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What to eat and drink in Poland
With its rich history and unspoiled landscapes, Poland is one of the most fascinating destinations in Europe. Here are the top things to eat and drink.
With its rich history and unspoiled landscapes, Poland is one of the most fascinating and multifaceted destinations in Europe. Yet when travelers think of Polish cuisine, they might have a hard time imagining much beyond barszcz (the local version of borscht), pierogi (dumplings) and Kielbasa sausage. Well, prepare to think again.
Of course, Poland does have plenty of barszcz, pierogi and sausages, but you can also expect a wide variety of other traditional Polish dishes, spanning fresh seafood, filling pastries, local cheeses, hearty meat stews and much more. You might also be surprised by how vegetarian and vegan-friendly Polish cuisine can be.
While this multilayered land has borrowed heavily from the tables of its Central and Eastern European neighbors, the Poles have added plenty of homegrown ingredients and distinctive local touches to make Polish cuisine their own.
From humble yet delectable Slavic comfort food to avant-garde culinary labs earning Michelin stars in cities such as Warsaw and Kraków, travelers can dive in and sample the full spectrum of Polish cuisine. To kick off your culinary explorations, here are our recommendations for the top things to eat and drink in Poland.
1. Start with bigos, Poland’s national dish
No other food represents the origins of traditional Polish fare so perfectly as the national dish of bigos, the local “hunter’s stew.” This filling dish consists of a various types of meat, along with sauerkraut, shredded cabbage, various spices, and selected vegetables.
Bigos usually includes meats such as pork, beef, chicken and duck, and it’s common to add prepared meat products like bacon and sausage. This medley is heated and cooled several times to intensify the flavors. Due to its slow method of preparation, it is easier to find bigos at outdoor festivals and other community events, rather than at sit-down restaurants.
Where to try it: In Kraków, Gościnna Chata is a solid choice for tasty Kraków-style bigos. Over in Warsaw, Gościniec Polskie Pierogi has a lot of tasty pierogi on their menu, but they also serve excellent bigos.
2. Bite into some pączki and naleśniki
As you roam around Poland, you’ll quickly discover that Poles love their pastries, and pączki (donuts) and naleśniki (crêpes) are among the nation’s favorite treats. The vast majority of Poland’s bar mleczny (literally “milk bars” – traditional cafeterias serving affordable food) offer naleśniki, most commonly with cottage cheese, fruit or jam.
If you’re in the mood to try some pączki, you can usually find them at Polish bakeries; you may even find some that specialize in pączki. These fried doughnuts are typically filled with fruit or creamy fillings.
Where to try it: In Gdańsk, Pellowski is a family-owned craft bakery that makes exceptional pączki, and Szydłowski is a mini-chain that specializes in pączki, with locations dotted around town. In Warsaw, Cukiernia Pawłowicz serves terrific pączki; the ones filled with chocolate are delicious. 
3. Fill up on pierogi
When in Poland, it’s almost mandatory to try the local pierogi – Poland’s interpretation of the stuffed dumpling. These boiled or fried crescent-shaped parcels feature a variety of fillings, such as mashed potatoes, fried onions, cabbage (including sauerkraut), mushrooms and cheese.
You’ll find them in restaurants and cafes all over the country, and they’re particularly popular during the Wigilia (Christmas) celebrations. Look out for dessert versions with fruity fillings such as apple, cherry, plum or dried prunes.
Where to try it: If you’re already splurging on a luxurious stay at Kraków’s Hotel Copernicus near the Wawel Royal Castle, try a refined take on pierogi at their elegant restaurant. In Warsaw, Syrena Irena, Restauracja Ratuszowa and Eatery are all great options for pierogi.
4. Enjoy a cup of tea the Polish way
Though the United Kingdom is hailed as Europe’s epicenter of tea culture, the Poles give the British a run for their money. Poland even has its own special word for tea, herbata – and unlike British-style tea, herbata is always drunk without milk, so you can focus on the flavor.
