Family House Poreba Cracow by Renters

In a characterful location down a cobbled street near the Wawel Royal Castle, this attractive restaurant has a distinctive medieval style. The walls are hung with tapestries, with matching seat cushions in place on the white wooden banquettes; downstairs, amongst the brick and stone, there's a more cosy, dimly lit vibe. Dishes like homemade pasta with game sauce fuse hearty flavours with careful technique. Above the restaurant are three richly furnished suites.

On Kraków’s oldest street lies this intimate restaurant that sits within the Hotel Copernicus, a former palace with 15th-century origins and an impressive Gothic façade; wood panelling and a stone fireplace lend the dining room a historic feel. Dishes are modern, adventurous and well-crafted takes on traditional recipes – like the excellent pierogi filled with Polish cheese. The Italian wines are the pick of the bunch and the lunch menu offers great value.

Steak lovers need look no further than this smartly dressed restaurant from the same owners as Fiorentina and Kogel Mogel. An eye-catching parrilla grill is at the heart of the operation, used with great skill on prime steaks from Poland and the US, best enjoyed with a glass of red wine from the impressive list. Don’t overlook the other dishes too, such as the beef pretzel with a deliciously piquant gherkin and caper cream. Cheery, genuine service is the perfect finishing touch.

The beautiful vaulted, red-brick ceiling is a key attraction at this well-run and deservedly busy restaurant. An experienced chef takes traditional dishes and gives them a modern update, while using the best of the local larder and delivering plenty of flavour. Their house specialities include Dover sole cooked over a wood-fired grill and, as the name would suggest, Fiorentina steak, which is dry-aged for 30 days before being chargrilled and served with a choice of sauces.

In an area of the city filled with restaurants, seek out this atmospheric spot where the menu reads like a ‘greatest hits’ of Japanese cuisine. Gyozas, nigiri, yakitori… all will be provided by the skilled kitchen team; and while the place lives up to its name with a wide sushi selection and multiple cuts of beef cooked on the robata grill, it’s worth diverting your attention to the terrific vegetable tempura. It’s all perfect for sharing, so bring some friends and sample as much as possible.

A pretty little restaurant in the heart of the Old Town, the dining area here is divided across three cosy rooms, each with their own character and blending original features with more modern furnishings. The simple cooking eschews fussiness in favour of reliably enjoyable dishes that allow the core flavours to shine. Seafood is the speciality, with fish arriving from France several times a week and then cooked whole over salt and herbs. Dishes to share are a feature.

In four 16th-century tenement houses in the city’s Old Town lies the luxury H15 Palace Hotel; on its ground floor sits this smart, contemporary restaurant with a glass roof, marble-topped tables and bright modern artwork. Choose from two tersely worded tasting menus that fuse Polish and Spanish flavours in colourful dishes that are presented with plenty of explanation from the team, such as 'Liquid Salad' with spring vegetables. Go for a wine pairing to add to the experience.