Kawiarnia Jama Michalika

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!

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…

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.

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!

Die Kawiarnia Jama Michalika ist ein uriges Restaurant in der Haupteinkaufsstraße der Krakauer Altstadt. Das Jugendstil-​Café ist schon wegen der Einrichtung eine echte Attraktion. Es ist zwar sehr dunkel und völlig überladen, aber trotzdem ein echtes Original. Um die Jahrhundertwende war es schon Treffpunkt der Künstler und Intellektuellen.
Wir haben dort original polnisch gefrühstückt (Sniadanie :-)), also viel Ei, Würstchen und Käse schon früh am Morgen. Ein bisschen Marmelade und Weißbrot gibt’s aber auch dazu.
Beim Weg zur Toilette lernte ich die polnische Gastfreundschaft kennen… Man muss dort an der Tür eine Münze einwerfen, damit die Tür aufgeht. Obwohl ich das getan habe, ging die Tür aber nicht auf. Da ich nur diese eine Münze zur Hand hatte stand ich wohl erstmal ratlos da, doch sogleich eilten ca. 5 polnische Frauen herbei (Inhaberin plus andere Gäste), die auf mich einredeten (ich habe nichts verstanden ;-)) und schließlich noch einen Zloty für mich einwarfen :-) Sehr lustig und sehr hilfsbereit!
Auch die Bedienung war sehr freundlich und gab sich alle Mühe, unser Wörterbuch-​Polnisch richtig zu interpretieren.
Sollte ich wieder mal nach Krakau kommen, werde ich sicher wieder ins Jama Michalika gehen!