Pod Baranem ("Under the Ram") is one of Krakow's most dependable traditional restaurants, occupying a Gothic cellar just off the Main Market Square. The vaulted brick interior is what you hope for when you descend below the Old Town's cobblestones — low ceilings, candlelight, and a menu of carefully prepared Polish classics. The kitchen handles pierogi, żurek, and roasted meats with skill and care that distinguishes it from the tourist-trap restaurants that crowd the square.
The menu changes seasonally, with the kitchen using good Polish regional ingredients — smoked meats from highland producers, wild mushrooms from Małopolska forests, freshwater fish from southern Polish rivers. The set lunch menu offers exceptional value. Service is attentive without being formal, and the restaurant doesn't rush tables — a full evening here is a pleasure rather than an experience to be got through.