Bar Mleczny pod Temidą

Tastes exactly like homemade food by your grandma.
There was a bit of a line when I arrived but heard good things, so I stayed and knew the line meant it had to be that good. And it was!
I had the stuffed cabbage with mushrooms, potatoes pancakes, perogies (ones stuffed with cheese and others stuffed with meat). Everything was amazing and not food went to waste. The total was about 40 polish zloty and worth every penny.
This is a must try to get a sense of what typical polish food is supposed to taste like (and hasn’t been tailored so that tourists find it more enjoyable). I doubt you can go wrong with anything on their menu.
Try to go for lunch rather than dinner. They only make a select amount of food for the day and once they run out you can’t get anymore. I went around 3 and was able to get everything I wanted. I dropped in later around 5 out of curiosity and noticed the stuffed cabbages, borscht and potato pancakes were all sold out. If they weren’t I would have returned for dinner that same night — it was that good.

Now this is what i call a milk bar. Traditional polish food served with no frills. If you want a real world milk bar experience this is it. Not a reincarnation or modern take of one.

Die Milchbars sind in Krakau ein Muss für Low-​Budget-​Reisende. Für wenig Geld bekommt man anständige polnische Hausmannskost und isst unter Polen. Hierfür ist auch die Bar Mleczny Pod Temida bekannt. Zwischen Marktplatz und Wawel ist sie sehr zentral gelegen. Von außen ist sie eher unauffällig, im Inneren erscheint die Atmosphäre als eine Mischung zwischen Kantine und Unimensa.
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Es herrscht Selbstbedienung. An der Theke kann man bei dem freundlichen Personal polnische Speisen a la Borschtsch-​Suppe, Piroggen, Hackbraten mit Kartoffebrei (Bifstek) bestellen, die Zubereitung ist sehr fix. Meistens bekommt man noch einen Krautsalat als Beilage. Die teuersten Gerichte liegen zwischen vier und fünf Euro, sodass man ohnehin nicht sehr viel falsch machen kann.
(Siehe Foto unten) (Siehe Foto unten) (Siehe Foto unten) (Siehe Foto unten)
Nachdem sowohl die von mir begutachteten Piroggen, als auch die Borschtsch-​Suppe und der Hackbraten sehr solide waren, der Kartoffelbrei sogar hervorragend, gibt es von mir fünf Sterne für die einheimische Alternative zum globalen Fast-​Food-​Einerlei.

the best milk bar in the city. The food is cheap, tasty, and, above all, home-​made. You don’t have to wait for your order because they serve it on the counter about 45 second after you place it.
If you don’t mind a rather crude design and an eclectic assortment of patrons (from homeless-​looking dudes to businessmen with their notebooks on the table), you can try out a wide range of traditional Polish meals. There are many vegetarian options in the menu.
On the downside, you have to make and effort and translate the names of the dishes which are displayed on the board since the bar does not have an English menu. But believe me, it is worth it.
Me and my husband used to eat there at least 2 times a week for a couple of years and we visited the place the last time we came to Cracow. The bar did not disappoint us. It tasted exactly the same way we remembered it and it was the best meal we ate in this city which is a high praise since the city has a lot to offer :-)