Poland's culinary scene is experiencing a rising recognition for its unique flavours and growing number of Michelin-recommended restaurants, as Baldwin Ho discovers.
The Polish economy has been flourishing since it joined the European Union in 2004. The country has the highest GDP among Central and Eastern European countries. It is therefore no surprise to discover that the stereotypical, disparaging image of Polish cuisine is very much outdated nowadays. I travelled the length of the country recently to discover what Polish cuisine truly means in 2025.
Gdańsk
Gdansk has been named the European Capital of Gastronomic Culture for 2025/2026. A prestigious accolade which reflects the city's vibrant culinary scene and its ongoing efforts to promote local cuisine. If you go to the Visit Gdańsk website, you can purchase "Taste of Gdańsk" cards and get discounted meals in the city.
A restaurant that offers this package is Gdański Bowke. Situated in the heart of the old town, it has a charming atmosphere, complete with live music. Here diners will be served classic dishes like old Polish sour rye soup (żurek) and black pudding. The latter isn't to everyone's taste, including mine. However, their refined version is elegantly chopped up and mixed with red onion chutney and caramelised apples.
If you want to experience modern-day Polish cuisine, head to Mercato at Hilton Gdańsk. Head chef Dominik Karpik elevates what could have been safe hotel food to adventurous bistro fare. The dessert trio alone is well worth a visit. It includes mushroom ice cream, sea buckthorn sorbet and white chocolate mousse. Karpik has just launched his newest restaurant at the hotel, MDWA. Open solely for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, it serves an exquisite tasting menu with novel plates such as doughnut with eel and caviar.
Warsaw
A visit to Warsaw is a culinary highlight. The Lobster House restaurant has been delighting diners for over a decade. Seafood wasn't a major focus for Polish cuisine during the communist era, apart from enjoying carp on Christmas Eve. However, with the economic boom, Poland has seen a surging demand for sushi and shellfish. Here, the humble pierogi is served with lobster and there are a plethora of seafood platters to delight the most demanding of seafood connoisseurs.
A must-visit restaurant is Epoka with a menu executed by Marcin Przybysz. It offers two tasting menus: "Stories" and "Short Stories". Everything about Epoka exudes elegance. The dramatic restaurant design is by Boris Kudlička, who specialises in theatre and opera set design. The restaurant is immersive — guests can go behind the scenes with a visit to the kitchen and the white photo booth is ideal for snapping the perfect food photo. Dishes are a technical masterpiece, such as their sea bass dish served with a "squid skin". This is one restaurant you will leave with a completely new perspective on Polish gastronomy.
The best way to understand a city's culture is through a food tour. Eat Polska offers boutique tours that let you delve deep into the food and drinks scene in the city. My Warsaw tour was expertly led by Daniela, who expertly dispelled pearls of wisdom regarding local history, culinary highlights and sightseeing tips. She talked about the importance of soup to local culture, as we tried both żurek and borscht. We visited the chocolate powerhouse that is E.Wedel and bought some chocolate-covered marshmallows. We tried some Silesian dumplings, but also talked about pasta with fruits. This was famously mentioned by recent Wimbledon winner, Iga Świątek. We also tried a rite of passage : a zapiekanka at Lussi, which resembles a toasted open sandwich.
Krakow
In this southern city, I also joined an Eat Polska tour to further my knowledge of Polish cuisine. The tour was led by the masterful Tomek. He's not only a tour guide, but also a brewer at Brokreacja Brewery. His knowledge of the drinks industry in Krakow is second to none. We tried wines from the Srebrna Góra Vineyard in Kraków — one of the largest vineyards in Poland, situated in the scenic Vistula River Valley. Polish wines have truly come of age in the last 5-10 years and are anticipated to increasingly appear on global restaurant menus soon. Our tour also took us to Plac Nowy, which is the epicentre of zapiekanka culture with over a dozen stalls selling this street food favourite. In this square, you will find countless varieties akin to pizza toppings. Afterwards, we sampled countryside Lemko cuisine at Gościnna Chata. Giant portions of schnitzel were washed down with locally crafted beer.
Finally, I recommend visiting the Mediterranean seafood restaurant of Farina. It’s been serving fine-dining fare for over 20 years against a picturesque backdrop of majestic chandeliers and a commanding wooden-beam ceiling. Talented chef Monika Turasiewicz offers a menu with lighter fare and seafood-focused dishes, dispelling any preconception that Polish restaurants will only serve hearty meat-laden dishes. Guests can enjoy a vodka and oyster cocktail topped with shellfish, mussels served in a curry sauce, and,if you want to celebrate in style, order the "royal" seafood platter.
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