A day in Wrocław: your breakfast, lunch, and dinner guide

Kanapki, traditional Polish sandwiches. Image from PxHere

Kanapki are open-faced sandwiches from Poland that were once reserved for high society only. Back in the late 19th century, tartinkas (this is the original name of the dish, derived from the French word “tartine”) appeared on the gastronomic stage of the country as hors d'oeuvres served at upscale cocktail parties. They were typically small and elegant, carrying luxurious toppings like lobster and ham. 

After World War II, kanapki became food for the masses, with the expected change to their tops, of course. Today, they are enjoyed for breakfast, being a dish simple to put together within a minute, but can easily be chosen as a light lunch or even dinner option. The savory ingredients vary from smoked meats and cheeses to fresh vegetables and spreads; this versatility made kanapki a staple in Polish households, so if you get a chance to eat them in a real kitchen and not a restaurant, don’t miss it.

Folgujemy is a cozy café located at Kniaziewicza 16 in Wrocław, known for its welcoming atmosphere and delicious food. It is a great choice if you’re looking to have a coffee with a company, or enjoy some authentic Polish kanapki for breakfast or otherwise. The spot prides itself on the high quality of ingredients used, and seeks to cater to both tourists and locals, the former coming here after seeing The Passage (an original monument), or Hydropolis (an interactive of museum water), or the Ethnographic Museum, and the latter just dropping in whenever they feel like a cup of good joe and some tasty snacks.

Nalesniki, Polish crepes to eat for breakfast in Wroclaw. Image from PxHere

Naleśniki is the Polish take on the crêpes concept, which finds many realizations in cuisines of European countries, from crespellas in Italy, galette in Brittany, palatschinke in Austria and the Czech Republic, to clătită in Romania and Spanish/Portuguese frixuelos. The concept itself fits the bill of versatile and easily prepared dishes; in Poland, the typical core ingredients of naleśniki are flour, eggs, milk, and a pinch of salt, all mixed into a flowable batter.

Unlike many other incarnations of this recipe, naleśniki are typically filled, and can be sweet or savory. The most common filling is a sweet cheese mixture made with twaróg, a fresh curd cheese that adds a delightful tanginess. Sweet versions might be filled with fruit preserves, chocolate, or simply dusted with powdered sugar, while savory options could include mushrooms, spinach, or meats. Often served with toppings like sour cream or condensed milk, naleśniki are a perfect way to start a day in Wrocław.

FC Naleśniki is a popular spot that, as the name suggests, focuses on the Polish crêpes, and, obviously, seeks perfection in this field. The thin pancakes here come with all sorts of toppings, sweet or savory, your choice. As of this writing, the café boasts a Google Maps score of 4.5 at over 3,300 assessments, which is an impressive result. If your morning tour starts at the Market Square, or includes Museum of Bourgeois Art, or Wrocław Historical Trail, take your chance to have breakfast in FC Naleśniki, the crêpes they make there are one of a kind!

Pierogi leniwe, a Polish cuisine dish. Image by Przykuta. Licence CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped from original

When it comes to cooking, the word “lazy” triggers an alarm, right? The culinary realm isn’t for the lazy! Don’t rush to conclusions, though: in case of lazy pierogi, or pierogi leniwe, the lack of desire, or strength, or time to prepare the dish the proper way yielded a masterpiece that’s become one of the staples of Polish cuisine. This variation of dumplings emerged as a practical solution for home cooks looking to enjoy the comforting flavors of pierogi without the labor-intensive process of making dough and filling it. Lazy pierogi employ similar basic ingredients – twaróg, eggs, and flour – but instead of going through the steps of the regular recipe, they are combined into a soft dough, rolled into logs, and cut into pieces before being boiled.

Pierogi leniwe can be served with a variety of toppings that determine their taste, ranging from sweet options like butter and sugar to savory choices such as sautéed onions with bacon or breadcrumbs. This versatility allows the dish to play the roles of sides and main courses equally well. While lazy pierogi share similarities with other European dumplings like kopytka and gnocchi, their unique cheese base and texture give them a distinctive character. If you are looking to eat a tasty, light-yet-filling breakfast in Wrocław, this is a great option.

Care to eat at a place that was built by locals, for locals, and thus enjoy the staples of Polish cuisine as they come without decorations designed to wow tourists? Bar mleczny Miś is your destination, then. The humble café serves all the classics from Polish cookbooks, including pierogi leniwe; located at Kuźnicza, 48, it is close to Wrocław Historical Trail, Mathematical Tower Of University, and Nowy Targ Square, the attractions that are likely on your to-see list, so come to this utilitarian spot for lunch and a sense of life as it goes for locals.

