Pod Aniołami

Pod Aniołami (Under the Angels) is a traditional Polish restaurant at ul. Grodzka 35 in Kraków's Old Town, on the Royal Road that links the Main Market Square with Wawel Hill. The venue is built into medieval cellars and vaulted rooms dating to the 13th century, and the brick vaulting, candlelight and heavy timber furniture give the dining rooms a distinctly historic character. Cuisine is classic Polish cooking in the fine-dining tradition rather than experimental: the kitchen works with game, poultry, pork and river fish, with sauces and sides drawn from Małopolska home cooking. Signature dishes include roast duck with apples, a slow-cooked lamb shank and żurek, the sour rye soup that is a fixture of Polish menus. Starters and desserts follow the same pattern, with regional cheese, pickles and fruit-based sweets. The atmosphere is relaxed but slightly formal. The cellars are cool and fairly quiet compared with the open-air terraces on the Market Square, which makes the restaurant suited to unhurried dinners, small celebrations and family meals. No strict dress code is known, though many diners dress smartly for the evening. Beverages usually include Polish beers, wines by the glass and house-style vodkas and infusions that suit the heavier dishes. Prices sit in the upper-middle range for the city, roughly 80-160 PLN per person for a main course with a starter or drink. Reservations are recommended for dinner and at weekends, and during peak tourist months and the Christmas season a booking a few days in advance is sensible; the restaurant takes reservations through its website or by phone. Daytime service starts around noon, and lunchtime is typically easier to secure without a booking. The central position below Wawel means the restaurant combines well with a castle visit, and the Royal Road setting makes it one of the better-known Polish restaurants in Kraków, Lesser Poland's historic capital.