Zapiekanka
Photo: Mariuszjbie · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

Zapiekanka emerged in 1970s Poland as a cheap street-food adaptation of French bread pizza. The Plac Nowy rotunda in Kraków's Kazimierz, originally a 19th-century kosher poultry slaughterhouse called the Okraglak (the round), reopened as a zapiekanka cluster in 1989 after the Iron Curtain fell. Six windows ring the building; Endzior is the consensus pick. The dish features in every Kraków guidebook since the 1990s. The half-metre version (60 cm long) is the post-bar order; the regular 30 cm version is the standard.

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Warsaw

Guided tour · 3h 30m

Warsaw: Polish Food Tour

The Polish food tour is a great way to experience a must-try cuisine of this amazing country. A professional guide will teach you all there is to...

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy in cheese, Egg in some sauces

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 25 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 long baguette, cut in half lengthways then crossways into 4 pieces
  • 300g button or chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 30g butter
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 200g melting cheese (Gouda, Edam or a Polish topiony), grated
  • 100g ham or smoked Polish kiełbasa, diced (optional)
  • Salt, black pepper, sweet paprika
  • To serve: ketchup, garlic sauce (mayonnaise mixed with crushed garlic and parsley)

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 220°C with a baking tray inside. Place the baguette quarters cut-side up.
  2. In a frying pan, soften the chopped onion in butter and oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, a pinch of salt and paprika. Cook 8 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have caught colour.
  3. Spread the mushroom-onion mixture across the baguette pieces. Scatter ham or kielbasa if using.
  4. Top each piece with a thick layer of grated cheese.
  5. Bake on the hot tray for 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the baguette edge is crisp.
  6. Drizzle with ketchup and garlic sauce. Eat hot, with a paper napkin around the base.

Tip from the editors. Slice the mushrooms thinly so they cook through and lose their water; thick slices steam the bread underneath.

Where to eat zapiekanka

Zapiekanka in Kraków

Endzior (Plac Nowy zapiekanka) ★ 4.4

$$ Modern PolishUntil 03:00 weekends, 24:00 weeknightsCash only

Endzior at Kraków's Plac Nowy in Kazimierz pours zapiekanka the open-face baguette until 03:00 on Friday and Saturday. Reservations advised.

TryZapiekanka

TipCash only. Open until 03:00 weekends; the queue at 02:00 is the social institution.

Directions

Vegab ★ 4.2

$$ TurkishUntil 02:00 daily

Vegab on Starowiślna near Kraków's Kazimierz pours vegan kebab in pita with garlic sauce until 02:00 every night. At ul. Starowiślna 8. Booking recommended.

TryVegan kebab

TipOpen until 02:00 every night. The seitan kebab with garlic sauce is the late-night order.

Directions

All Kraków signature dishes →

Zapiekanka in Wrocław

Zapiekarnik ★ 4.1

$$ Modern PolishUntil Tue-Thu and Sun 22:00, Fri-Sat 00:00, closed Monday

Zapiekarnik on Ruska runs until midnight Fri-Sat, the late-night fallback when Wrocław's Old Town bars close. At ul. Ruska 49. Booking recommended.

OrderMushroom-and-cheese zapiekanka with garlic sauce.

TipFriday-Saturday the counter holds until midnight; useful when the Rynek bars finish.

Directions

Bar Lubię To ★ 4.1

$ Polish Home CookingNadodrze

Bar Lubię To on Łokietka is the Nadodrze locals' lunchtime canteen: home-style Polish plates at student prices, schabowy sets, daily soups, ruskie pierogi.

OrderThe schabowy set (breaded pork cutlet, potatoes, slaw), plus a bowl of żurek to start.

TipKitchen runs 10:00-18:00 weekdays; the lunchtime queue from 12:30 is the busiest window, and they sell out of devolay by mid-afternoon.

Directions

Bar Pierożek ★ 4.3

$ Modern Polish

Bar Pierożek in Wrocław's Nadodrze is basic-seating pierogi at sub-30-zł plate prices. The cheapest hot dumplings in town that don't compromise on quality.

OrderA dozen pierogi ruskie with a glass of cranberry kompot, total around 28 zł.

TipLunch deal Mon-Fri before 14:00; one of the cheapest hot meals in central Wrocław.

Directions

All Wrocław signature dishes →

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