Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Sernik krakowski is the Krakow version of Polish baked cheesecake: dense farmer's-cheese filling, lattice of pastry strips on top, lemon zest in the curd. The city's daily pastry-counter standard.
Polish sernik (baked cheesecake) entered Polish home baking in the 19th century, using twaróg (farmer's cheese) instead of the German Quark or American cream cheese. The Krakow variant, sernik krakowski, distinguished itself by 1900 with a decorative lattice of pastry strips baked on top. The cake appeared in Maria Ochorowicz-Monatowa's 1910 cookbook as a Krakow speciality. The city's surviving counter sellers, Vanilla on Brzozowa and Noworolski in the Cloth Hall, serve the editorial Krakow version. The lattice pattern is the geographic ID; serniki from Warsaw, Poznań or Gdańsk are flat-topped.
3 editor picks for Sernik krakowski in Kraków, ranked by editorial score. All Kraków signature dishes · Sernik krakowski across every city.
Also in: Wrocław.
Noworolski in the Cloth Hall on Rynek Główny has poured coffee in its Secession rooms since 1910, the White Room's polychromes painted by Henryk Uziembło.
TipThe art-nouveau rooms are the photograph; the terrace on Rynek Główny is the better summer seat.
Cukiernia Michałek on Kraków's Krupnicza is the family-run pastry counter west of the Planty since 1958: rose-filled pączki, kremówka, sernik.
TipThe rose-filled pączki are the counter pick; Fat Thursday queue runs hours long.
Cukiernia Vanilla in Kraków runs traditional Polish patisserie from two shops, Brzozowa 13 and Na Szaniec 14. Open daily 10:00-21:00. At ul. Brzozowa 13.
TipSernik krakowski is the city's lattice-topped cheesecake; ask for it at the counter.
Sernik krakowski makes more sense with someone from Kraków explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Have you heard that the drinking vodka is the most common tradition of Poland? During this Private Vodka Tasting Tour you will try it and find out on your own.
Guided tour · 3h 30m
Experience authentic traditional Polish food with Krakow Food Tour!
2 hours
Get ready for a pierogi adventure! Learn time-honored secrets, make dough and fillings from scratch, and enjoy your delicious creations with a local drink, guided by o...
