Travelling Vegan? Poland’s Kraków should be on your list
Why did the vegan cross the street!? Well, of course, to check out the new ethical restaurant! While this 'joke' may not work in other countries, it most certainly will in Poland!
Travelling to Poland is full of good surprises for vegan travellers. Polish cities are green heavens when it comes to plant-based eating. You won't have to worry in more remote areas either, as most supermarkets (Biedronka, Lidl) ad convenience stores (Żabka) offer decent vegan options.
In any case, regular restaurants and even kebab shops will often have at least one fully plant-based item on the menu and a few traditionally vegetarian options (pierogi and soups—though you may want to make sure bacon is not used as a topping).
In this article, let’s explore what Krakow has to offer. You can easily start your day in a vegan cafeteria, have a plant-based burger on the go while visiting the city and enjoy a lovely dinner in a fully ethical restaurant!
Cafes
Manggha Café
Manggha Café is part of the Museum of Japanese Art. You don’t have to visit the museum in order to enjoy the café. However, having the chance to experience authentic Japanese cuisine after the visit is amazing.
They offer a few vegan options, which I highly recommend. The setting is also worth the visit, as the Wawel castle and Vistula River can be admired from the venue.
Szklarnia
Walking down Krowoderska Street, you’ll pass by a cosy café called Szklarnia. And you don’t want to miss this one. The café is small inside, but there are tables outside. They offer a large variety of coffee and other drinks, such as tea or kombucha.
Try also their seasonal pastries. In the summer, they offer very tasty jagodzianki (Polish sweets generously filled with blueberries).
sTrava café
sTrava is a lovely café and catering just outside of Kraków, in Zielonki! They offer excellent cakes and pastries, complimented by a few but tasty savoury options and a wide array of drinks.
All of it looks like something from a magical world of elves, and yet we are lucky to have it here. Go there for a walk or on the bike; you can also regularly find some of their options in the heart of Kraków, at Turlaj Klopsa or order cakes & more for any occasion.
Other options: Damka, Zgoda Café, Crush, Zielony Talerz • Wegałki
Restaurants
Vege Italia
Vege Italia is a hidden gem, waiting to be discovered on the other side of Vistula River. The menu is small but made with care and the food is simply delicious.
Veganic
In a cosy historic building not far from the Kraków’s city centre, you’ll find the lovely Veganic restaurant.
Besides the tasty food and amazing desserts, the best thing about Veganic is that it offers a fine dining experience at quite the reasonable price (70 to 100 zl/person for a full meal and drinks).
no bones
As the name says, you won’t be served any bones in this lovely restaurant.
Simple but reliable dishes: the menu usually has a couple of veganised Polish staples and a few Asian-inspired dishes. Just like the food, they offer only a few desserts, but they slap!
The restaurant has a cosy atmosphere, and despite being in the city centre, it is a hidden gem of progressive politics and delicious food!
Vegan AF Ramen
Vegan AF Ramen is a delight for the eyes and a treasure for the taste buds. They pack everything nicely for take-away so you feel like it is your birthday when opening the boxes. The restaurant is worth visiting too, for the beautiful and surprising art.
Next time you find yourself walking on Krupnicza, give yourself a present and visit this lovely restaurant.
Others: Mazaya
Affordable & Fast Food
Turlaj Klopsa
Turlaj Klopsa is love at first bite: they serve fully vegan and gluten-free dishes that are affordable, healthy and simply delicious. Somehow they managed to have all these and more! In the restaurant from Karmelicka, they also serve bagels, croissants and cakes.
Uapami
Who doesn’t love some fast-food from time to time? Even better when the price is good, the taste is magic and all the menu plant-based. Talking about magic, you have to try Uapami’s ‘Magic Mango’ sauce, the carrot fries, their burgers and wraps!
So, give yourself a little present the next time you visit Krakow and try Uapami.
Glonojad
Located in the city centre at Plac Matejki, the restaurant offers vegetarian and vegan options in a variety of dishes from international cuisine.
All of their ingredients are locally sourced around Kraków and małopolskie. The portions are big and reasonably priced. The salads are simply divine; it’s worth mixing and trying them all.
Raw Nest
Raw Nest was a pleasant surprise. Their cooked food is fresh, healthy and delightfully tasty. They also offer raw desserts, power balls and fresh juices.
Raw Nest is close to the city centrum; they have a lovely inner garden and the atmosphere is pleasant, quiet. As a bonus, the coffee with milk made from peas was very good.
Others: Sham Falafel, Laila, Vegab, Momo
As a parting gift, let me list some other advantages of eating vegan during holidays. And these should be of interest even for non-vegans:
Better quality for the price. Vegan restaurants are still a niche and you are more likely to be served good quality food compared to the standard copy-paste dishes tourists can expect nowadays, regardless of where they travel to. Vegan chefs cook not only for profit but also as a way to offer tasty alternatives to animal products, hence another reason why the quality is often superior.
Lower chance to catch illness. What is the last thing you want on holiday? To be sick! Eating vegan lowers the chances of that happening for the simple fact that meat products are more likely to have parasites or harmful bacteria. As a general rule, vegan or not, it is best to know what you can handle and not take risks during travels. Still, vegan food will usually be the safer option.
Lower the chance for animals to be harmed. This last point is for conscientious omnivores. If the meat you usually eat comes from animals reared by you or from trusted humane farms, then the harm of rearing and killing is minimised. But when travelling, you cannot have the same certitude. That is why it is better to eat vegan on holiday.
The pretzel in the image is very popular in Kraków and called obwarzanek. Traditionally, the fat used in cooking it varied from butter, to lard or vegetable oil. It would be best to ask at the bakery and make sure you’ll buy a vegan product. It is certainly cheaper to mass produce such items using vegetable oils, but better be safe than sorry. Here is a vegan recipe.
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