It’s nearing the end of my fourth day here in the beautiful (and surprisingly sunny/warm!) Kraków so I thought it’d be good to time to share some of my vegan food finds. This is my first time in Kraków (and Poland for that matter) so, as with any new destination I visit, it’s been exciting for me to find out about the local vegan scene and to visit some new food joints! Prior to planning this trip I had several friends comment positively on the quality of Kraków’s vegan offering – so I was optimistic about what I might discover here!
Vegab
I shared day one and two with my Polish friend Chris – who has visited the city several times. He was really keen to show me (the aptly named) Vegab, a vegan kebab joint not far from the city centre (Starowiślna 6, Kraków). We payed Vegab a visit as soon as we got into the city from the airport and it provided a much needed mood/energy boost to our sleep deprived minds and bodies (airport furniture and lighting does not make for a good nights sleep!). There are five different kebab variations to choose from – original ‘Vegab’, ‘Beirut’, ‘Olymp’, ‘Hamster’, and ‘Aloha’ – all of which I’ve tried now (I’ve eaten at Vegab six times so far!). All five are absolutely incredible! For desert there’s a raw bounty bar cake which is equally as impressive. Vegab also have a vegan hotdog, though I haven’t tried this yet. I thoroughly recommend this place!
Krowarzywa
Photo: Krowarzywa
Yesterday I decided to visit Krowarzywa, a wholesome 100% vegan burger restaurant (which I stumbled across through a Google Maps search). It’s conveniently located close to the edge of the famous old town square (Sławkowska 8, 31-014 Kraków) with a spacious and minimal interior and so provides a great opportunity to re-fuel your body (presumably tired from all the sightseeing and/or partying!) with some top quality ingredients whilst offering respite from the hustle and bustle of Europe’s largest medieval market square. I ate the new/seasonal pumpkin, lentil and millet burger with vegan mayo and spicy tomato sauce, and washed it down with a guarana, orange, banana and goji berry smoothie. Everything was super fresh tasting and filling!
In Krowarzywa I also found two city guides – one being a general one which happened to detail an number of vegetarian and vegan eateries, the second, more excitingly, being a specifically veggie/vegan guide to Kraków – leaving me with so many options for my last two days in the city!
Pizzatopia
Today this place helped to cure my second Polish hangover. Though not a vegan establishment, Pizzatopia‘s vegan pizza option, the ‘Vegan’topia’, sits prominently in the menu as one of the five signature pizzas (it’s great to see it as a main feature and not on a special/seperate menu!). Consisting of a 48 hour dough, pelati sauce, vegan mozzarella, tomato, red pepper, spinach, dill olive oil, and balsamic truffle sauce, this pizza is huge on flavour and is hands down the best pizza I have ever eaten! These guys seriously have their design game sorted out too – and I love eating amongst inspiring design.
Cupcake Corner
I popped into Cupcake Corner, a cosy and relaxed hideaway, for post-pizza dessert. This cake shop happens to be Pizzatopia’s next-door neighbour so I didn’t have venture far to get my sweet tooth fix! Again, not a vegan eatery but they have vegan options for cake and coffee. Todays vegan option was a chocolate and cherry brownie – which was pretty good. Really friendly and helpful staff!
Veganic Restaurant
I apologise for my phone photos – they do not this restaurant or it’s food any justice – so I ask that you look at some photos on their website here (where you can also check out their menu). Veganic Restaurant is a large 100% vegan establishment with a large bar. I ate here by myself but it’s a perfect place to eat as a couple, a group of friends, or as large group for both formal and more relaxed occasions. Veganic’s menu offers only top quality and original plant-based cuisine at really reasonable prices – and in a really well thought, relaxed setting. I had a chickpea, tomato and courgette stew with fried aubergine from their mains selection – which was full of interesting flavours. My starter was a dish of super tasty fried polenta chips with a mayo-style dip.
Tomorrow is my last full day in Kraków so I’m going to check out two new places – Hummus AMAMAMUSI, a well renowned hummus bar, and Massolit Books & Café, (yep, you guessed it) an English bookshop with an adjoining café full of vegan sweet options!
Keep an eye on my Instagram for tomorrows goods, and, from Monday, my first day in Porto, Portugal.
Please be sure to share this blog post with anybody you know who may be thinking about coming to, or who are already planning a trip to, Kraków! (And let me know if you’ve been and, if so, what you found!)
Na zdrowie!
The Salty Vegan 