One of the very best restaurants in Cracow, Cyrano de Bergerac serves fine French cuisine in a beautifully decorated cellar in the Old Town. The ambience is a gentle combination of Polish tradition and French refinement, while the cuisine is decidedly French - and rather haute. Artwork and tapestries add to the romance. In warm weather, consider booking a table in advance in Cyrano's pretty, flower-filled open air courtyard

What many people consider as the finest restaurant in Cracow sits high above the Main Market Square and dates back to 1792. With timbered ceilings, oriental carpets and fine oil paintings all around, it's as classy as it gets around here. The food is excellent, with such offerings as foie gras with whisky and raspberries, duck marinated in Zubrowka (bison grass vodka) and many game dishes. Service is of a predictably high standard.

Forget just being one of Krakow's oldest restaurants – Wierzynek is one of the oldest in all Europe. Dated (somewhat spuriously) back to the 14th century, the restaurant is a warren of palatial dining rooms overlooking the market square. The cuisine style is refined old Polish, and is particularly strong for game and freshwater fish. Booking in advance (check out the website and specify which dining room you want) is often essential.

An award-winning restaurant located in a 13th-century building on the Droga Krolewska (the Royal Route) from the Wawel Castle to the Main Market Square, Pod Aniolami (meaning 'under the sign of the angels') offers fine contemporary Polish cuisine that's some of the city's best. The kitchen is particularly famous for its pickled meat grilled in the stove fire with beech wood. A beautiful restaurant decorated with traditional folksy knick-knacks, it is also very popular, so book ahead.

Excellent Polish and international cuisine is served in the pretty period rooms of this place whose name means 'under the pear tree'. Located in a fine 17th century house, it's a favourite of writers and artists and has the feel of a private club. There's good reason for this, as Pod Gruszka was once the private meeting place of the Polish Journalists Club, which is still housed in the building. The food is gorgeous and very flavoursome but it's the soups that are unbeatable – try one that's served in small, hollowed-out bread loaf.

Pub Stajnia's vibrant ambiance, rustic décor and cosy courtyard setting belie its grim portrayal in the film Schindler's List. Hidden down an alley in the Kazimierz district, this former film set is a favourite with locals who come for drinks or to feast on the restaurant's delicious food. The pork neck soup and pierogi dumplings (stuffed, unleavened dough dumplings) come highly recommended.

Established in 1895, Jama Michalika was once a favourite eatery for writers, painters, actors and other artistic types. Cavernous but quirky, this café-cum-restaurant is rather beautiful. Its moodily-lit art nouveau-style halls are lined with nationally significant artworks created specially for the café. The traditional Polish food is of reasonable quality and value, but the décor, the theatrical etchings and other mementoes adorning the walls are what make a visit here truly worthwhile.

A short menu of vegan burgers (with chickpea, tofu or vegetables) accompanied by delicious sauces and fruit smoothies, has proved overwhelmingly popular since this restaurant opened in 2013. They make an affordable and healthy break from the usual heavy Polish cuisine.

You won’t get haute cuisine at Pod Temidą, but you will get an authentic slice of Polish life, along with hearty, traditional meals at knock down prices. “Milk Bars” are canteen-style cafes created in the post-war period that served dairy-filled food that contained no meat. Although meat has since crept back on to their menus, these are still decent options for vegetarians, serving Polish classics like bigos (cabbage and sausage stew) and pierogi dumplings (stuffed, unleavened dough dumplings). For lighter options, try barszcz (Polish borscht) or pancakes with sweet cream cheese.