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).
Pączki are pan-Polish but the Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek) tradition is national, observed the last Thursday before Lent every February. Cukiernia Paradowski in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz, open since spring 1945, runs the city's most-photographed queue every year. The pre-war recipe came with Stefan Paradowski from Warsaw's Ziemiańska pastry shop in 1945, and the bakery still fries them in the original rendered lard. Rose-petal jam is the canonical filling; the modern menu rotates plum, custard and advocaat.
3 editor picks for Pączki (Polish doughnuts) in Gdańsk, ranked by editorial score. All Gdańsk signature dishes · Pączki (Polish doughnuts) across every city.
Cukiernia Paradowski ★ 4.6
ul. Wajdeloty 11, 80-437 Gdańsk
Cukiernia Paradowski in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz is the city's oldest active confectionery, opened spring 1945 by Stefan Paradowski. Son Andrzej still runs the shop.
Cukiernia Le Delice ★ 4.5
ul. Partyzantów 9, 80-254 Gdańsk
Le Delice in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz works a tight cukiernia-piekarnia format on Partyzantów. Croissants out of the oven about 09:30; the chocolate ones go fastest.
Pellowski Piekarnia Cukiernia Kawiarnia ★ 4.0
ul. Długa 40, 80-827 Gdańsk
Pellowski in Gdańsk runs a cafe counter inside the Długa branch of the family bakery, fresh bakes paired with serviceable coffee. At ul. Długa 40.