On Dining

Setting an elegant table is an element of Polish hospitality; serving a hearty and lavish meal is a long-held tradition. Dishes include white or red borscht, tripe soup, pork chops, beef rollanti with buckwheat, and golabki (cabbage rolls). Such famous delicacies as boiled or deep-fried pierogis (stuffed dumplings) and kielbasa (smoked sausage) are available everywhere. The most national of dishes is bigos (sauerkraut and meat or Hunter’s stew”) and barszcz (Easter beetroot soup).

On Drinking

Poles are passionate tea drinkers, consuming their tea with each meal and then in between. Wine and beer are often imported in Poland, although Zywiec, Tyskie and Okocim are just a few good local beers to mention. Home grown, of course, is vodka, the country’s signature alcoholic brew and as much a national drink here as in Russia. Vodka is not a cocktail or mixed drink ingredient; it is served and swallowed neat. Further vodka comes from sweet to dry, as well as in various colors. One brand, Zubrowka Bison, is flavored with grass on which the bison feeds in the Bialowieza forest. There’s always a blade of grass in the bottle.

Other popular spirits include Sliwowica, made from plums, and Krupnik honey liqueur, made from mead. Nazdrowie (to your health) is a useful word to learn.

Restaurant Suggestions

Warsaw: Belvedere: Located in the New Orangery of Royal Lazienki Park, this elegant restaurant offers an international menu composed by chefs from Paris, London, Milan and Warsaw.

Warsaw: Gessler Restaurant: Sited right on the Main Market Square in the old town, the setting is an aristocratic residence, the culinary delights are the classic Polish dishes, traditional dishes - boar, venison and pheasant in season - are based on old Polish recipes

Krakow: Wierzynek: Probably the most famous restaurant in Poland, this landmark venue (dating to the late 14th century) serves up mostly Polish specialties, such as pierogi stuffed with cabbage and wild mushrooms and succulent loin of pork; soup lovers will enjoy crayfish, wild mushroom or beetroot with dumplings soups. U.S. presidents, the Shah of Iran, President Nehru of India are among the dignitaries who have dined here.

Krakow: Chlopskie Jadlo: The name translates to “peasant kitchen,” and the décor is authentically rustic. Popular with visitors and locals alike the country-style menu includes golabki (stuffed cabbage), fried potatoes with garlic sauce and any kind of pierogi.

Krakow: Pod Aniolami. Located in a 13th century dwelling, this fine restaurant is famous for its marinated meats, cooked on a beech wood grill, as well as other Polish specialties.