Where to try it: In southeastern Poland, check out Mazagran in Zamość for high-quality herbata and coffee. Over in Silesia, Herbaciarnia Targowa in Wrocław is a cozy, homey spot to sample traditional Polish teas. In Sopot on the Pomeranian coast, Jahmajka Sopot sells an intriguing variety of specialty teas from around the world. 
5. Indulge in cheesy zapiekanka and oscypek
As you taste your way around Poland, you’ll quickly learn that this country loves its cheese. If you want to try a quintessentially Polish cheese, look no further than oscypek – a Tatran sheep’s-milk cheese that comes in tasty smoked and unsmoked varieties.
To get hands-on with Polish cheese culture, try zapiekanka – a sort of “Polish pizza” made from an open baguette topped with melted cheese, chopped mushrooms and ketchup.
Where to try it: A short drive outside Kraków in the village of Ojców, Pod Puchaczówką makes phenomenal zapiekanki, backed up by lots of sweet treats. In Warsaw, Zapiexy Luxusowe is another good stop for fast yet fantastic zapiekanki.
For the freshest and most authentic oscypek, investigate local shops and farmhouse producers on a road trip south of Kraków towards Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains, where most of Poland’s oscypek is made.
6. Try gołąbki, Poland’s iconic cabbage rolls
Gołąbki are baked cabbage rolls filled with minced meat, chopped onions and rice. They’re typically served with tomato sauce and placed on the menu for special events such as weddings and holiday parties. Look for them at local restaurants serving traditional Polish food.
Where to try it: Michelin-recognized Kogel Mogel in Kraków may focus on Polish fine-dining, but they continue to make some mean gołąbki. In Warsaw, pop into Gościniec Polskie Pierogi and order some gołąbki alongside a plate of the house dumplings. 
7. Warm up with a hearty bowl of barszcz or źurek
Okay, it’s finally time to discuss barszcz – the Polish take on Ukraine’s borscht. Like its Ukrainian cousin, barszcz is a red beetroot broth, but the Polish version usually comes with uszka, small dumplings filled with mushrooms or minced meat.
For another iconically Polish soup, try źurek – a sour rye-flour soup with the protein quotient boosted by pork sausage and a hard-boiled egg. Find both at local restaurants and cafes across the country.
Where to try it: In Łódź, Imber is a delightful Jewish-style restaurant serving źurek prepared the traditional way, while Lublin’s Kardamon is another spot celebrated for its źurek. For exceptional barszcz, try U Kucharzy in Kielce, or Pyza in the Carpathian mountain town of Tarnów.
8. Snack on potato pancakes
Placki ziemniaczane are Polish potato pancakes. They’re typically served with goulash stew or a dollop of sour cream, known locally as smietana. Thanks to the use of egg as a binding ingredient, they’re rich in protein, and often a go-to dish on Fridays during Lent, when observant Catholics abstain from eating meat.
Where to try it: In Kraków, Kuchnia u Doroty makes great placki, as does Restauracja Gąska in the historic Podgórze district. 
9. Have a kieliszek of wódka
Though Poles have been diversifying their drinking palates in recent years, locals still love their wódka (vodka), usually glugged from a small shot glass called a kieliszek. It’s typically downed in a single gulp, with a toast of “Do dna!” meaning “To the bottom!”
A small snack, such as a pickle or piece of pickled herring, is consumed just after drinking to ease the burn on the throat. Glasses are immediately refilled for the next drink, and the process often continues until the bottle is empty.
As you might expect, unless you’re a seasoned drinker, you won’t be able to keep up with experienced locals for long. Go easy and skip a few turns, or sip your drink in stages.
Where to try it: It might seem odd to recommend a museum as a place to sample an alcoholic beverage, but the Polish Vodka Museum in Warsaw offers tours that include a tasting of three local vodkas. Alternatively, head to Lublin, where you can enjoy wódka with hearty helpings of Jewish-Polish fare at Mandragora.
