Jama Michalika | Est. 1895

Amazing polish restaurant in the middle of old town in Krakow. With the rustic ambiance and lively piano music felt like we are back in time. The restaurant was not very crowded so we had second thoughts about the place but after the food we were more than satisfied. Great taste, decent portions and affordable price what else you want! And all this with a royal dining experience. We tried the pancakes and cutlets they were amazing. Their homemade icecream is also delicious.

Knew about this place beforehand and was not disappointed. Ordered starters and a main to share - both were high quality and of much more generous portion sizes that we'd expected (the waiter even brought out another table and to fit the main course on). Staff were accommodating of a severe nut allergy and ambience was great (historic setting and local folk music was being performed when we were eating). If you want modern and trendy then look elsewhere, but if you're after something authentic it's a must visit in Kraków.

Horrible food! A piece of advice: have coffee, enjoy the atmosphere, and then just leave. My potato pancakes with goulash were way oversalted (usually I'm the one at the table asking for more salt, but not this time), oily, and almost burnt. For reference, I've added a photo of how those pancakes should look. Right now, I’m sitting here writing this review, and my table still hasn’t been cleaned. This place doesn’t even deserve 1 star. Awful experience and a huge disappointment.

We had a lovely meal here. It was quiet when we visited an early midweek evening. The staff were friendly and helpful - its a great choice if you would like to try some authentic Polish dishes. We enjoyed the Mushroom Soup and Traditional Polish Dumplings.

Fabulous place. What a gem. The art inside is insane

Love this place! We only had tea and cake but it was delicious. The decor, dating from the age of Polish Art Nouveau and the Young Poland modernist movement of the late 1890s, is fascinating.

Oldest coffeehouse in Cracov. Art Nouveau café inside redecorated in 1910. The decor preserved until now. For 10 years from 1905 a famous Galician cabaret The Green Balloon performed here. Place offers dinners and good selection of cakes. I reccomend Advocat coffee or Hennesy coffee with cake.

We had a fantastic evening here. Olivia was a superb and engaging hostess. There was an extensive menu, the food was delicious and arrived promptly. The interior is very pretty art noveau and the tables widely separated and clean. Good value too.

We were not expecting much from this very touristy place. We were so surprised to see and taste good food and nice show. Recommended.

This place was on my list of '50 things to do in Kraków'. I was delighted when attractive friend (an aspiring young writer) agreed to come with me on my inaugural visit. She provided an additional element of glamour to this elegant place and was able to tell me all about the rich history of the Young Poland movement and its association with this "coffee shop". I chose ribs. I love ribs and these were some of the best ribs I've had (slow-cooked in honey). My dinner companion was happy with some szarlotka (apple pie) and some cocktails. When I'd finished my ribs I ordered szarlotka too (and it was indeed very nice). There were a few amusing moments. When I first arrived there was a man in the restaurant area. He tried to to engage me in conversation, but it soon became apparent that he was begging for money. A member of staff soon ushered him out. Halfway through the meal I went in search of the toilet. The cloakroom assistant (female) not only told me where the toilet was, but gave me a guided tour of the facilities too. The meal, abmience, service and drinks were top notch. It wasn't the cheapest meal I've had in Kraków (probably half of the bill was due to the cocktails), but certainly one of the most enjoyable.

Had dinner here with my colleagues. Lovely ambience, charming decor, and great food. We sampled a range of Polish dishes and all of them were excellent.

Nice, beautiful art nouveau place. Great pierog and beetroot soup for good prices. I ate there twice, both times the same experience: nobody to receive us at the door, so you have to enter and simple choose somewhere to sit. After 10 minutes, somebody may say to you that you can't sit over there, or maybe they can bring you the menu. So don't expect smiles or a fast service. But it's worth waiting, food is excellent, and if you are lucky enought, you may see some tradicional dance over there. It was like 35 celsius degree and they didn't have air conditioning. Hot as hell!

Tasty food, but what won me over was the atmosphere. It has a 19th century Bohemian vibe. There is some interesting history to this institution so I recommend you ask one of the workers about it!

Jama Michalika was highly recommend to us prior to our visit to Krakow and we made sure we paid a visit for dinner. I'm surprised by its rating so far because Jama Michalika is wonderful, from the moment you enter and catch a glimpse of the stained glass windows, large emerald green drapes and tall regal wooden chairs. There's even little puppets that hang from the walls which are worth having a closer look at. It's definitely the most theatrical restaurant I've ever visited and you just can't help but want to walk around and take it all in. (And people do, don 't worry!) The only way I can describe Jama Michalika is that I felt like a character in a Lemony Snicket book! (I hope you know what I mean.) It's bourgeoisie and enchanting. But still very much affordable. I went for a greek salad to start which was huge and tasty! The accompanying dressing was delicious too. I stole a spoonful of mushroom soup which I'd also recommend. Although if you're going for several courses, it's very rich. For main course, I had bigos which was just as heavenly and homely as bigos should be. I wish the dish could have lasted forever! To finish, I had hazelnut tart. Perfection. Also, food coma. But still, perfection. Worth a visit for some truly magical dining!

Exceptionally rude and racist staff. I was with a group of 7 colleagues from around the world had called to ask about reservations and was hung up on twice. We then decided just to walk around town to find a place. We came upon the restaurant and my two male colleagues from South America went in to ask of there was a table for 7. They were told yes and given the various details and requirements (such as the need to check coats, etc.) They came out and told us, as we walked in, my two African colleagues were amongst the first to enter. As soon as they got through the door and before we could say anything, she screamed that the kitchen was closed. How is that possible when less than 3 minutes earlier my white colleagues were told that there was a table available to accommodate us?

Memories and inspiration...I will not write about the history of this place because who knows - knows...I really loved Polish époque Mloda Polska so we used to performed there plays and borrowed costumes from Krakow theatres. I like the ambient and very old and stylish décor , the coffee tastes different in there and smell of it in the mornings is so comforting...also you can feel the absinthe times in the air :) not only...green...