings ‘momo’, South Indian masala dosa, vegan 3-grain pancakes and various desserts!
Lili & Rose Chimney Cakes
If you’re into chimney cakes and really want to try a vegan version, go to Lili & Rose chimney cakes on Thursdays and Fridays as they have vegan ones on those days!
Chimera
The best self-serve salad bar in town that offers hot and cold foods with labeled vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Bonobo
Super cozy cafe and bookstore that serves matcha tea, coffee, vegan baklava and vegan ice-cream with a variety of plant milks available.
What to do in Krakow?
Get a Thai massage at Sukhothai Masaż Tajski
After 4 days of crazy walking and major back pains we decided to spoil ourselves with a massage. I found this small massage place while walking through Kazimierz and we ended up booking a session there for the evening which turned out to be the best decision we ever made. Despite the fact that I’ve travelled in Thailand for 3 months last year, this was most likely the best Thai massage I’ve ever had. The owners are the loveliest Thai woman and a Polish guy who made us feel so incredibly welcome with homemade Thai sweets and tea! Both women who did the massages were incredibly professional and knew exactly what was wrong/where to touch/what to fix after just 3 second of feeling our backs. I’d go back there anytime and can’t recommend them enough! Book 1-2 days in advance by calling them!
Go vintage Shopping
There are a number of second hand and vintage stores across the city, but here are my all time favorites:
Flyin’ Vintage – Instagram
Flaming SH – Instagram
I found an awesome pair of vintage pants + a beautiful sweater there that I’ve been wearing relentlessly ever since so I couldn’t be happier! Both places have 2-3 locations across the city so it’s definitely worth checking out all of them!
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