10. Eat obwarzanek in Kraków
As you wander around Kraków’s historic Old Town, you’ll come across an obwarzanek stall on pretty much every corner. These braided dough rings – which are parboiled, baked and then sprinkled with poppy or sesame seeds – are the forerunners to the Jewish bagels that first appeared in Kazimierz in 1610.
An astonishing 200,000 of these chewy treats are baked and consumed in Kraków daily. While they’re easy to find around town at any time of day, get yours in the morning to ensure freshness.
Where to try it: To learn more about this doughy staple and try making one yourself, visit the Obwarzanek Museum in Kraków. Alternatively, to eat obwarzanek in a more conventional setting, try the Bunkier Café in Planty Park, or the vegan-friendly coffeehouse bo-no-bo. 
Vegetarians and vegans
In a country that prides itself on its enthusiastic consumption of pork, it can be surprising to discover how many items on Polish restaurant menus are meat-free. The vast majority of milk bars and restaurants offer naleśniki crepes with cottage cheese, fruit or jam, and pierogi filled with mushrooms, cottage cheese or fruit.
Also look out for placki ziemniaczane potato cakes, kluski z serem (golf-ball-sized dumplings with cottage cheese), kluski z makiem (dumplings with poppy seeds) and pyzy (steamed potato flour dumplings). Obwarzanek are another easy-to-find meat-free snack.
Poland’s regional cuisines
There are several Polish regional cuisines to note as you travel around the country.
Kashubia: Poland’s most distinctive regional cuisine hails from the north of the country, around Gdańsk and along the Baltic coast. Menus might seem rustic at first glance, but the local cuisine is based on generations-old cooking traditions, and it leans heavily on farm-to-table produce, with a strong focus on locally sourced ingredients. Expect plenty of potato dishes, plus herring, duck and cabbage. To drink, don’t miss out on trying a glass of Goldwasser, a herbal liqueur containing flakes of real gold leaf.
Tatra Mountains: The Górale (highlanders) of Poland’s southern mountains enjoy a hearty, warming cuisine designed for long days out on the snowy pastures. Kwaśnica (pickled cabbage soup), goat’s cheese, potato cakes and hałuski (small dumplings served with cheese sauce) are signature dishes. And yes, that famed spindle-shaped oscypek sheep’s-milk cheese originates from this region.
Kraków & Małopolska: Kraków and its surrounding region produce some of Poland’s most iconic recipes. Makowiec (poppy cake), kluski śląskie (potato dumplings), obwarzanek, the rye-flour źurek soup, and various types of smoked sausage are typical for this region.
Warsaw: The Polish capital is known for its tripe dishes, pierogi, doughnuts, pork knuckle in jelly, and creamy, high-stacked gateaux, made from layers of sponge cake divided by rich, creamy fillings. As this is Poland’s largest city, you can also find plenty of restaurants serving foods from around the world. 
A year in food
The Polish menu is highly influenced by seasonal ingredients. Here are some of the highlights of the food year.
Spring
At Easter, Poles eat babka, a sweet yeasty bread that tastes a bit like brioche, alongside lots of other baked treats. Families often take all the components of their Easter feast to church to be blessed before the traditional Easter breakfast.
Summer
Summer is all about enjoying the warmer weather and eating alfresco meals beside the Baltic or in medieval town squares. This is a good season for beans, mushrooms, fruit-stuffed pierogi, and seafood on the coast. Freshly picked fruit, such as cherries and blueberries, abound, and the cold beer flows freely.
Fall
Apples weigh down tree branches at local farms until they are picked to make the classic Polish cake, szarlotka. The fall season is traditionally a time when country folk prepare harvested fruit and vegetables for winter in the form of pickles and preserves. Across the country, look for filling, warming dishes and local duck and goose on menus.
Winter
As the chill descends, settle in like a local in cozy taverns for warming bowls of classic Polish soups and stews such as barszcz and bigos. In addition, it’s the season for mulled wine and gingerbread at Yuletide markets and river fish such as carp at Christmas time.
This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Poland guidebook, published in July 2024.
