Also: Gdansk food guide
The Baltic port where Hanseatic and Kashubian kitchens still share a table.
Gdańsk eats from the Baltic first and the Pomeranian field second, and it has done since the Hanseatic merchants set up shop on the Motława 700 years ago. Herring with sour cream and apples is on every regional menu, the Hel Peninsula smokehouses still ship eel by weight, and Targ Rybny square anchors the seafood strip beside the medieval Crane. The Granary Island, rebuilt over the last decade, now houses the city's most ambitious kitchens: True, Tygle, Sztuczka, all within five minutes of the Motława waterfront. ARCO by Paco Pérez holds the city's first Michelin star on the 33rd floor of Olivia Star, while Eliksir was the first Polish room awarded a Green Star. The everyday city eats well too: a milk bar lunch is under 25 PLN, a pierogi plate at Mandu around 30 PLN, a glass of Polish craft beer at Brovarnia 16 PLN, and Goldwasser the liqueur still flickers gold flakes in glasses at the Goldwasser restaurant on Długie Pobrzeże.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Gdańsk, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The plates that define eating in Gdańsk.
Pickled Baltic herring fillets dressed with sour cream, raw red onion, diced apple and hard-boiled egg, the canonical Kashubian starter at every Pomeranian table from Gdańsk to Hel.
Where: Restauracja Kubicki, Restauracja Filharmonia, Witómë, Cała Naprzód
Where to eat Śledź po kaszubsku (Kashubian herring) in Gdańsk →
Whole Baltic eel salted, cold-smoked over alder wood and sliced into glossy black-skinned rings. The luxury fish of Pomerania, sold at Hel Peninsula smokehouses and Targ Rybny seafood restaurants in colder months.
Where: Targ Rybny - Fishmarkt, Cała Naprzód, Restauracja Kubicki, Restauracja Filharmonia
Cream-finished Pomeranian fish soup built on a stock of Baltic cod, pike-perch and herring, often with mussels added when in season. The everyday-luxury soup of the Tri-City.
Where: Witómë, Restauracja Filharmonia, Targ Rybny - Fishmarkt, Cała Naprzód
Where to eat Kashubian fish soup (Zupa rybna po kaszubsku) in Gdańsk →
A herbal liqueur with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, lavender, coriander and juniper, suspended with flakes of 23-carat edible gold. First distilled in Gdańsk in 1598; the Der Lachs brand name followed in 1704.
Where: Goldwasser, Eliksir, Flisak '76
Half-moon Polish dumplings filled with poached Baltic cod and fresh dill, served boiled with melted butter or pan-fried golden. A specifically coastal pierogi variant.
Where: Pierogarnia Stary Młyn, Cała Naprzód
Light, raised yeast pancakes the size of a saucer, typically served with stewed apple and dusted with icing sugar. The Kashubian breakfast or afternoon-cake dish.
Where: Restauracja Filharmonia, Witómë
Where to eat Ruchanki (Kashubian yeast pancakes) in Gdańsk →
Slow-braised pork shank, often poached in dark beer then crisped under the salamander, served with sauerkraut, mustard and a pile of mashed potatoes.
Where: Restauracja Kubicki, Goldwasser, Brovarnia
Whole-roasted Pomeranian goose served with golce, the Kashubian potato dumpling. The Sunday-roast tradition of the inland Kashubian villages, in season late September through November.
Where: Restauracja Filharmonia, Goldwasser, Witómë
Yeast-raised doughnuts filled with rose-petal jam, plum jam or vanilla cream, deep-fried in lard and dusted with sugar or glazed. The single-day national obsession on Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday).
Where: Cukiernia Paradowski, Pellowski Piekarnia Cukiernia Kawiarnia, Cukiernia Le Delice
Whole or fillet halibut from the Baltic, the prized white fish of Pomerania, usually grilled or pan-roasted with brown butter and dill. The most-asked plate at every Gdańsk fish restaurant on the Tokarska strip.
Where: Zafishowani, Targ Rybny - Fishmarkt, True, Cała Naprzód
The Polish hunter's stew of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, smoked kielbasa, pork shoulder, dried mushrooms and prunes, simmered for hours and reheated for days until the flavours deepen into the national winter dish.
Where: Restauracja Kubicki, Witómë, Goldwasser, Restauracja Filharmonia
Cloudy, tangy soup built on fermented rye starter, finished with cream and served with white sausage (biała kiełbasa), boiled egg and chunks of smoked bacon. Often poured into a bread bowl as a tableside theatre piece.
