It started with a beer and it ended with some cheesecake. If it were a typical food tour, I probably wouldn’t have to tell you much else. However when you take a local Krakow food tour with Urban Adventures, it’s always so much more than your typical touristy tour that hurdles you from one overpriced restaurant to another.
I’ve been on tours with Urban Adventures in London, Budapest and Prague, so I was excited to see how they did things in Krakow when I visited the city back in early June. I had a rough knowledge of Polish cuisine, but there was a lot I could learn. So Alex from East Coast Contessa and I went on the Food by Foot tour.
We met our group at 6 p.m. at the Bonobo Cafe. Just as luck would have it, a beautiful day turned grey. It started pouring down rain about 30 minutes before and neither of us had an umbrella! Luckily, we easily found the spot. It’s located just minutes from the main square.
This was the perfect place to start a tour, especially when it’s raining outside! We all sat around a big table and enjoyed a few beers. There were a total of 10 of us including our tour guide Mateusz. Our group was small enough that we could all interact with our tour guide. I love tours that feel more like a conversation rather than a guide just throwing facts at you.
We spent about 30 minutes enjoying beers and smoked cheese. We were told all about the history of beer in Poland. Fun fact: the word for beer in Polish (pivo) is incredibly old. It has existed before the Polish language really came about. Hence we can see that beer plays an important part in Polish culture.
The first course
After beer, we walked over to a local spot called Polakowski to have some soup. There were four soups to choose from and we got to taste-test them in these little cups. I really like that we could choose here. Some of the soups had meat and at least one was vegetarian-friendly. Most of the group got this beet soup. I, however, went for a more vegetable-based soup. It was this cucumber soup that had a bit of an acidic taste to it. I enjoyed it!
Next: The Jewish Quarter
The next stop had us taking the tram. Don’t worry though … the price of the ticket is included in the tour! I always love taking public transportation when I travel. I feel more like I’m experiencing the city as a local would.
When we got off, we were taken to a lovely spot in Kazimierz, the old Jewish Quarter. Fun fact: parts of Schindler’s List were filmed in this neighborhood. Later on in the tour, Mateusz would take us by a spot from the film.
We were taken to a restaurant where we had our main course. The food was simply amazing. We had these potato pancakes with this sour cream sauce. We of course at periogi. We also had this sort of pastry with an amazing creamy, berry sauce. We were told that this wasn’t even dessert!
Time for some street food
After our lovely meal, we headed to an outdoor market to try some typical street food. I was too stuffed, but Alex tried something called Zapiekanki (pronounced zippy-ka-ka). It’s very similar to pizza. It’s basically toasted bread with cheese, meats and veggies on top.
A spot like this is perfect for travelers on a budget!
Dessert time
Dessert was one of my favorite parts of the experience. First, we were taken to a cafe with great ambiance. Second, I had chocolate cheesecake with pomegranates on top! It was absolutely amazing. I only wish that I was less stuffed so I could enjoy the entire thing.
After enjoying our desserts and conversations, we parted ways. I remember one of the women on the tour saying “I love traveling. I always learn new things and feel like my life is more enriched when I return.” That would be one of the best ways to sum up our local Krakow food tour with Urban Adventures.
We were guests on this tour. All opinions are my own.