Zurek, a Polish cuisine dish. Image by Koefbac. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

Poor man’s dishes typically make use of the readily available ingredients and turn them into something ingenious and delicious. The examples of the recipes from this category that have evolved into national and even international hits are numerous, but most of them are solid, meaning it’s a pie, or a baked casserole, or some cuts cooked over a bed of burning charcoal. In Polish cookbooks, though, the poor man’s dish is a liquid deal: żurek, sour rye soup.

The origins of żurek can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was one of the mainstay meals among peasants and farmers. The recipe hasn’t changed much since then: it is still a matter of fermented rye flour, water, and root vegetables, plus assorted sausage, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs to make it more filling. The attitude towards this dish, on the other hand, did change: today, żurek is one of the trademarks of Polish cuisine. The fermentation process gives it the tangy flavor that sets it apart from other soups, so if you’re looking for something original to eat in Wrocław for lunch, go for sour rye soup the Poles love so much.

Kurna Chata, located at Odrzańska 24/29, is one of the prominent restaurants of the city’s Stare Miasto, or Old Town. This area is known for its rich history and numerous cultural attractions, some of which are mentioned above as sights nearby other spots to eat at in Wrocław. What makes Kurna Chata different from them? Well, you can make it the destination of a special gourmet trip that you undertake with the aim of exploring the nuances of Polish cuisine. Yes, żurek here is that good, as pretty much everything else on the menu.

Bigos, a Polish cuisine dish. Image by JIP. Licence CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped from original

Bigos, often referred to as “hunter's stew,” is a dish that’s been around for centuries, since the medieval period (at least). The name “bigos” likely comes from the Polish verb “bigosować,” meaning “to chop something up with a saber”; the descriptive denomination reveals the social group that designed the recipe. It’s quite simple, really: put whatever game you caught into a pot, add all available vegetables (cabbage, mostly), throw in that sauerkraut your wife made you take, and slow cook it all over fire. Have some other meats or sausages in your sack? Great, chop’em up and make your bigos even more hearty and savory!

In contemporary Poland, this dish is known to have numerous variations that twist the original recipe one way or another. You can find bigos without meat, for example, or featuring very flavorful greens, or thoroughly laced with red wine. There will always be sauerkraut, though, the fermented ingredient that adds a distinctive tang and enhances the overall taste of the dish; without it, the name doesn’t seem to apply. So, whenever a restaurant owner tells you their bigos is the best in town, don’t take his word for it but eat what’s offered to make your own opinion!

If you're looking for the best bigos in Wrocław, check out Konspira, a restaurant that’s been successfully operating for many years now at Plac Solny, 11 (Wrocław’s Old Town). Almost 9,000 patrons cared to leave their opinion of this place on Google Maps, where its score, as of this writing, is 4.6. In addition to impeccable food, Konspira offers a unique atmosphere: it evokes the feel of a bygone era, complete with brick-lined walls and a cozy, old-world charm. The bigos here is highlighted as a must-try dish, prepared with a rich blend of meats and sauerkraut that reflects traditional Polish cooking methods.

Kotlet schabowy, a Polish dish to eat in Wroclaw. Image from PxHere

As most of the dishes listed above show, Polish cuisine has been continuously honoring its traditions and perfecting centuries-old recipes. However, you cannot say that it is overly conservative: some recipes that nowadays belong in the national gastronomic hall of fame have been designed quite recently. A good example of such is kotlet schabowy, a Polish pork cutlet, which was brought to the country in the 19th century by French chefs during the Napoleonic era. 

Traditionally made from pork loin, kotlet schabowy is prepared by tenderizing meat, coating it in flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs, and then frying the resulting patty until golden brown. In the end, you get a crispy shell that contains the juicy, flavorful meat inside. Taste-wise, the combination delivers a marvelous and contrasting experience. Variations of the dish can employ chicken, or turkey, or veal (risking to be called a schnitzel, which is the best known implementation of this culinary concept), but pork remains the classic choice. In Poland, the typical sides for kotlet schabowy are mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, or a refreshing cucumber salad, so if you’re looking to eat a comforting and satisfying lunch in Wrocław, there’s no reason not to choose this Polish cuisine staple.

Polish pork cutlet is ubiquitous in the restaurants of Wrocław and any other city in the country, for that matter. You can get it in the above-recommended Kurna Chata, or Konspira, and it’ll be as good as you would expect a staple of national cuisine to be when it’s cooked by those passionate about it. But if a place brands itself with a name of a dish, Kotlet Schabowy, in this particular case, does that mean it is the best option in town? Highly likely! Check out this little no-frills restaurant at Komuny Paryskiej 10 when you’re exploring the eastern part of Wrocław’s Old Town.

