Plac Nowy

What makes it special

The round hall in the middle of the square is the Okrąglak, built in 1900 as a meat hall, with a ritual slaughterhouse supplying kosher meat. For years the square around it was the centre of trade and social life for the Jews of Kazimierz, and Kraków residents still call it Jewish Square.

Today the hall's windows sell zapiekanki, half a baguette baked with mushrooms and cheese. They are among Kraków's best-known street food. For years they were the usual late stop after a night out in the city.

Around the hall the square is plain concrete, often lined with parked cars. Different markets fill it on different days: farm produce, antique and design fairs, a Sunday clothing market and a pigeon market. Festivals sometimes take the square over, and well-known artists have performed on the Okrąglak's roof.

Visiting

By day, start with the market. Alongside the antiques, the flea market's tables carry books, coins, stamps, porcelain, lamps, mirrors and rugs, and mornings are the time to browse them.

Then walk round the Okrąglak and pick a window. Each lists its own run of toppings, from mushroom and cheese to a Hawaiian with pineapple or a Greek with olives and feta. Many stalls mix their own sauces, garlicky to spicy, and a queue is normal.

Come back after dark if you can. Kazimierz is at its most atmospheric at night, and the windows keep serving late.

Tips

Keep a hand over your food, because the square's pigeons and wasps will take it the moment you look away. By day the litter is worst right around the Okrąglak, so carry your zapiekanka a few steps off before you eat it.

Midday can be a poor hour to arrive hungry, since some windows may still be shut.