Many restaurants in cities have English menus but have a translator app ready.

Water is usually served in bottles: still or sparkling.                              

Obiad (translated as lunch or dinner) is the largest meal of the day and is eaten between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and is usually a soup and a main dish, and sometimes dessert.

Reservations are recommended for popular restaurants as well as for most restaurants on weekends and holidays.

Kawiarnia: Coffee Shop

Pijalnia: Drinking Room

Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa: Vodka and Beer Drinking Room

Restauracja: Restaurant

Gospoda: Tavern, Pub, Restaurant, Rest House

Kasza Manna |This simple semolina porridge is a staple in Polish kids’ (and busy adults’) diets. Its base consists of only three ingredients: Semolina, milk and sugar. However, you can make it your own with whatever else you want to add such as fruits, jams, nuts, honey, etc.

Racuchy z Jabłkami | While it may look hard to say, this is another simple Polish dish, Pancakes with Apples. Simply add thinly sliced or grated apples to your pancake batter and fry. The result is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Kielbasa Breakfast Skillet | You can use a variety of Polish foods to create this savory breakfast. Sliced Polish sausage and potato pancakes (placki ziemniaczane) can be the base to which you add your favorite skillet ingredients such as eggs, vegetables or cheese.

Żurek | If soup in a bread bowl is your go-to Panera Bread meal, then you will feel right at home with this sour rye soup dish that has been served in a bread bowl since its inception. It consists of fermented rye, egg and sausage and is also known to be a good answer to a hangover.

Zapiekanki | Nothing says lunch like a sandwich. These open-faced sandwiches are made with half a baguette and a combination of meats, mushrooms, peppers, cheese and topped with ketchup. They are a great late-night snack after dancing at the disco.

Rosół | This brothy chicken bowl is a great way to dip your toe into Polish foods. This hearty soup consists of onion, celery, chicken, parsley and leeks and is meant to utilize leftovers.

Oscypek | You can only find this cheese in Poland. It is so in demand that the EU financially supports farmers and cheese makers in Poland so that they can produce enough of it. It has a unique taste and appearance that is created from smoking sheep’s milk and shaping it into ovals or barrels.

Chleb Żytni with Pflaumenmus | For a sweet snack, spread some Polish plum jam on Polish rye bread. The cinnamon sticks and bourbon vanilla sugar add a tasty kick to the jam.

Naleśniki | Polish crepes can be sweet or savory. Stuff these thin crepes with meats, cheeses, vegetables, jams, chocolate or whatever you like to satisfy any snack craving.

Gołąbki | This traditional pork-stuffed cabbage is a great main dish, or even an appetizer or side dish. Tomato puree tops cabbage stuffed with pork shoulder, rice, onion and bread crumbs.

Kotlet Schabowy | This is a Polish take on German schnitzel. You can never go wrong with fried breaded pork cutlets.

Ryba Po Grecku | This fish dish is made from the white fish of your choice, tilapia, perch or pike and smothered in a vegetable and tomato sauce.

Kielbasa | You cannot talk about Polish food without talking about Polish sausage. You can make it with whatever meat you have handy, and it goes great with potatoes, pasta or rice.

Kluski Śląskie | These dumplings hail from Poland’s southwest region of Silesia and incorporate the delectable ingredients of potatoes and bacon.

Mizeria | This cucumber salad is similar to tzatziki in taste. This combination of cucumber, vinegar, sour cream, dill and seasonings goes great with a meat and potato dish.

Pierogi | These dumplings are the most well-known and popular of the Polish dishes and it is no secret why. Stuffed with savory fillings such as cheese, meats or vegetables, there is a pierogi recipe for everyone. You can often find walk-up windows or dine-in options to try them.

Paczki | Polish donuts are made from a sweet, yeasty dough that is fried and filled with your choice of jam, cream, chocolate or lemon curd.

Sernik | What makes this cheesecake Polish, is the use of twaróg cheese, a variation of cottage or quark cheese. Top with fruits or chocolate to make it to your liking.

Pierniki | These gingerbread treats are both a dessert and a souvenir from the city of Toruń. You can see this treat in cookie or cake form and is mostly a Christmas treat, but you can eat it all year.