Zapiekanka, a Polish sandwich. Image by MichalPL. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

Ok, so kotlet schabowy is a rather recent addition to Polish national cookbooks, but, compared to zapiekanka, it’s a real old-timer. Poland's beloved open-faced sandwich is very young: it was invented in the 1970s, when the country underwent significant social and economic changes. Back then, people needed something affordable yet filling, a street food for the masses, and their call was heard by the just-budding mom-and-pop catering businesses that were one of the first manifestations of the mentioned changes.

The original recipe of zapiekanka prescribes slicing a baguette length-wise in halves, topping them with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and cheese, baking the sandwich a bit, and then serving it hot with a generous drizzle of ketchup. This dish is often affectionately dubbed “Polish pizza,” and, same as the Italian masterpiece, it evolved to have many variations: on the streets of Wrocław, you will find zapiekankas with salami, pickles, feta cheese, olives, and numerous other more exotic ingredients. What remains the same throughout all takes on this recipe is the solid nutritional value of the dish, so grab it when you need more energy to explore the evening side of Wrocław!

Zapiekanka is the ultimate Polish street food, so you have to eat it in Wrocław at a place that doesn’t pretend to be anything else but a fast food joint. The options are numerous; one of the best of them is Zapiekarnik Wrocław, located at Ruska 49 in the Old Town. You can drop in and take your topped baguette out with you for a walk to Wrocław Market Square or Panorama Racławicka, or enjoy the delicious beauty inside. Just pick the right item on the menu of 10+ zapiekankas the café offers.

Golonka, a Polish cuisine dish. Image by Silar. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original

European nations may not see eye to eye at all times, but their cookbooks reveal the common roots with dishes that are quite similar to each other but bear different labels. Golonka is a very good example of such a dish: it is braised pork hock, no more, no less, a concept realized in an almost identical manner by Germans, Czechs, Austrians, Italians, etc.

Note the “almost” in the previous sentence: while basically the same, the recipes of pork knuckles in European cuisines are somewhat different. Poles, for one, braise the hock until the meat falls off the bone, and tend to glaze it with a sweet and tangy sauce made with honey and mustard. More local variations of the recipe may add juniper berries or caraway seeds into the marinade, giving the taste of the dish new and rather unexpected hues. Served with sauerkraut or mashed potatoes, golonka is a good choice for a dinner in Wrocław when you’re looking for a hearty meal easily shared with your company.

If you’re thinking about golonka, it must be either late afternoon or early evening in Wrocław, and your lunch is several hours in the past, same as over 10,000 steps through the city’s streets and museums, duly counted by your smartwatch. Everything correct so far? If so, don’t look further than Bernard, a Czech restaurant at Rynek 35 (that’s basically Market Square). This is one of the few establishments in the city that’s got a Google Maps score of over 4.5 with more than 7,000 patrons rating it there. Golonka, or pork knuckle, is a dish that’s cooked in numbers at Bernard, which translates into a taste you’re unlikely to experience anywhere else.

Zrazy, traditional Polish beef rolls to eat in Wroclaw. Image from PxHere

Zrazy is a common dinner dish found in pretty much all Polish cuisine restaurants in Wrocław and elsewhere in the country. Seemingly mundane, it is actually the oldest recipe on this list: the origins thereof should be looked for in the 14th century, when Poles were in the Commonwealth with Lithuanians. Since then, zrazy won a spot in the regional cookbooks and became national staples throughout Eastern Europe in this or that form. 

Conceptually, it is a thin slice of beef pounded flat, seasoned, topped with a variety of ingredients such as pickles, smoked bacon, onions, mushrooms, and herbs, then rolled and braised or cooked in a savory sauce. Similar dishes can be found in other cuisines, like German Rinderroulade and Italian involtini; what makes Polish beef roulades unique is their size – they tend to be bigger – and a wider range of accepted fillings. Zrazy is a cherished part of the country’s culinary landscape, and a must for a gourmet exploring it in Wrocław.

Ok, so this establishment, located at Kazimierza Wielkiego 50 – Old Town, yes, – may turn somewhat noisy when a group of foreign tourists barges in. But let’s consider this: they come here because of the raving online reviews written by those who ate at SETKA before, and those reviews praise pretty much everything about the food served here, including zrazy. So, yes, you may feel that this restaurant is more oriented towards tourists, but that does not prejudice the quality of Polish cuisine staples cooked in its kitchen. Quite the contrary!

Did you know that there are over 130 bridges in Wrocław? That’s why it is called the Venice of Poland. So far, the city doesn’t have a nickname that would reflect its gastronomic offerings, and this is very strange, for they are numerous, diverse, and so delicious most of them are enjoyed more than once. Care to right this wrong and come up with a label for the City of a Hundred Bridges that would speak to a fellow foodie? Come to Wrocław, use this guide as a starting point for your explorations, and share your ideas with us in the comments below afterwards!