Where: Pierogarnia Stary Młyn, Restauracja Filharmonia, Goldwasser, Bar Mleczny Neptun
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Gdańsk.
ARCO by Paco Pérez in Gdańsk is the city's only Michelin-starred room, on the 33rd floor of Olivia Star. Located in Oliwa. Kitchen leans spanish.
Signature: Polish-produce tasting menu, Baltic seafood with Spanish technique
Eliksir in Gdańsk was the first Polish room to receive a Michelin Green Star. Open Wednesday to Sunday only. Walk-ins are rare; book seven days ahead minimum.
Signature: Foodpairing tasting with cocktail flight, Zero-waste Pomeranian menu
Mercato in Gdańsk reads the city's market history through Dominik Karpik's kitchen at the Hilton on Targ Rybny. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans pomeranian.
Signature: Pomeranian lamb, Fish Market tasting
Sztuczka in Gdańsk, on Granary Island, was Poland's best new opening of 2025. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Book Wednesday or Thursday for the calmest service.
Signature: Beef tartare, Turbot with beurre blanc
True in Gdańsk sits on Granary Island in the Radisson Hotel, with Michelin recognition for its surf-and-turf cooking. Kitchen leans steak and seafood.
Signature: Beef tartare, Scallops
Tygle Gdańskie in Gdańsk, on the restored Granary Island, runs a Michelin-recommended menu under chef Michał Stężalski. Kitchen leans modern polish.
Signature: Beef tenderloin with asparagus, Pomeranian seasonal tasting
The reconstructed Hanseatic core: Długa, Długi Targ, Mariacka, where the cafes, milk bars and the city's oldest restaurants line cobbled blocks under St Mary's Basilica.
Best for: Cafes, Polish classics, Pierogi, Milk bars
The post-war ruin rebuilt 2017 onward into the city's most ambitious dining strip: Sztuczka, Tygle, True and Brovarnia within five minutes of each other on the Motława.
Best for: Fine dining, Modern Polish, Wine bars, Hotel restaurants
The historic fish-market square that gave the city its name; the pre-war market is long gone, but Mercato sits in the Hilton, the Targ Rybny - Fishmarkt restaurant runs from the same square, and the Motława promenade starts here.
Best for: Seafood, Fine dining, Hotel restaurants
North of the Main Town, working-class streets that house Hala Targowa, the Great Mill and a quieter run of milk bars and neighbourhood bistros.
Best for: Markets, Milk bars, Casual dining
The student and creative district, Avocado Vegan Bistro on Wajdeloty, Nieczapla's roastery, Kawana's flagship cafe. Where Gdańsk eats when it isn't entertaining tourists.
Best for: Specialty coffee, Vegan, Bistros, Bakeries
The leafy northern suburb around Oliwa Cathedral, with the Olivia Star tower (ARCO, Treinta y Tres) sitting at the southern edge and Pierogarnia Mandu's flagship on Kaprów.
Best for: Fine dining, Pierogi, Tower-top dining
Peak food season: May to September (Baltic herring runs, asparagus, strawberries from Kashubia, the festival calendar peaks at St Dominic's Fair in late July to mid-August). November to February: smoked fish, game from the Pomeranian forests, Christmas markets on Targ Węglowy.
Local dining hours: Lunch 12:00-15:00 (cheaper set menus end at 16:00 most days). Dinner 18:00-22:00, kitchens usually stop seating at 21:30. Sunday closing is common in Wrzeszcz and Oliwa; Old Town tourist rooms run later. Milk bars open 09:00 and close by 18:00.
Tipping: Service is not included on the bill. 10 percent is standard for a sit-down meal where service warranted it, rounded to the nearest 5 PLN. Cash tip preferred; the card terminal rarely prompts for one. Milk bars and street counters take no tip.
Gdańsk's signature dishes include Śledź po kaszubsku (Kashubian herring), Smoked Baltic eel (Węgorz wędzony), Kashubian fish soup (Zupa rybna po kaszubsku), Goldwasser (22-carat gold liqueur), Pierogi z dorszem (Cod pierogi). See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Gdańsk by district. Main Town (Główne Miasto), Granary Island (Wyspa Spichrzów), Targ Rybny (Fish Market), Old Town (Stare Miasto) are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Gdańsk include ARCO by Paco Pérez, Eliksir, Mercato, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Gdańsk, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Gdańsk dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.