Where to eat in Gdańsk?

There are a lot of different restaurants in the Gdańsk that are truly worth seeing. Keep reading and you will find out which places you have to check out while visiting the center of the Gdańsk and which restaurants are the cheapest while also having amazing indoors.

The typical polish cuisine is mostly fat (not everything) which may be a problem for some people. There are some dishes which you have to give it a try though while living in Poland - and in my opinion it is dumplings (in polish called 'pierogi') and pancakes (in polish called 'naleśniki'). There are a lot of restaurants - who offer different type of food that are worth checking out.

• Restaurants worth checking out with various menu

1. Sapore Restaurant

   Sapore is an elegant restaurant with also really cheap food - you can pay a little bit more than 20 polish złoty for a dish. The huge advantage of this restaurant, beside obviously the price and its interiors, is the location. Sapore Restaurant is located in the city centre (in old part) just close to the "Street Długa" ("długa" means "long"). It is the most popular and the main street in Gdansk when it comes to tourism. You can take a walk around the old part of the city and if you want to eat in really elegant and beautiful restaurant with cheap prices in the centre - the Sapore restaurant is just for you.

2. Chelb i Wino Restaurant

   Chelb i Wino Restaurant is for sure one of my favourite restaurants in Gdańsk. It is a little bit more expensive than Sapore (but really not a lot, the prices are mostly 25+ polish zloty per dish) but I would say the climate of this place is also better. You can choose where you want to have a table - inside or outside. The interior of the restaurant is really elegant, it is a great place to celebrate things with other people. My friends and I usually visit this restaurant to eat something when we want to celebrate someone's birthday before going to some club or pub for drinking. Outside of the restaurant is also amazing due to its location. Chleb i Wino Restaurant (Bread and Wine - is the meaning of the restaurant) is located in the centre of Gdańsk, just at the end of the street Długa ("Street Long") close to the River Motława. The disadvantage though - since the restaurant is located in an amazing place and the prices aren't high it also has a lot of clients - due to this sometimes you have to wait in a long queue to have a table. If you want to go in the evening to the restaurant, I would advise you to book a table in advance. The phone number is on their website - just make a call a day before and you should be able to get the table. When it comes to the menu - you can find here dishes like pizza or pasta or other things. What might be funny though for others - in Poland we usually eat pasta with couple of things and it includes chicken. There is an amazing dish that I truly adore eating there - pasta with chicken and mushrooms sauce. I remember when I was on my Erasmus in Spain most of my flatmates were Italians and when I was cooking for myself pasta with chicken they were all shocked how can I eat pasta like that. Remember be ready to try new things - since for example dishes like that are typical in Poland.
   

• Cheap Restaurants

1. Bar Familijny

   If you are in the centre and you are looking for something to eat fast at low price - places like this are for you. In this place you can put on your plate the food you want from various menu and pay for its weight. Usually you spend here 10-15+ polish złoty (depending how much you put on your plate of course). These types of restaurants have lots of different things in its menu - you can choose a chicken, a fish, some pasta or even typical polish dish - dumplings (obviously if you go to some elegant restaurants for dumplings it will taste differently since in cheap restaurants you can find only a traditional boiled dumplings). The advantage of this place is also the location - the restaurant is located just next to Sapore restaurant which is a street away from Street Długa ("Long").

2. Bar Neptun

   Bar Neptun is the same cheap restaurant as Bar Familijny, maybe the prices are a little bit higher than in the first one. It is located though in the city centre (old part of the city) in Street Długa ("Long"). Here, just as in Bar Familijny, you can put on your plate whatever the food you want to and pay for its weight.

• Shopping centre

Shopping centres like always offer a various type of food and if you are in hurry you will always find there something just for you. Below you can check out two main shopping centres in Gdańsk.

1. Galeria Bałtycka (Gdańsk Wrzeszcz - location)

   Galeria Bałtycka shopping centre might not be located in the old part of the city Gdańsk but its location is still huge advantage. It is located just next to the train station 'Gdańsk Wrzeszcz' and it is also close to the University of Technology (Politechnika Gdańska) - thanks to this, this place is always full of people. It used to be main shopping centre in the city before Gdańsk Forum was built. Check out below the that one.

