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48 GDAŃSK RESTAURANTS
Danzig/Gdańsk
Anybody vaguely acquainted
with history, or indeed heavy
metal, will be familiar with the
name of Danzig. What you may
not know is that Danzig and
Gdańsk are one and the same.
The Polish name, Gdańsk is
actually the real McCoy, meaning
‘town located on the Gdania
river’. The name Danzig came
into usage during the 1300s
after the city fell under the influence of the Germanic
Teutonic Knights. Danzig came firmly under German
control in 1871 as part of the Prussian Empire and would
remain so until the end of WWI.
After the war the majority of the towns inhabitants
remained German, though the city fell under the jurisdiction
of the League of Nations who baptized it ‘The Free
City of Danzig’. This quasi state functioned until Hitler
decided to seize it in the name of the fatherland, thus
triggering WWII. The aftermath of the war saw much of
the German population exiled westwards, and the city
repopulated with Poles, themselves shifted west following
the expansion of the Soviet Union. The city was
renamed Gdańsk, and a program of heavy propaganda
in the 1950s and 60s all but eradicated what remained
of the towns German heritage. Today Gdańsk is a popular
holiday spot with Germans keen to trace their roots, and
you can still spot signs with German lettering in areas
like Biskupia Góra.
Villa Uphagena G-3, ul. Uphagena 23, tel. (+48) 58
345 83 72, www.villauphagena.pl. If you’re familiar with
Warsaw, you’re probably familiar with the Dom Polski restaurant.
These guys are from the same stable and their location
halfway between anywhere keeps counting against them.
Those who have made it out here however have survived, and
are seemingly full of praise for the nouvelle Polish dishes that
appear from the kitchen. Expect a charming manor house
interior inside a building that houses the Gdańsk Business
Club. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. (39-70zł).
PTAGBSW
Regional
Gdańska B-4, ul. Św. Ducha 16/24, tel. (+48)
58 305 76 71, www.gdanska.pl. One of the city’s
longest standing restaurants has the feel of a museum
with all the armour, statuettes, model ships and portraits
of famous Gdanskians/Danzigers. This is one
of former President Lech Walesa’s favourite haunts
and you can try his favourite dishes by ordering his
set menu which includes a shot of strong, peppery
Walesowka vodka. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. (19-70zł).
PTYJAUEGS
Tawerna Mestwin D-3, ul. Straganiarska 20/23, tel.
(+48) 58 301 78 82, www.tawernamestwin.pl. For local
cooking you won’t find a more authentic venue than Mestwin,
a shadowy eatery from which dolls and carvings peer spookily
from the corners. Recipes here are Kashubian inspired,
and the results arrive courtesy of wisp haired spinsters who
creak carefully around the assembled handicrafts. QOpen
11:00 - 23:00, Mon 11:00 - 18:00. (30-69zł). PTY
A6EGBSW
Maria i Henryk Lewandowscy
80-834 Gdańsk, ul. Św. Ducha 16/24, tel./fax +48 58 305 76 71
www.gdanska.pl, restauracja@gdanska.pl
Verpassen Sie bei Ihrem Aufenthalt in Gdańsk
nicht dieses Restaurant mit seiner typischen
Danziger Innenausstattung, lokaler Küche
und einer freundlichen Bedienung.
When in Gdansk you cannot miss
our restaurant decorated in a Gdanskian
style with genuine Gdansk cuisine
and the chance to be served
by genuine Gdanskian people.
The speciality of the restaurant
is Old Polish and Polish cuisine.
We organise banquets
and special occasions.
Gdańsk In Your Pocket gdansk.inyourpocket.com
Velevetka C-5, ul. Długa 45, tel. (+48) 58 305 61
06, www.velevetka.pl. A pleasant Kashubian themed
basement set right next to the Neptune statue with brightly
painted ceramics punctuating the white walls and cheery
fabrics. Offering dishes exclusive to the region this restaurant,
as well as Polish staples like pierogi and bigos, this
really looks the part, and the chef is no slouch either with a
mighty good goose to his name. But to really take advantage
of this place either bring a partner or a rather large appetite.
There’s a pair of ‘meals for two’ called ‘Półmisek’ to enjoy,
and these include a lavish meat feast or the platter of fish
named ‘Fish from the Kashubian fishing boat’. QOpen
12:00 - 23:00. (25-60zł). PTAGBSW
Russian
Kuchnia Rosyjska C-5, ul. Długi Targ 11, tel. (+48)
58 301 27 35, www.kuchnia-rosyjska.aleks.pl. Pad
out your stomach lining with a visit to Kuchnia Rosyjska, a
cheap, cheerful venture presenting strange mashed dishes
that defy efforts at identification. Still, the pielmieni are good,
and the service rarely goes wrong. All this in an interior that
looks like a really naff gift store - lots of dolls and unwanted
craftwork. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 24:00.
(19-42zł). PTAEGBS
Thai
Buddha Lounge B-4, ul. Długa 18/21, tel. (+48) 58
322 00 44, www.buddhalounge.pl. The limitations on the
Gdańsk culinary scene are demonstrated in the serious lack
of choice for ethnic food in the old town. Buddha is therefore
up there as one of your best options and with authentic
Asian chefs in the kitchen the results are pretty decent.
Choose from a range of Asian dishes, not just limited to Thai
while seated in a colourful and cosy room overlooking the
main pedestrian street in the centre of the old town. A top
summer garden, a professional and courteous staff and an
adjacent late night cocktail bar keep this place constantly
busy. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00. (16-49zł). PTABXSW
Turkish
Sakarya D-4, ul. Warzywnicza 10a-e, tel. (+48) 58 320
18 18, www.sakaryarestaurant.pl. Over-eager waiters
swoop like vultures on solo diners, though the enthusiasm
of these frontline troops is clearly wasted on such a venture.
Previously described as ‘desperate and despondent’, what
was formerly the Kreta restaurant has re-emerged as the
equally glum Sakarya. Find lonely chefs stalking between
plastic pillars and the Greek detritus left by the previous
occupants, only stirred by the accidental intrusion of curious
tourists. Portions are huge, enough to have the tables creaking,
though for the most part your grilled and skewered meats
will need to be excavated from under a covering of cabbage;
not unlike Sphinx, though with none of the atmosphere or
happy meal price tags. QOpen 09:00 - 23:00. (20-59zł).
PTA6UGBSW
Vegetarian
Green Way B-4, ul. Długa 11, tel. (+48) 58 301 82
28, www.greenway.pl. Poland’s undisputed masters of
vegetarian and wholefood cooking provide monster portions
of always edible and sometimes sublime food with lashings
of brown rice and salad in a restaurant the size of a hotel
bathroom. Outside seating helps avoid a crush during the
warmer months, plus there are other outlets around town.
Also at (B-3), ul. Garncarska 4/6 and Żabianka train station.
QOpen 10:00 - 21:00. (9-14zł). JAUGBS
gdansk.inyourpocket.com
GDAŃSK RESTAURANTS
ORIGINAL THAI
AND KHMER CUISINE
IN THE HEART
OF THE OLD TOWN
THAI RESTAURANT
BUDDHA
tel. 58 322 00 44
ul. Długa 18/21
Gdańsk
www.buddhalounge.pl
May - July 2012
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