Pierogies are the quintessential Polish food. Made of unleavened dough, the semi-circle dumplings are filled with stuffings ranging from the savory to sweet. Popular fillings include meat, cheese, onion and potato but can be as inventive as caprese or curry and all are boiled and doused in butter to up the flavor ante even more.  An important part of Polish culture and the Polish national dish, pierogies can be found everywhere in the Central European country.

On my recent trip to Krakow this summer, it was clearly my mission to sample the best.

Pierozki U Vinceta

In Krakow, that means a trip to Pierozki U Vincenta in the city’s Kazimeirz district. The restaurant is a rather small establishment but specializes in the Polish dumpling. With over 15 varieties on the menu, the choice is not what to order, but rather how many flavors to try. Coming in at under $5 USD for a plate of 10, there’s no reason not to try a few.

For our meal, Kristen, Francisco and I decided to go with the waitress recommendations. On order: “Russian” dumplings filled with potato and fried onion, meat and mushroom and the sweet cheese variety.

“Russian” style pierogies filled with potato and onion, covered in butter

meat and mushroom topped with fried onion

the perfect end: sweet cheese pierogi with strawberry and yogurt

All three were divine.  Chewy to the bite, the pierogies  at Pierozki U Vincenta were a flavor explosion. The meat and mushroom balanced salty and meaty perfectly, while the Russian filled potato and onion were the ultimate comfort food creation. To end the meal, the not overly sugary sweet cheese was complemented by a tart yogurt to once again stimulate the taste buds. Pierogi at Pierozki U Vincenta were the ideal snack for a typically drizzly Krakow day.

My only regret? Not ordering more. On my next trip to Krakow, you’ll know where to find me.

Pierozki U Vincenta, ul. Bożego Ciała 12 (Kazimeirz) Krakow Poland, 11 AM- 9 PM (later in the summer).