2. Gdansk Forum (Gdańsk Centre - location)

   Gdańsk Forum is a new shopping centre which is located in the centre of the city, close to the Street Długa ("Long"), just by the train station "Gdańsk Śródmieście" (where only SKM train stops). It was built and opened this year (in 2018) and since then this place has everyday plenty of people passing by. Not only the location of this place is huge advantage but also the interior design. You will always find a nice place to sit and have a rest - outside of the shopping centre near the main door or on the terrace of the building (where you can see the view on the old part of the city Gdansk). There are various of different kind of restaurants where you can eat - depending on what you want - you can eat a fish here, a burger or go to one of the cheap restaurants that offer various food where you pay by its weight (just like in Bar Familijny or Bar Neptun.

• Restaurants offering Dumplings - Pierogi

One of these dishes is for sure dumplings – in polish it is called pierogi. There are a lot of different types of dumplings – you can either eat in sweet or salty way. Dumplings can be made in various ways – it can be boiled (tradional way), baked or fried. I really recommend trying both. There are two main restaurants which I adore that are located in the center of Gdańsk. Read about them below.

1. Pierogarnia Mandu

   Pierogarnia Mandu is that kind of restaurant that you totally have to go while staying in Gdańsk. I would say it is the main restaurant when it comes to dumplings and everyone in Gdańsk knows about them. It is really delicious and the restaurant is also located in Gdańsk Centre so it is easy to get there which is huge advantage. The prices are not really high but it is not as cheap as Manekin. For a portion of dumplings you will pay here more or less 17-24polish złotych. The only disadvantage is that, from what I remember, every time I go there, there are huge queues. It is possible to even wait half an hour for a table during a day. So what you should do – is to call and book a table before, or go to the restaurant and tell the waitress to write your name on the list and come back in half an hour or an hour later. Otherwise you would need to wait outside of the building which for sure is not really nice especially if you are really hungry. Place totally worth seeing, you have to try this restaurant while living in Gdańsk.

2. Pierogarnia Stary Młyn

   Pierogarnia Stary Młyn is located on the street Świętego Ducha in the old center of the Gdańsk. It is one of definitely my favorite restaurants in the center when it comes to the dumplings. The portions are huge, the dishes are really delicious and there are lots of different types of dumplings. You can find there traditional boiled dumplings, baked dumplings and fried ones as well. What I love about this restaurant is that it is perfect for everyone - if you are a vegetarian there is also special part of menu just for you. The price per plate is more or less 17-30 polish złotych depending on what you choose. You can always though order a big plate and eat it with somebody together – it should be enough because the portions are really huge.
   
   

•  Restaurants offering pancakes

The other dish which I absolutely adore are pancakes. Just like dumplings, you can eat it on many different ways. It is possible to eat it fresh or baked, in salty way or in sweet one. When it comes to pancakes, just as dumplings, there are two main restaurants where I ate and I can totally recommend it to you.

1. Manekin

   Manekin restaurant unfortunately isn’t located in the centre of Gdańsk. You have to go by train or bus to Gdańsk Oliwa to get there. I can promise you though it will be worth it. The place is always full of people who are sometimes standing in the queue outside of the building (especially in the evening) even though the place itself is huge. This restaurant is not only really elegant when it comes to indoors but is also cheap and delicious. There are lots of different types of pancakes, the portion is really huge so you will not get out of the restaurant hungry and the price is really low.
   When my friends from other countries ask where what they should eat in Poland I always recommend them this restaurant and I always say – You can eat in beautiful restaurant delicious food for 5 euro – and they always laugh and never believe me. That’s truth though, the price of the pancake is more or less 14-18 polish zloty, depending what type of pancake you will choose. The prices of drinks are also low when it comes to restaurant.

2. Pan Kejk

   This restaurant is not as old as Manekin Restaurant is and I do think they took the idea of restaurants only with pancakes in different combinations from the first restaurant, but the quality of food is also pretty good. The prices are a little bit higher – and the reason for it is the location. Pan Kejk Restaurant is located in the centre of Gdańsk in street „Długa” („Long”) which is the main street in the old part of Gdańsk. If you for example can't visit Manekin (because you are in the centre of the city and it is too far away to go to Gdańsk Oliwa to Manekin Restaurant) but you would like to eat amaizng pancakes then Pan Kejk Restuarant is just for you.