Balaton Restaurant

On a cold winter's evening in December 2024 on our visit to Krakow we really fancied a filling hot dish, and decided that a goulash would fit the bill. So we searched for a Hungarian goulash restaurant, rather than choosing a restaurant that just sold goulash, we wanted to try and have an authentic Hungarian dish. Now i know we were visiting Krakow but having already eaten three or four meals at local Polish restaurants we just fancied something a bit different. The restaurant is easy to find, a short walk from the main square, on a busy route into the city from the Jewish quarter. The restaurant has a nice feel to it, with wooden bench seating and tables. The staff were very friendly and welcoming when we arrived, and remained so through our evening. The service was very good. I really enjoyed my meal goulash on a potato cake; very nice. It really hit the mark, was super tasty and came with a small mixed salad, including carrot. The bottled wheat beer was good, as was my wife's mulled wine plus my daughter's peach tea drink. Our food arrived piping hot. The dumpling pods were tasty too. A very good meal at a very reasonable price served with a smile. Very relaxed dining with tasty food. Level 9 Google reviewer; 1,000 plus reviews with nearly 2 million views and over 12,000 photos with over 55 million views and still going strong 💪. Check out my other reviews 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟.

We visited for lunch. It was absolutely superb. We had potato cake with chicken goulash and it was fabulous. Large portions, piping hot and very tasty salads. Completely filled us! We had wine and the bill came to £32. The waiter was so friendly and the service was impeccable. Highly recommend.

My wife and I visited Balaton Restaurant today with high hopes, as it’s the only Hungarian restaurant in Krakow’s old town. The goulash soup was enjoyable, with good flavor, but the stuffed pepper with rice and meat fell short of expectations and didn’t feel authentic to Hungarian cuisine. I hope to see improvements in the future.

We didn’t knew there was a hungarian restaurant in Krakow. We were walking in the city centre and suddenly we found this lovely place. We ordered Goulash (gulyás) , it was huge size served in a nice style. For dessert ate Pancake a la Gundel , I tell you it was delicious. Service was fast. Highly recommend if you like hungarian food.

Great food! The poultry goulash with potato pancakes is delicious. The service however was very poor, and the staff was rude.

Amazing Hungarian restaurant in the old town. Simple, authentic and not over priced. Food was great. We had the potato pancakes, which I highly recommend as it's their classic dish. Service is efficient and seamless. Great find.

Amazing Hungarian inspired restaurant in the central area of Krakow. Would highly recommend chasing the veal goulash with a draft pour pint of beer 😁

Beautiful Hungarian restaurant in the old town. Food was great, especially the goulash and the potato pancakes, which I highly recommend. Service is efficient and seamless. Staff is very nice. Highly recommend this place if you would like to try some delicious and flavorful Hungarian food!

I think this is a great spot when visiting Krakow. The food was incredible but keep in mind that the food was no spicy even though they said it was going to be. As someone who is polish, I approve of this place. Great options, great variety, and great service. The waitress had a lot of recommendations

The restaurant is in the heart of the historic center of the city, next to the Saint Mary's Basilica and close to the Market Plaza. The service was very good. Our waiter was Aria and she was very nice and caring. She spoke well English. The service was quick and accurate. No missing items, no wrongs. The food was incredible. They sat the 8 of us and each ordered different dishes. All good. I personally tried the Hungarian style Goulash, which was absolutely delicious. Overall, excellent place, service and food.

Every time my husband and I visit Cracow we go to Balaton and it never disappoints. The food is absolutely delicious. Fresh and flavorful. It's one of the best restaurants we've ever been to. In the entire New York City we didn't find a restaurant that would serve Hungarian food as good as Balaton. Highly recommend!

Awesome service the. Waiter was very helpful and Patient with all the food was excellent I tried and bean soup and it was big enough that I had as able to share with 2 friend. The venison goulash was great the meat was very soft with is hard do with venison.

Balaton is very much an institution in Krakow. The first time I ate here was fifteen years ago. Sadly, it has become little more than a tourist trap. The place is best known for two dishes: potato pancakes with goulash and goulash soup. The former, płacki po węgiersku in Polish, is a common dish in this country. What is served here isn't better than what you can get at a milk bar like U Babci Malina--at half the price. Portions used to be massive but that is no longer the case. With the goulash soup they've also cut corners, substituting beef with pork. Balaton is good place for larger groups. They have little problem accommodating a table of ten or more. The place can get incredibly loud if you chance upon a group of Italian tourists. If you're looking for a more intimate dining experience I'd recommend going somewhere else.

English: Fantastic potatoe pancakes. I go to Balaton every time I visit Krakow. I generally don't like this type of food, but the quality of the sauces and finished product is just superb. I can't speak to any other dish however. Polish: Restauracja którą chętnie odwiedzam podczas każdego pobytu w Krakowie. Pyszne jedzenie, od dań głównych po dodatki. Nawet zbyt lubiane przeze mnie placki ziemniaczane tam smakują wyśmienicie. Serdecznie polecam!

This was the best restaurant experience we had in Krakow. The food was so good we could not believe it was at such a reasonable price. My wife ordered the spicy goulash w potato and I went with the country dinner and a side of goulash soup. The food was insanely good. On top of that the staff was fantastic. Martin attended to us and was friendly and very knowledgeable. Pro Tip: If Martin suggests it, go for it. Not only did he turn us on to great eats there at the restaurant, he also provided suggestions on things to do and see in Krakow. Go check this place out!

This place has pretty decent Hungarian food. the Goulash soup was a nice dish - a little less interesting was a fried potato pancake with stew on top - I don't think it was a problem of not-good ingredients or execution, but it makes the crispy potato pancake a bit soggy and unappealing to dump a pile of stew on it. We liked the Hungarian house wine by the carafe. Music was distracting - very fast tempo, like we should be working out, not eating.

First time here, ordered Veal with dumplings delicious only one plate but had to order an other one same thing

This place Rocks!!! Every time i am in town i eat here. Unfortunately, lately it has been awhile. Placki po wegiersku, zupa rybna & beer. To die for.