From little traditional cafes to gastronomic palaces, Cracow has the gamut of eateries, and prices are low by Western-European standards. Try the local cuisine, which is excellent, from the wild duck Cracow-style (stewed with wild mushrooms and served with pearl barley) to soups such as barszcz, a red beetroot soup known in Russia as borscht, and zurek, a very Polish soup flavoured with fermented rye flour. The local take on cheesecake (called sernik here) must be tried.

The restaurants below have been grouped in four different price categories:
$$$$ (over ZL150)
$$$ (ZL90 to ZL150)
$$ (ZL40 to ZL89)
$ (under ZL40)
These prices are for a three-course meal for one, including a pint of beer (wine is more expensive in Cracow) and service.

Chlopskie Jadlo
Chlopskie Jadlo, just south of Wawel and on the fringes of Kazimierz, looks like a rustic country inn and serves up traditional Polish 'peasant grub' (as its name suggests). The portions are as generous as the food is well-prepared, and there's live folk music at the weekend. Seating in antique sleighs adds to the rustic atmosphere.

ulica Sw Agnieszka 1
Tel: (012) 421 8520.
Website: www.chlopskiejadlo.pl
Price: $-$$

Cyrano de Bergerac
One of the very best restaurants in Cracow, Cyrano de Bergerac serves fine French cuisine in a beautifully decorated cellar in the Old Town. The ambience is a gentle combination of Polish tradition and French refinement, while the cuisine is decidedly French - and rather haute. Artwork and tapestries add to the romance.

ulica Slawkowska 26
Tel: (012) 411 7288.
Website: www.cyranodebergerac.pl
Price: $$$$

Jama Michalika
Once a favourite grazing area and watering hole for writers, painters, actors and other artistic types, this restaurant, established in 1895, is cavernous, with Art Nouveau-style halls that give in to rooms that lead to snugs. The traditional Polish food is of reasonable quality and value, but the Art Nouveau decor and the theatrical etchings and other mementoes adorning the walls are worth a visit.

ulica Florianska 45
Tel: (012) 422 1561.
Website: www.jamamichalika.pl
Price: $-$$

Miod Malina
This restaurant, with its interesting name of ‘Honey Raspberry', serves Polish dishes with a contemporary twist in colourful surroundings. Grab a window seat and order the duck in a plum and mushroom sauce or their famous pierogi (Polish ravioli). The decor has a rustic but very upbeat feel to it, with warm yellows and reds the dominant tones.

ulica Grodzka 40
Tel: (012) 430 0411.
Website: www.miodmalina.pl
Price: $$

Paese
Paese is a popular restaurant and deservedly so. Corsican cuisine is on offer here, and the thatched-cottage decor is warm and relaxed; it really feels like a little bit of the Mediterranean has moved in at this address on ulica Poselska. The menu is meat-heavy but there are also a few fish and vegetarian options.

ulica Poselka 24
Tel: (012) 421 6273.
Website: www.paese.com.pl
Price: $$-$$$

Pod Aniolami
An award-winning restaurant located in a 13th-century building on the Droga Krolewska (the Royal Route) from the Wawel Castle to the Main Market Square, ‘Under the Sign of the Angels' offers fine contemporary Polish cuisine. The kitchen is particularly famous for its pickled meat grilled in the stove fire with beech wood. A beautiful restaurant decorated with traditional folksy knick-knacks, it is also very popular, so book ahead.

ulica Grodzka 35
Tel: (012) 421 3999.
Website: www.podaniolami.pl
Price: $$-$$$

Pod Gruszka
Excellent old Polish and international cuisine is served in the pretty period rooms of this place called ‘Under the Pear Tree'. Located in an ancient house, it's a favourite of writers and artists and has the feel of a private club. The food is gorgeous and very flavoursome. The soups are unbeatable. Try one of the distinctive soups served in small bread loaves.

ulica Szczepanska 1
Tel: (012) 422 8896.
Website: www.pod-gruszka.prv.pl
Price: $$

Wentzel
What many people consider as Cracow's finest restaurant sits high above the Main Market Square and dates back to 1792. With timbered ceilings, Oriental carpets and fine oil paintings all around, it's as classy as it gets around here. The food is excellent, with such offerings as foie gras with whisky and raspberries, duck marinated in zubrowka (bison grass vodka) and many game dishes. Service is of a predictably high standard.

Rynek Glowny 21
Tel: (012) 429 5712.
Website: www.wentzl.pl
Price $$$$