Poezja Smaku

This romantic new hideaway is amongst the most distinctive restaurants to have arrived in the Old Town in recent times. It's based in a sequence of expansive cellars near the Old Theatre. Descend the stairs and find yourself in a dainty world that's awash with salmon pinks and frilly white fabrics. You could half imagine Marie Antoinette twirling in, shepherd's crook in hand. The chef rustles up well-prepared Polish cuisine and there are plenty of fine wines to enjoy too. Finish with a Krupnik liqueur for a suitably sweet touch.

very relaxing athmosphere, excellent staff, reasonable prices, well detailed furnished

Poezja Smaku Restauracja, ul. Jagiellonska 5, Krakow
Tel: 012 431 03 67 Email: biuro@poezjasmaku.pl

The Poezja Smaku Restaurant is the best kept eating-out secret in Krakow that nobody knows… until now. The restaurant is a true gem and a find for any dinner, weary of the plethora of tourist-pandering restaurants that are almost wall-to-wall in Krakow. If you are new in town or a local and you are looking for something special, then the Poezja Smaku is for you.

Poezja Smaku (The Taste of Poetry) is old fashioned dining at it’s most exquisite. The 13th century cellar in which the restaurant is housed pays homage to belle epoch sophistication with sumptuous décor, seductive lighting, period furniture and art deco and art nouveau wall prints. Located in the basement of the Stary Teatr (Old Theatre), the restaurant itself is a piece of theatre. It regales in the costumes and the sartorial elegance of the early 20th century; mannequins dressed in haute couture splendour and the marvellous furniture give one the impression of dining on stage, or at least amongst the privileged demi-monde of the actors and theatre folk.

However, the magnificence of the Poezja Smaku does not end with the décor. The food is a real find. On two separate visits to the restaurant, I had the calf liver with baked apple and the Polish speciality, bigos (a kind of sauerkraut with cabbage, onions, bacon and pork). On each occasion I was not disappointed. I have tasted many versions of bigos – both home-made and commercial – and that in the Poezja Smaku was head and shoulders above the competition. The soups I had are to be highly recommended also. The broccoli and salmon soup was pure culinary paradise. The zurek (rye flour soup with white sausage and egg) was more traditional Polish cuisine and a hearty sustenance against the Krakow winter. The two deserts I had were homemade apple pie with chocolate sauce and the festive Gruszka Korzenna (spicy pear with ice cream). Both were divine; like little pieces of heaven on a plate.

On each of my visits Pink Martini’s retro jazz album ‘Hey Eugene’ was playing and I found myself momentarily transported back in time to when the world was a more simpler, more refined place. But coming back to reality, I realised that more than just a momentary bit of faux time travel, the Poezja Smaku Restaurant took dining and had transformed it into theatre. Perhaps being so close to the Stary Teatr had imbued the restaurant with something quite theatrically magical.

The prices were also a revelation. The soups I had cost 10zl. The calf liver was 22zl. The bigos was 15zl. The home-made apple pie was 10zl and the spicy pear was 15zl. I understand that the Poezja Smaku now offers cheap lunch menus. You can eat-in at 15zl or takeaway at 10zl. At these prices, I can’t think of much better value for money in Krakow.

I would suggest getting to the Poezja Smaku restaurant rather smartly… before the rest of Krakow discovers this best kept eating-out secret.

Reveiewed by
Stan Eales, artist and designer staneales90@hotmail.com Tel. +44 208 682 1894

Still a bit of a hidden gem in Cracow! This is apparently the place where Prince Edward once ate when he visited the city! Excellent food and fantastic staff! They also have a very nice garden area in the summer! As it's hidden down a side street it's a great place for a nice relaxing meal!

I brought my boyfriend here when he came over from England to visit me and was so impressed that I also brought my mother when she visited some months later. The food is wonderful and the waitresses can't do enough to help you. I thoroughly recommend the pancakes with chocolate and nuts for desert...it's to die for. Fabulous food for a reasonable price, I just don't understand why I have never seen it busy even on a Saturday night, especially when there are much less impressive restaurants in the city that are always jam packed!

Amazing, original decor, good food.
Not sure about the house white wine. Only complaint was it was dead the night we went, which was a real shame.

One of the highlights of our holiday was visiting this restaurant after finding it on the internet. So good - we went back the next night! Menu traditional and interesting, food excellent, prices reasonable. Staff, service, fellow-diners all made for an enjoyable experience. The relaxing atmosphere and background music was so different to most of the other restaurants we saw. Can't praise enough - have already recommended it to a travel company. Will be back there next year!

Me and my daughter with three friends booked this restaurant on the internet and all I can say is fantastic, the meal the service the hospitality was brilliant I will be recommending this restaurant to my friends in fact when I go again next year with the rest of my family I will be there again. 10 out of 10 what a brilliant night had by all and nothing was any trouble.
Basia from England

Huge salads and tasty main courses. The basement setting is rather attractive, and the courtyard garden looks a promising option for the summer