Category: Poland

After another busy morning (well, I thought so anyway), today’s lunch stop was Pikawa which is centrally located in Gdansk and is more sizeable than its frontage might suggest. This leads me off on another of my random general meanderings, but this venue is absolutely clear what it is, it’s a cafe which verges more into a bar in the evening. Venues in Poland seem to have a clarity I rarely experience in other countries, although Google helps enormously here by marking a venue as a cafe, a bar or a restaurant which makes matters much easier. There are some countries that I’m endlessly confused in, not least most of the southern European countries. Anyway, I digress.

The surroundings are comfortable and modern, there’s a very laid-back atmosphere here. It was moderately busy at lunch-time, I just took the photo during a quiet period. Customers wait at the door to be seated and then table service is offered, which is slightly unusual for a cafe, but the process is made clear here.

I might have given myself a sugar overdose with this, but it was very enjoyable. I decided to opt for a carrot for lunch, which came in the form of a cake with cream, but I think that still counts. The hot chocolate with cream is a bit like a fruit smoothie, just served with chocolate instead of fruit. I think overall I’d claim this to be healthy. As for the food and drink, the hot chocolate was suitably rich and decadent. The carrot cake was moist and served as a bigger portion than I probably needed, but it seemed fresh and tasted of a very good quality. I probably didn’t need that much whipped cream, but life is all about learning from mistakes.

The element I liked most here is that I was able to read a book on my phone with no disturbance or hurry from the staff to leave. Indeed, I had to ask for the bill in the end, which was easy enough to do, but I liked the slow pace of this cafe. Some locations seem hard-wired to get customers in and out as fast as they can, but here the service was slow although still orderly. The staff were friendly and helpful, knowledgeable about the menu and personable in the way they dealt with customers.

I liked that they had a selection of different beers here as well, although I didn’t have one on this occasion, but I’m pleased that this is becoming ever more common on menus. The prices were moderate, and I entirely enjoyed the ninety minutes or so that I was in the cafe for. All professionally run, clean, organised and I’d remember just how laid-back and comfortable it all was. I’m liking the slow pace that Gdansk offers so readily, in what remains a modern and vibrant city.

Well, more late evening than night, but anyway. Just photos in this post, of varying quality, but this is a beautiful city and that’s just as evident in the evening.

Ostro is a well-reviewed relatively small pizza restaurant overlooking the river in Gdansk which prides itself on the authenticity of their Neapolitan pizzas.

When I entered I was given the last available table downstairs and I think it was full upstairs as well. There is an external seating area for when the weather is more temperate, which it is most certainly not in early February. There’s a well stocked bar and then four tables downstairs, which are placed relatively close together. I was given a table for four and it would have been difficult if there actually were four of us as there wasn’t a lot of space.

There was a few beer options, I hadn’t had this Bock beer, Kozlak, from Browar Amber before and it was entirely acceptable. I think it’s positive to see that restaurants seem to be routinely offering a selection of bottled beers now, this whole situation is definitely getting better. There was a wine menu as well though for those customers who prefer that option.

There are a number of rules that have to be followed in sourcing ingredients to claim an authentic Neapolitan pizza, particularly with regards to the cheese and tomatoes used. This restaurant shows how they meet those rules and they also offer some guidance to customers on how to eat the pizza, although I noticed that most people in the restaurant seemed to ignore their suggestions. I liked this place-mat, it’s a reminder of how difficult it is to get right the requirements for an authentic pizza of this style.

And the pizza, yet again made smaller by the wide angle of my phone, but actually quite a generous size. The quality of this was well above average, the richness of the tomatoes was perhaps the strongest element, but the crust was light and fluffy as well. Some heat from the jalapenos and flavour from the bacon, a really quite delightful pizza that was at the appropriate hot temperature.

The staff in the restaurant were friendly and engaging, with the service being pro-active and polite. Despite the clear need for this restaurant to turn over tables quickly given their relatively small size (the restaurant, not the tables), I was never rushed and I thought that the atmosphere was suitably comfortable. I read a chunk of a book on my phone during the meal and there are some pleasant views of the river, although my table wasn’t best placed for that.

Anyway, I’d merrily recommend this restaurant, and I think that they offer takeaways and deliveries as well. I suspect this restaurant is difficult to get into during the summer months when tourists flock to the city, but it’s worth the effort to get a table.

I’ve been aware of this chain in Gdansk (they have three in the main part of the city and one in Sopot) for a while as they’re well reviewed and seemingly on-trend and reliable. This is the first time that I’ve visited though and I chose their branch on Wyspa Spichrzów, or Granary Island.

I liked the welcome that was offered, a friendly staff member who gave me a choice between sitting in this outside area or inside in what looked a more American diner set-up. This outdoors bit looked more exciting as it seemed quiet inside, but I liked that I was given the option. The temperature in this area was warm, as is evident from the raging fire heaters, but I think those near the door got quite a chill every time a customer came in. It was nice to be able to see outside as well, as this is a riverside location.

Putting the environmental cost of heating what is effectively outdoors in a cold Gdansk evening aside, this is a cosy and warm atmosphere. There were a selection of different groups, including what appeared to be a group of female friends, a family group and a couple who spent most of the evening ignoring each other.

The beer range isn’t as decadent as I’d like, but I realised that I’ve never added Tyskie to Untappd and so I used this as an opportunity. They also give each table a little (well, reasonably large really) bucket of popcorn, and this is another advantage in dining alone. It took me a fair while to finish all this popcorn, it ended up being my starter and dessert.

As an aside, there was a table with a couple of kids who I noted were taking popcorn from tables where the guests were leaving, as very few customers got through all their popcorn. They seemed disappointed when it was evident I had gone through all of mine and I noticed the parents looked horrified every time their children did it (the kids were very subtle).

I went for the chicken fajitas and these were as good as I’d expect in a restaurant in the United States. Restaurants always seem really tight on the number of wraps they offer, which is three in this case, and it’d be impossible to fit the food into them. But that permanent grumble aside, the competent parts all tasted of a good quality, with the chicken being moist and having a flavour on the coating that I couldn’t identify (OK, I’m no Jay Rayner) but I very much liked. Everything was at the appropriate temperature, it was neatly presented and the portion size was generous. Especially given I had a bucket of popcorn to go through.

By Polish standards, the pricing here isn’t cheap, but it came to £11 for the meal and drink, with the bucket of popcorn being free, which I thought was reasonable given the location and the quality. The atmosphere is welcoming and the environment is comfortable, whether for a group or a solo diner. I can imagine this restaurant will be much busier in the summer months, but it seems spacious inside and they do have another outlet on the other side of the river.

The on-line reviews are very positive and I’d say that they reflect my experience as well, all very lovely and the food exceeded my expectations. They’re franchising this concept out at the moment and I can imagine it’ll be successful in other Polish cities, there’s something of the Whiskey in the Jar sort of vibe going on here. Anyway, a little bit of work on the craft beer options and I’d say that they’re pretty much there.