Czarna Kaczka / Black Duck — Restaurant in Krakow

Shocking Racist Discrimination and Unacceptable Treatment

I am writing this review to warn others about the blatant racist discrimination and humiliating treatment my family endured at this restaurant. What was supposed to be a nice family dinner turned into one of the most degrading experiences we have ever had.

We arrived without a reservation and were told by a waiter to wait approximately 20 minutes. We were happy to do so. However, what followed was a clear and deliberate pattern of discrimination against us because we are Asian.

During our wait, we saw a table for four become available. Instead of offering it to us a family who had been waiting for nearly 20 minutes the waiter seated a couple who had arrived after us. To add insult to injury, we then watched as another couple, who had just arrived, was seated within 5 minutes while we were still waiting. We had now been waiting for 45 minutes, more than double the original estimate.

When we politely approached the same waiter for an explanation, we were met with a mocking, sarcastic smile. He looked us right in the eye and dismissively told us to "just wait," as if our frustration was a joke. There was no apology, no justification, no attempt to rectify the situation.

The problem was not the wait itself; it was the undeniable injustice. It was painfully obvious that other patrons (all non-Asian) were being prioritized over us. We were made to feel inferior and unwelcome based solely on our race.

This was not poor management; this was racism. The smug, disrespectful attitude of the staff confirmed that we were being treated as second-class customers.

I would strongly urge anyone, especially people of color, to avoid this establishment. Do not give your money to a business that practices such vile and open discrimination. No food is good enough to justify supporting a place that treats human beings with such contempt. Our family will never return, and we hope our story prevents others from suffering the same humiliation.

I appreciate your response, but allow me to clarify a few points. Our experience was not an "unfounded subjective feeling," but an objective observation of unequivocal facts: Timing and Priorities: We waited 45 minutes without a reservation, yet two couples without reservations who arrived after us were seated before us (one after 10 minutes, the other after 5). You claim they had reservations, but during our initial inquiry, it was never mentioned that reservations were needed for small tables, and both couples verbally confirmed they did not have one. This contradiction is suspect. Staff Behavior: The server's sarcastic smile and dismissive tone ("just wait") were real and humiliating. This is not a matter of an "initial thought," but of observed actions and the treatment we received. Gaslighting: Dismissing our experience as "unfounded" instead of honestly investigating what happened (e.g., by checking reservation logs or speaking with your staff) demonstrates a lack of accountability. The fact that other customers have not reported problems does not erase our experience. Systemic Racism: Racism is often not explicit; it manifests through micro-actions (arbitrary prioritization, tones of voice, glances, sarcasm) that penalize specific groups. Dismissing the issue as a "lack of common sense" reveals a dangerous lack of awareness.

A simple "we're sorry, we will look into this with our staff" would have sufficed. Instead, your response chose to deny, blame, and dismiss everything as our oversensitivity. We only want you and your staff to reflect on how a defensive attitude and the denial of others' experiences can perpetuate discriminatory behavior. We will continue to share our experience to help other potential customers make...

2 reviews combined. Consecutive dining: Dinner on 4th June & Lunch on 5th June:

Lunch 5th June: After an amazing family dinner and fabulous customer service at Czarna Kaczka / The Black Duck, we decided to return for lunch the next day. Again, we had an incredible experience. We ordered a bottle of wine, portions of zander fillet with dill sauce served with lentils and vegetables, meat and rice stuffed leaves of cabbage with mushroom sauce, and vegetarian crispy potato pancakes with mushroom sauce.

Each platter was served with care and had an authentic taste. We were served by Arthur this time, who impressed us with his polite and prompt service. The consistency in quality and service made our visit delightful. Highly recommended!

Dinner-4th June: We booked a family dinner at Black Duck (Czarna Kaczka), a restaurant renowned for serving traditional, homemade Polish cuisine. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with a smile and warmth as we were seated. The staff went above and beyond to accommodate all the accessories we had for our infant, making our visit stress-free and comfortable. The interior ambiance is amazing and cozy, with an inviting atmosphere that immediately made us feel at home.

Throughout the evening, all the staff members exuded positivity and charm, especially our server, Carolina. We were impressed by her charming personality and attentiveness to each guest, ensuring everyone felt welcomed and valued. Her empathy and positive demeanor added a special touch to our dining experience.

For our drinks, we opted for a selection of white beer, glasses of wine, and cider, all of which were promptly served. When it came to food, we ordered an array of dishes: half of a duck roasted in the old Polish style, beer-braised pork knuckle, and chicken breast with chanterelle cream. Each platter was a testament to the restaurant’s mission to serve authentic Polish cuisine, with flavors that were rich, traditional, and utterly delicious.

We were thoroughly impressed by both the food and the hospitality at Black Duck. Our experience was so delightful that we decided to visit again. If you’re looking for an authentic Polish dining experience in a cozy and welcoming environment, Black Duck is...

Overall a pretty good experience.

We were given free bread, duck pâté and pickles to start. I can't eat pâté and it's not my partner's thing but it was still a nice touch. The bread was pleasant.

We had the Russian pierogi to start and they were really delicious. They really made the simple ingredients within them shine. Well done here.

Mains were a bit more mixed. I am vegetarian so asked for the veggie stuffed cabbage but as the menu description just said stuffed with vegetables I asked if they contained mushrooms. Unfortunately they did and I was also informed that they would not be able to remove them so I could not have this dish. (Not an allergy but I dislike them so strongly they make me feel sick) I ended up having the potato pancakes with sour cream which were basically like 3 giant hash browns with the aforementioned sauce for dipping. Once you had one bite that was the flavour profile for the whole thing and although they were well prepared it was quite boring. I feel the mark of a great restaurant would be being able to make some minor changes to dishes so it was a shame that simply not adding the mushroom wasn't possible.

This is primarily a duck restaurant though so I should be happy to at least be catered for so my partner could sample the duck. He told me the duck breast was the nicest he'd had ever, but the duck-filled dumplings were overly sweet.

We had cherry and chocolate cheesecake for dessert. The flavour was great. I'm not sure if this was how it's meant to be but the texture of the cheesecake was quite grainy which neither of us were a fan of.

We got free plum vodka after which was a nice finisher and tasty.

Bill is phrased that if you're satisfied a 10% tip is appreciated. I found this wording a bit of a trap as I'd expect to be satisfied at a restaurant as a minimum. If I had a great time I'd consider tipping that much. But because of that I did because it felt like if I didn't tip they'd assume I wasn't satisfied. Wasn't a fan of feeling like I was being pushed into tipping this way.

I'd say 3.5/5 overall and would definitely try elsewhere in town before returning. It was the most expensive meal we've had so far and it didn't feel...