Pizzeria Trzy Papryczki

OK, there's a lot of pizza restaurants in Krakow, but there are some that people won't stop recommending or going back to. At the top of this list must surely be Trzy Papryczki (Three Peppers), which scores equally highly for both food and ambience. The name, according to legend, comes from the three fiery-tongued ladies-in-waiting who accompanied Italian Queen Bona to Krakow in the early 16th century and set up house on Poselska Street.

Today, on that same charming Poselska Street, just off the Royal Route as it passes down Grodzka, Trzy Papryczki - not the easiest of names for non-Poles to pronounce - welcomes you with an interior that immediately conjures up impressions of rural Sicily. Warm ochre plaster walls, simple wooden chairs and tables, and right by the entrance the kitchen, with its wood-chip oven and busy kitchen crew working the elastic pizza dough before your eyes.

Although Trzy Papryczki's fame rests chiefly with its pizzas (classic Italian style thin and crispy, by the way), the full menu also incorporates salads, pasta dishes and some imaginative and very reasonably priced main courses. The wine list, whilst not vast, is nevertheless well-chosen, featuring Italian classics and an extremely good value house red available in litre or half-litre carafes.

But the lucky visitor to Trzy Papryczki is the one who comes in the warmer months; as to the rear there is an absolutely delightful garden. Walls covered in vines, abundant shrubbery and parasols over the tables, this must be one of the loveliest hideaways in Krakow to enjoy an alfresco dinner when the sun is at its hottest - although don't be surprised to discover that it's extremely popular despite its tucked-away location.