Chlopskie Jadlo, Krakow

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It seems to be quite popular nowadays to serve food in old houses with old furnishing. The chain Polskie Jadlo has adopted this idea as well. If not visiting these places too often they are quite nice.
The furnishings shows old equipment from farm houses, often with a tile stove as a show piece. In some places there is a LARGE bed which is being transformed into a dining table for up to 12-14 people.
They all serve traditional Polish food, some of them also serve Russian, Moldovian, Lithua-
nian or Ukrainian food. However, the food is home made and really very well worth trying. And it is CHEAP! I had two potatoe pancakes with goulash. Together with a glass of blackcurrant juice it costed 14 Pln, ~3 Euro.

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The name ("Peasant Food") suggests that you will have a genuine local culinary experience in a lovely authentic milieu.
We were even in two of this chain (they have 7 restaurants, 3 of which in Krakow).
The first (on Grodzka street) is bigger and has a more ample interior, the one in Stradom is smaller and simpler.
There is a huge selection of traditional food but you won't get "inappropriate" soft drinks like orange juice, cola or any other ones with gas, nevertheless the beer is quite good :-)
All guests will get a complimentary "starter": jars of locally made lard and spiced cheese cream ('Liptauer') with bread. Be careful: the lard is very stodgy! :-)
The staff is just perfect: very friendly, helpful and speaks good English.
It's a real must.

Favorite Dish: Stone soup with white sausage or ham, egg and potato (called "zur" or "zurek")
Hand-made pastry (called "pierogi", similar to the Russian ones) stuffed with cabbage or meat
Sweet thick pancakes (called "racuchy")

Mmmmmm......good good Polish eatin' !!!

There are 2 of these picturesque restaurants in Krakow.

The restaurants are themed to show the traditional country way of polish farm life. You will find the decor to be what a typical country house looked like not that long ago. Just the decor itself is enough reason to visit this restaurant.

Its 'slow food', a protest against the McDonald fast food way of food. Order yourself a beer, place your food order and patienly wait. In the meantime you will be served a fresh loaf of bred with smalec (bread spread) and twarozek (cottage cheese style type of spread). The food is like a Polish grandma made herself!!! Enjoy it!!!

Favorite Dish: Bread with smalec.

Perogies.

Mushroom soup.....if you like mushrooms, you will fall in love with this soup!

When I asked my hotel manager to recommend a great restaurant that serves true Polish food, he did not hesitate in suggesting Chlopskie Jadlo. The name means Peasant Kitchen, but don't let that fool you; the food is fit for kings!

First, there are two of these restaurants. While I was turned away from the first because they were full, the second, with the nice coat lady, welcomed me into the establishment quickly. It was a cold night, so I was in the mood for a hot meal. I asked the waiter for some suggestions and he recommended and translated half the menu, which suited me fine... I was hungry!

Below is what I had AFTER the loads of bread and lard (yes lard) that comes complimentry with each meal. I'm sure I clogged a few arteries with that. Just a few steps closer to a heart attack...

Favorite Dish: Aforementioned bread and lard
Red Borsch soup with dumplings
Wine
Pork meat with cranberries and other seasonings (can't remember everything)
Wine
Wine
Bread cake

This is not traditionally cooked food!! All the meats where DEEP fried. No polish home has a deep frier!!

All the meat was old at that. Some of the dishes they had you will not find at a polish home, for isntance chicken stuff with cheese, breaded and fried. THis is not a polish dish

Favorite Dish: the naleshniki and placki where ok

The interior design looks like it was an old cottage house. Especially in the Jana street where there is a table decorated as it was an old bed:) The music that entertains the guests while eating is traditional Polish.
When you order your food, while waiting the waiter brings you bread and 2 cups- one with cottage cheese and the second one with "smalec" (don't be afraid to taste the second one:). But the prices aren't that low but the dishes involve specialties of Polish cuisine.
In Krakow there are 3 restaurants that belong to the chain of Chlopskie Jadlo.

Favorite Dish: from all the Polish meals (in whatever restaurant you are) I would suggest you eating "pierogi ruskie".
But still, my mum's are better than anywhere else:))

Hi,
I think you can go to all restaurants, just ask for free gluten meals...
I recomend:
Tesoro del Mar - it is restaurant located in Kazimierz - a magical disctrict of Cracow. That place is to be found in a historic terraced house. Interesting interior design and elegant decoration as well as intimateness, all contribute to unique atmosphere of the place. The cuisine, in turn, is created by a young and talented chef.In Spanish, Tesoro del Mar means treasures of the sea. There are places to which we always come back. They are unforgettable for all our senses: taste, smell, vison and hearing.
Below you can find list of Cracow restaurants:
http://www.visit.krakow.pl/restauracje.html

If you want to try typical Polish food You have to go to:
CH£OPSKIE JAD£O - restaurant
Œw Agnieszki 1 Street, Cracow

Have a nice time in Poland!!!! :)

Ambience fairly nice and cellar location good on the eyes but beware of the food. I have never tasted anything so salty in my life before. I'm sure they must have shares in Wieliczka Salt Mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Service was average. Will never go there again. See photo of what is parked by the entrance - says it all!

Favorite Dish: None!

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This restaurant features quite heavily on lots of vt pages as a place to go to for authentic tasting polish 19th centuary traditional peasent style food. We decided to visit a branch on the edge of Kazimerz instead of the more popular market square branch.

All the restaurants have similar decor, the wooden benches were draped with sheeps fur, a mock peasents kitchen and a roaring fire made it a very warm welcome from the chill outside.

For appetisers you are served rural bread with a pot of lard, before you say yechk its actually fairly good made with apples, garlic & majoram, think of bread & dripping. If that does not take you fancy you can spread the cottage cheese, chive & black salt mix on your bread.

As we were pressed for time we chose to have mixed salad for starters which is a buffet of various pickled cabbage, carrot & potatoe mixes - be warned the gerkhins are VERY salty.

For mains we bypassed anything with pierogi not having enjoyed them previously. I chose veal with polish mushrooms in cream & white wine sauce served with handmade regional dumplings (rather like gnocchi). This dish was very delicious, fairly large & very rich and I was not able to finish it. Sharon ordered the milk lamb in garlic butter with polish mushrooms. Lamb is not a very common dish in Poland so it being on the menu was an interesting find, Polish friends of mine living in London do not eat lamb as they say the lamb has a strange smell for them.

Some dishes do not come with vegetables or potato & side orders need to be ordered separately. The service was a bit on the slow side but if you have the time relax & enjoy the ambience you may need the time to recover from the heavy food. On sundays they serve a traditional apple cake which is free for all guests. Some have said this restuarant is a bit more on the expensive side and I suppose comparitavely speaking it may well be, but it is a worthwhile dining experience.

We visited the C.J just south of the old town square - down a little alley, nestled in a courtyard it was good but I wouldnt necessarily say it was any better than the lesser known periogi restaurants we had visited which were significantly cheaper. We like to try different things and my sons love soups so quite liked the fact you could order a mixture of different dumplings or soups. My little boy was really pleased to see his 4 (small) bowls of soup arrive on a tray just for him. One of them was tripe soup - he tucked in eagerly thinking it was squid ! Eventually owned up but it didnt put him off.
Portions were very big - neither I nor my husband could finish our huge portions of periogi - a good place to go if you want to share a dish !

Favorite Dish: 4 bowls of soup