Author: Barry Pickard
Hi, I'm Barry, the owner of Tailor-Made Itineraries and I have been designing bespoke self-guided tours for adventurous and curious travellers since 2015. I am a history graduate with a passion for travel.
I created this blog to show, through my own adventures, how you can have an incredible travel experience as an independent traveller, giving you the information to navigate the world with confidence.
Anyone who has seen the Austin Powers movie cannot forget the fictional villain Fat Bas***d and his famous line, "Come on! Get in my belly!" That is exactly how I began to view Polish food upon arrival to Warsaw. As mentioned in a previous blog, Barry had already been fortunate to visit Poland, and so he knew what was to be expected. As for me, I was ready to be introduced to Polish cuisine and whatever it had to offer. I truly had no idea what to expect, and I am so grateful that I had no expectations because with 1) an open mind and 2) a clean palate I was in the prime spot to eat away.
It must be said that aside from one or two food spots, we did not haphazardly stumble upon the following eateries. For Barry and I, food is extremely important wherever we go simply because we love to eat, and we enjoy trying out all sorts of cooking styles. Due to the fact that we consider restaurants as attraction sites themselves, we devote large amounts of research time to them when creating an itinerary. After all, we all have to eat at some point throughout the day, and it would be a dreadful shame to waste away excellent edible opportunities!
Finally, no one thinks of Poland in culinary terms. It is not one of the major worldwide cuisines. However, we hope that through this blog we can help change this misperception. Feast on!
Delicja Polska
Delicja Polska serves traditional Polish cuisine and we immediately fell in love with this restaurant for its décor, customer service, location (just off Castle Square), its price range, and OMG it's exquisite food. I must admit that although I did not order typical Polish food, i.e.: crispy potato pancakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche as a starter followed by a chicken Caesar style salad, it was fabulous. However, Barry jumped right in, and ordered Polish style sour cream soup with rural white sausage followed by rolled beef rashers with buckwheat groats and roasted beets puree. We shared a home made hot apple pie with vanilla ice-cream, and it was then and there that I picked on the fact that the Poles do desserts the way I like it...not too sweet, but just right. Our server spoke very good English, and he had a good sense of humor while teaching us a few helpful Polish words. We are so looking forward to going back in July!
If you are enjoying this post, remember and subscribe to my mailing list to receive my latest blog posts.
Zapieck
Another great restaurant serving traditional Polish cuisine, Zapieck is a chain restaurant that is open until fairly late (23:00), its tasty food is fairly priced and it has excellent customer service. Its interior design gives off a 'homey' and cozy feeling, and its menu offers a wide range of handmade wheat or spelt dumplings (also known as pierogi). Pierogi are often semicircular, but triangular and rectangular ones are also found. Typical fillings include potato, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, and fruits. The dumplings may be served with a topping, such as melted butter, sour cream, or fried onion, or combinations of those ingredients. Zapieck prides itself in that its dumplings are all made with natural ingredients. Fortunately, our hotel was only 10 minutes away from Warsaw's Old Town where this particular restaurant is located.
Restauracja Leśny Dworek
Located in Wyszków, Poland, 59 km (37 miles) away from the capital, Leśny Dworeki
If you are enjoying this post, remember and subscribe to my mailing list to receive my latest blog posts.
Street Food and Cafés
We came across fantastic quick bites (not all Polish, as the first picture reflects, but still yummy), and nutritiously delicious natural juices which I absolutely miss from back home, Colombia. The Polish hotdog's presentation was something new from what I have been accustomed to when going to baseball games back home in Houston. I was in heaven the whole time we were in Poland - options galore of freshly squeezed juices at a dirt cheap price! As the old Spanish proverb says, "Barriga llena, corazón contento” (Full stomach, happy heart).
Restauracja Galicja
Located in the historic city of Łódź, 125 km (80 miles) away from Warsaw, we became enamored with this farm-like feel restaurant which offers home-cooked flavorful Polish dishes with a bit of an innovative twist. We ordered beef cheeks from specially selected beef with endemic variety cherries from Lviv accompanied with a side order of casserole cabbage with raisins and cloves, and a plate of different kind of sausage meats, according to traditional, old polish recipe. Its serving portions tend to be on the big side, and prices are very reasonable for foreigners, but expensive if on a Polish budget. Galicja Restauracja's level of customer service was excellent, and the servers tend to speak good English.
If you are enjoying this post, remember and subscribe to my mailing list to receive my latest blog posts.
Restauracja Stary Dom
Holy moly! Wow! Wow! Wow! This restaurant blew our socks off! Only a 15 minute drive to the airport, this happened to be our last stop in Warsaw prior to coming back home. It was the perfect way to wrap our Poland trip. Restauracja Stary Dom offers traditional Polish dishes at reasonable prices for foreigners, and it is set in a cozy, old style Polish character interior décor.
Conclusion
Oh! Polish cuisine! How hearty and flavorful you are! It was as if we were always eating big and filling portions made with love in grandma's kitchen.
Related Blog Posts
If you are interested in finding out more about Poland, please view the Tailor-Made Itineraries posts below:
A Plunder of Souls – Auschwitz-Birkenau
On a Monumental Scale – Holocaust memorials in Warsaw
Płaszów's Story as Brought to Life Through "Schindler's List" – Płaszów Camp, Krakow
Please join us for our next travel blog post where we will admire colorful, artistic street art found throughout various Polish cities.
Comment below and let us know what was your favourite Polish food and restaurant.
Don’t forget that Tailor-Made Itineraries delights in creating bespoke self-guided tours. So, if visiting any of these restaurants appeals to you, reach out to me by email. I would be more than happy to design a self-guided tour around your requirements incorporating the delicious food of Warsaw, or indeed, a general tour of Poland.
Tailor-Made Itineraries posts every two weeks, and you can subscribe to the latest blog and newsletter here. Until then, happy reading and safe travels.
Pamela
Contact Me: tailoritineraries@gmail.com
Tailor-Made Itineraries creates one-of-a-kind bespoke self-guided travel itineraries for adventurous and curious travellers.
These self-guided tours deliver a personalised and exciting holiday experience that takes the effort out of trip planning.