Trixie Navarre

I knew I meant business as a serious food enthusiasts when I traveled back to Krakow, Poland to eat at the Kielbasa Van- will travel for food! I missed it on my first trip, and came back four years later. The first time I read about the van was in 2015 right before my first visit to Poland. The story of  two old men, who have been grilling kielbasa sausages from a blue Communist era van since 1997 intrigued me. I love a good food story as much as I love good food.

Take it back to 2015 when I was in Krakow for several days, and I decided to eat at the blue van on my last night in the city. It was a Sunday night and guess what? The Kielbasa van is never there on Sunday nights- I totally missed it.

Four years later, I was traveling once again through Eastern Europe and decided to squeeze in Krakow, Poland. I rearranged my days (not Sunday) for a night at Krakow’s first food truck-van. I remembered the walk to the van location from 2015, and my eyes almost teared up when I saw the bright blue Kielbasa Van- I’m back baby!

This was not anything fancy, and the bread was a little stale but that kielbasa was amazing. It is grilled in front of you over an open fire, and along the sidewalk right next to the old blue Communist van. You eat off of a paper square with a dollop of mustard, standing next to other tourists and locals. There is also a small wooden table close by where you can stand, and eat what you came for.

The kielbasa was terrific, it was juicy and the skin was popping. The serving is big, so come hungry. As for the bread, like I mentioned it was a little stale but I did not come for the bread. It was just a satisfying moment- both for the food enthusiast in me, and as a traveler.

Call me stubborn or eccentric, but this was not my first time to go back into a country because I missed something. Was the Kielbasa Van worth my trip back into Krakow? Yes, of course! To be truthful, I love Krakow. This old city was the reason that I fell in love with Eastern Europe, and have come back to over the years. The Kielbasa Van is just one of the perks in Krakow- and a delicious one too.

Information:

The Kielbasa Van or Kiełbaski z pod Hali targowej is located just outside the main tourist area of Old Town.  They are parked from evening until 2:00 AM on Mondays thru Saturdays. I say evening because I read the van was there at 8:00 PM but I arrived much earlier and they were already selling Kielbasa.

Please visit their Facebook Page for their exact location because I will tell you that it is on the other side of an old bridge! Kiełbaski z pod Hali targowej

For more on eating in Poland, please visit –What I ate in POLAND – A Food Journal

Sausage is a great deal like life. You get out of it about what you put into it…

– Jimmy Dean

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