Pod Wawelem

I was given a very intense overview of Krakow from the manager of the apartment I was staying at. He knows the place really well and doesn’t hesitate to share this knowledge with visitors. It was already past noon time and I was getting hungry. I only had a sandwich for breakfast and it was already long gone. I needed to go look for a place to eat. The first thing that came to mind was the old city of Krakow. The place is actually just a behind the apartment but it is a rather large block so I need to walk a bit to get to the old city.

I could see the royal castle from the street and I was getting excited but my stomach is telling me to hold it. I saw this restaurant which was across the street from the royal castle. The name of the restaurant is Pod Wawelem. I think it has a reference to the name of the castle which is Wawel. The price of the restaurant didn’t seem to be bad at all. It actually had a feel of an American diner like TGI Fridays or Appleby’s. They have an extension which has large windows and it gives you glimpses of the royal castle as you have your lunch or dinner.

The staff were all wearing traditional costumes and some of them look quite attractive. The menu had English translations so I went for pork knuckle. I wasn’t sure how Polish the pork knuckle was since I thought it has always been a German thing. I got a mug of beer to wash it all down. Curiously, the mug was only half size. I think I should have asked for the larger mug.

As for the pork knuckle. It was very tender and it was very easy to slice with the knife. The meat can be a bit rich so it might be difficult to finish it by yourself. I believe that is what the sauerkraut is for. After the meal, I was given a tiny glass of red liquid. Apparently, it is customary for them to give customers a shot of vodka after a meal. I enjoyed the meal I had there. I would have wanted to go back there but I just wanted to try other places here.

Pod Wawelem
Ul. Sw. Gertrudy 26, Krakow, Krakow 31-048, Poland
+48 12 4212336

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