Bar Mleczny Smakosz

Smakosz is one of the few remaining old school milk bar in Krakow. If you’re a tourist searching for the authentic milk bar experience, this is the place I would recommend. It has a certain dignity to it. Housed in an impressive socrealist building, Smakosz is very spacious. It’s more comfortable than most milk bar I’ve been to. The décor is decidedly dated, but in a charming sort of way.
For a cheap eatery, Smakosz gets a fairly respectable clientele. When I come here, I mainly see people I reckoned to be government workers or students from the economics university. It is quite busy during lunch hours although I don’t recall ever not finding a place to sit.
There are many items on the menu. The soups and pierogis are always good, as are the naleśniki (pancakes). The cutlets tend to be so-​so. A zestaw, consisting of a meat dish with sides plus a soup, will cost either 12 zł or 13 zł. The menu is Polish only. The ladies behind the counter have never given so much as a hint that they’d speak anything other than Polish. But hey, you’re looking for an authentic experience.