Insight Guides Poland

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• eBook ISBN: 9781780055367
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight Guide Poland is a comprehensive full-colour guide to the culture, history, and people of this beautiful country. Be inspired by our Best of Poland section highlighting unmissable sights and experiences and lavish Photo Features on topics such as Polish folklore, the Chopin Route and spa resorts. Our unrivalled coverage of history, landscape, and culture provides an essential introduction to Poland's green land and contemporary life, to complement the in-depth coverage of the arts, activities, and modern culture. A detailed Places section, with stunning travel photography and full-colour maps, shows you where to go and what to do, from the dense forests and "shifting" sand dunes of its national parks to the top sea and sun destinations in Western Pomerania - making sure you don't miss anything. A comprehensive Travel Tips section gives you all the travel advice you need to plan your trip, with our selective, independent reviews to guide you to the most authentic restaurants.

Eating Out

Price Categories

Prices are for a two-course meal for two:

€€€€ = over 200PLN

€€€ = 100–200PLN

€€ = 50–100PLN

€ = below 50PLN

What to Eat

Polish cuisine ranges from rich and substantial to light and elegant. Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time in order to enjoy their meals.

A classic lunch is usually composed of two courses, starting with a soup, such as barszcz (beetroot), żurek (sour rye), rosół (chicken broth) or pomidorowa (tomato). These are the most popular, but Polish cooks have an unlimited imagination as far as soups are concerned. For the main course you may want to try the national dish, schabowy z kapustą (breaded pork chops with sauerkraut), mielone (fried meatballs), bigos (sauerkraut with pieces of meat and sausage) or Kiev chicken. Finish on a sweet note with ice-cream or a piece of makowiec (poppy-seed cake) or drożdżówka (a type of yeast cake). Other Polish specialities include chłodnik (a chilled beetroot soup), golonka (pork knuckles cooked with vegetables), kołduny (meat dumplings), zrazy (slices of beef served with buckwheat) and flaki (tripe), plus the ubiquitous pierogi (dumplings) in all varieties. Roast duck and goose are also highly appreciated by foreigners. At the seaside or near lakes fresh fish is often served fried or grilled with mushrooms and sauce.

Traditional Polish cuisine is undergoing revolutionary changes as young chefs start experimenting with lighter dishes made with locally produced or freshly picked ingredients. Vegetarian and vegan options abound, as healthy living is encouraged. Gluten-free restaurants are also fashionable. Even fast foods have experienced a transformation, with the old zapiekankas (grilled baguettes with cheese, mushrooms and lots of ketchup) superseded by oriental kebabs, falafels and wonderful Italian pizzas, often prepared by immigrant Italian chefs.

What to Drink

Coffee or lemon tea (herbata) are favourite drinks and usually follow a meal. Poles prefer to drink vodka or piwo (beer) with their meals. Among the best-known brands are: Żywiec, Lech, Okocim and Warka. Most restaurants offer a selection of German and Czech beers. Stronger alcoholic drinks, usually brands of vodka such as Żubrówka, Wyborowa, Premium and Żytnia, are invariably present on every festive table. Finding good wine is easy.

Where to Eat

It is common that good, smart, well-managed restaurants are located in the Old Town of major cities. More and more restaurants are also serving foreign specialities, particularly Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and French cuisine. A few restaurants serve traditional Jewish kosher fare. Most hotels have details of nearby restaurants.

A service charge is usually included in the price at restaurants, but it is customary to pay a figure rounded up by 5–10 percent in recognition of good service.

Milk bars (bar mleczny) are now almost a thing of the past but if you can find one, they make a good alternative to restaurants and are excellent value for money. Mainly self-service, cafeteria-style, they occupy simple premises and have a limited choice of basic dishes. Often you get a home-cooked and filling plate for very little. There are also a number of popular Oriental food bars (usually Chinese or Vietnamese) in the city centres. During the summer season in the tourist resorts along the Baltic Sea coast, stalls sell freshly caught baked or smoked fish.

Warsaw

Restaurants

A Nuż Widelec

Ul Dobra 14/16

Tel: [phone]

Open: daily noon–10pm, Fri–Sat until midnight.

Owned by brothers who came to Warsaw from Mazuria district, this cosy bar in the Powiśle district is chiefly known for tasty soups and wonderful freshly smoked fish (trout). The owner says it comes from his private smokehouse, which explains its extraordinary taste. €€€

Atelier Amaro

Ul Afrykola 1

Tel:...

Table of contents

• How To Use This E-Book
• Poland’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: The Appeal of Poland
• The Polish People
• Decisive Dates
• A Glorious Past
• Dependency and Division
• Rebirth: The Second Republic
• World War II and its Aftermath
• The Communist State
• Poland Today
• Life in Rural Poland
• The Jews
• The Catholics
• The Arts
• Insight: Maintaining Traditional Culture
• Food and Drink
• Poland’s National Parks
• The Environment
• Introduction: Places
• Introduction: Warsaw and Mazovia
• Warsaw
• Insight: The Beauty of Łazienki Park
• Through Mazovia
• Insight: The Spirit of Polish Romanticism
• Introduction: Małopolska - Little Poland
• Kraków
• Through Little Poland
• Karpaty
• Introduction: Silesia
• Upper Silesia and Katowice
• Insight: Poland’s liquid assets
• Wrocław and Lower Silesia
• Introduction: Wielkopolska - Greater Poland
• Poznań
• Around Poznań
• Introduction: The North
• West Pomerania and Szczecin
• Gdańsk
• Around Gdańsk
• Introduction: The Northeast
• The Mazurian Lakes
• Transport
• Eating Out
• Activities
• A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
• Understanding the Language
• Further Reading