Zapiekanki

The zapiekanka stalls at Plac Nowy occupy hatches set into the outer wall of the Okraglak, the circular market hall at the centre of the square in Krakow's Kazimierz district. The rotunda was built in 1900 as a market hall; from 1927 the city leased it to the Jewish community as a ritual poultry slaughterhouse, a use ended by the German occupation, after which it reverted to general market trade. From the 1990s the hatches around its circumference became known for zapiekanki, a halved baguette topped with mushrooms and cheese and grilled, then finished with sauce. Toppings now range well beyond the original, taking in meat, vegetables and a range of sauces. Prices start at roughly 7 zloty for a plain version and rise to around 30 zloty for the largest. Several hatches trade daily from morning until about 2am, which makes the square a late-night stop. Plac Nowy is about fifteen minutes on foot from the Main Square, or reached by tram to the Miodowa stop.