Klezmer-Hois — Restaurant in Krakow

I stayed here with a friend and we agreed that the place felt like staying at our grandmas home - if grandma and grandpa also hosted literary meetings and klezmer concerts - with the antique furniture and lacy table clothes and the yummy smells from the kitchen. We liked it so much that we extended our stay to relax in Krakow a few extra days. The staff was very nice and went out of their way to meet any special requests we had (they even packed a breakfast for my friend who had a very early flight!)||The location of the hotel couldn't be better, in the heart of the restored Jewish quarter, right on a tram line, post office next door, and an easy walk to the castle and old town, to the Wisła river, and to the former Jewish ghetto. The hotel has a lovely patio with a garden of native plants. It was nice to relax here, watch the birds and the bees and chat a bit with other travelers (or not). The only drawback might be the sound of traffic but it's forgivable given the nice place and kind staff and great location ||Food was very good. When we stayed, breakfast was served from 7-11 which was great given our random schedule, some early mornings, some sleeping in. Each room had our own breakfast table over flowing with pretty typical Polish breakfast things, like cheeses and breads, sliced vegetables, plus smoked fish and very tasty hummus! I was especially excited about the smoked mackerel and my friend about the herring, bc these are smelly foods we weren't about to eat in our room. If you're American, you may want to ask for your scrambled eggs more well done than is typical. Also, the hotel appears to bake a fresh szarlotka (apple cake) every day which is also served at breakfast. Come to breakfast early so that you can sit and enjoy it!||We loved the 8PM Klezmer concerts and only wish that the other guests would follow the "please be quiet during the concert" signs on the door. The concerts are only about an hour so make a reservation for a little bit beforehand like 7:30 so that you can calmly order and then enjoy the concert. From the dinner menu, the Gefilite fish and Rosół (chicken soup) were very good. ||Since the hotel is also the headquarters for a book publishing company, this place is a heaven for books nerds, especially if you are interested in Polish history, Jewish history and culture, or if you are an aspiring intellectual. The hallway is piled with books and there are book cases filled with books in the dining rooms. Heaven. Most books are in Polish but there are also many translated to English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and other languages. If you love books, give yourself time to browse and make...

BE AWARE; This is not a hotel. It is a quasi-community centre guest rooms facility. There are NO FIRE EXIT ROUTES, no smoke alarms, no lighting or signage, no escape plan in rooms, and at night the ONLY exit door is locked shut with no key in it, you can't get out, there's NO EMERGENCY RELEASE so if there's a fire you're not getting out. Added to the quaint "piles of books" lining both sides of the corridors this place would and should be shut down as a guest residence on safety grounds. There's no welcome, no fridge or kettle, and rooms are scruffy.

Toilet was stuck on constant slow flush and took a few days to get resolved- the day it got fixed the hot water stopped working in my room (15) and tap and shower ran dry.

Loose metal framed bed felt like it was going to fall apart.

Only person staying most nights (sometimes one other person) but still they allocate rooms overlooking the noisiest street/tram stop/bus stop for intercity coaches with people smoking and shouting all night when there's rooms the quiet side free.

Breakfast went downhill as the week went on, 1 of the 2 fish dishes, 1 of the cheese plates, yoghurt, cake, tomato and pepper, all vanished from the breakfast offer as the week went on. The tables are pre-laid with breakfast before 7am so if you come down at 11 all the food has been in the open all morning. One day I was told "yoghurt is finished" yet the only other occupant of the hotel, clearly a more important religious guest had 2 yogurts on his solo table. Asked for management and suddenly 2 more were discovered, and I had to ask for the cake and eggs that morning as they were not offered. Note as well the small breakfast plates are not replaced for each guests, were added to whatever the previous guest left- hygiene?!?

Something has changed since previous stays here and I put my finger on what, there was a tension in the air and a coolness about the place. No friendliness or welcoming feel this time. Very strange air to the place and will not...

BE AWARE; This is not a hotel. It is a quasi-community centre guest rooms facility. There are NO FIRE EXIT ROUTES, no smoke alarms, no lighting or signage, no escape plan in rooms, and at night the ONLY exit door is locked shut with no key in it, you can't get out, there's NO EMERGENCY RELEASE so if there's a fire you're not getting out. Added to the quaint "piles of books" lining both sides of the corridors this place would and should be shut down as a guest residence on safety grounds. There's no welcome, no fridge or kettle, and rooms are scruffy.||Toilet was stuck on constant slow flush and took a few days to get resolved- the day it got fixed the hot water stopped working in my room (15) and tap and shower ran dry.||Loose metal framed bed felt like it was going to fall apart.||Only person staying most nights (sometimes one other person) but still they allocate rooms overlooking the noisiest street/tram stop/bus stop for intercity coaches with people smoking and shouting all night when there's rooms the quiet side free.||Breakfast went downhill as the week went on, 1 of the 2 fish dishes, 1 of the cheese plates, yoghurt, cake, tomato and pepper, all vanished from the breakfast offer as the week went on. The tables are pre-laid with breakfast before 7am so if you come down at 11 all the food has been in the open all morning. One day I was told "yoghurt is finished" yet the only other occupant of the hotel, clearly a more important religious guest had 2 yogurts on his solo table. Asked for management and suddenly 2 more were discovered, and I had to ask for the cake and eggs that morning as they were not offered. Note as well the small breakfast plates are not replaced for each guests, were added to whatever the previous guest left- hygiene?!?||Something has changed since previous stays here and I put my finger on what, there was a tension in the air and a coolness about the place. No friendliness or welcoming feel this time. Very strange air to the place and will not...