Restauracja Cechowa — Restaurant in Krakow

Had the beef tartar, which was delicious! The waitress was kind enough to come over and instruct me how to mix it all together when she saw me "guessing" how it was supposed to be done haha. So, very attentive service! Also, had the pork tongue with horseradish sauce and fried potatoes as my main dish, along with a beer, of course, which was all fantastic. The two waitresses were both very warm and friendly, in a semi-gruff Polish auntie sort of way hehe. And my entire meal cost $12 USD! I rate my dining experience a strong 5 out of 5.

Disclaimer: So, pork tongue is something I never tried before. But I figured, why not? First time in Krakow, never seen it on a menu before, let's do it! But by itself, not really my cup of tea in terms of cuts of meat, but paired with the fried potatoes, it was really good! I'm glad the waitress suggested I get the fried potatoes as a side; perfect combination with the pork tongue in horseradish sauce. So, if you're feeling adventurous and want to try the pork tongue, be sure to get the fried potatoes as well 😉

Oh, and one other thing, possibly the most important... there weren't any tourists there! Only locals. And you know what they say, if you want good, authentic food, go where the...

We really like this place. We went twice. Apart from the two of us, it was full to the brim with locals; some for a celebration, some for a catch-up and a gossip, and some like us, just there for the food. The sprig of rosemary added to plates as a garnish seems the only concession to 'fanciness': this restaurant doesn't do fancy, they do hearty, no-nonsense, traditional Polish food, and it is very, very good. The pierogi were little clouds of deliciousness, our favourite being pierogi ruskie, the pigs tongue was melt in the mouth (no pun intended), the veal in breadcrumbs delicious (it was ordered twice), the cabbage and beetroot sides were also very good. They have a good vodka menu, with Gorzka, a traditional vodka, being our favourite.

We don't speak Polish. They don't speak English, or at least very little, but we got what we wanted to eat and drink without any bother. Their house wine was a little rough on first tasting, but it went really well with the food, and we ordered extra, so it can't have been all bad

We're going back to Krakow later in the year and back to...

I was reassured by good reviews and was looking for somewhere more genuine, not on the main Market Square and close to Harris. Found the restaurant and felt like traveling back in time to PRL, which I thought was quirky and possibly could be their selling point. But it wasn't really quirky, the deco wasn't intentionally preserved from previous era, it was just outdated and tired. The food was basic, so the prices aren't exceptionally low - they high considering the quality. I narrowly avoided fish food poisoning (the fish had a bit of a smell and wasn't cooked properly. I am guessing it was from frozen and not processed correctly at some point.) This has been resolved and I was able to order something else and this is the only reason I give 2 stars instead of 1. The rest of the food was pretty avarage or even poor quality. Microwaved or reheated in other ways - NOT freshly cooked. Very much school dinners style. I know Polish food well and I know good Polish food - you won't find it there. I definitely would...