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Poland may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about vegetarian cuisine. However, as a vegetarian, and having now traveled to Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk in Poland while attending Security and Society in the Information Age, I can say that these cities all have great vegetarian options and even strictly vegan restaurants.
Many traditional Polish dishes contain starches, meats, and cheese. Knowing this, before traveling to Poland, I had my worries about being able to consume a healthy number of calories while abroad. Surprisingly, I discovered easy vegetarian options at restaurants, grocery stores, and even convenience stores. Some restaurants had only a single vegan item, but nearly all had something that I could comfortably order. The whole month that I was in Poland, there was not a single time where I felt uncomfortable as a vegetarian.
The following was written by Celestyn Pawlak, a Criminal Justice and Psychology double major at Michigan State University who spent the summer of 2024 abroad with SRAS on the Security and Society Summer School based in Warsaw, Poland.
Vegetarian Restaurants & Cafés Galore
Most of the time when we go out to eat at restaurants, I would end up getting a vegetarian burger or a simple salad. These were always very consistent at every restaurant I went to in Poland.
There were a few notable places that deserve special mention, however. All of these options have delicious, affordable, vegetarian-friendly food.
Warsaw
All the recommendations below are located near the hotel where we stayed while on our study abroad program or the building where our classes were held.
The first night that I arrived in Warsaw, I was on the hunt to find traditional, local Polish food. I discovered Gosciniec and quickly became a frequent guest. The waitresses and staff were very considerate with my meat restrictions and the menu was full of options to try. It was a beautiful spot that was always full of people. You can also read a longer review by a past SRAS student here. I would recommend trying:
- Multiple different kinds of savory pierogis such as cabbage and forest mushrooms, potato and white cheese, buckwheat and champignons, and many more
- Multiple sweet kinds of pierogis such as strawberries, cottage cheese, blueberries, and cherries
- Traditional Polish dishes such as potato pancakes, red borscht, beetroot soup, and savory nalesniki
I have always been obsessed with Japanese food, so when arriving in Warsaw, I was on a mission to find a sushi restaurant with vegetarian sushi and entrees. Luckily, I stumbled Tokyo Sushi, with its immaculate, vibrant atmosphere and sushi conveyor belt that runs around the restaurant’s center. A few vegetarian items on the menu were:
- Soups such as miso
- Salads such seaweed and kimchi
- Sushi rolls such as nigiri tamagoyaki (egg), oshino maki (type of Japanese pickle), kappa maki (cucumber roll), and asparagus rolls
I also love thai, so I was very excited to try this place with my friend. The service was excellent, prices were reasonable, and the outside seating was lovely. Some of the many vegetarian options included:
- Salads such as cucumber tum tang (cucumber salad)
- Soups such as tofu vege (vegetarian spicy tofu)
- Wok dishes such as tofu pad phak (fried vegetables with tofu)
- Curry dishes such as kaeng keow waan phak (vegetarian green curry) and kaeng phed (vegetarian red curry)
- Noodle dishes such as pad tai phak (vegetarian rice noodles in tamarind sauce)
It does not take long to notice that this coffee shop is on nearly every street corner in Warsaw. I often found myself stopping at Green Caffé Nero on the way to class for coffee, or even during the school day as there is one on the first floor of Collegium Civitas. They have a large variety of vegetarian options and I was able to get something different almost every time I went. Furthermore, the employees are very helpful in explaining which items are vegetarian and which not. Some items that I enjoyed:
- Sandwiches such as caprese baguette, grilled cheese, and crispy eggplant baguette
- Soups such as tomato soup
- Breakfast items such as roasted tomato breakfast rolls, vegan breakfast rolls, frittatas, and yogurt parfaits
Kraków
We made a quick trip to Krakow for just two days – but I did have time to explore the city a bit.
Although my group only stayed in Krakow for two days, this restaurant left an impression on me. Our meal here was arranged by our program coordinators, and I did need to let them know on arrival that I needed vegetarian options rather than what was originally provided for us. They were able to oblige, quickly offering options such as:
- Soups such as boletus soup, tomato soup, and carrot and pea cream soup
- Pierogis such as spinach, cabbage, and porcini mushrooms
Gdansk
We had a free weekend at the beginning of the program, so a group of friends from this trip and I decided to travel to Gdansk for one night.
We decided to eat lunch at a restaurant along the river in Stara Motława. The service was excellent, outside seating arrangements were very inviting, and the menu was extremely flexible. A few items I recommend are:
- Pizzas such as mushroom pizza, Margherita pizza, and vegetarian pizza
- Salads such as mixed salad and pear balsamic salad
- Vegan pizzas such as cipolla rossa and aglio e pomodorini
Grocery Shopping in Poland
For the summer session of Security and Society, standard program housing was offered in a hotel that did not offer in-room refrigerators or microwaves. My roommate and I kept a cupboard in our hotel room stocked with some food and snacks that did not need refrigeration or heating. In my opinion, Poland had especially ripe, delicious fruit during June when I arrived there, so I commonly bought fresh strawberries, grapes, and apples and more and grocery stores or from the many street venders that you’ll find there.
A few grocery stores that we commonly went to were Żabka and Carrefour Express.
The Carrefour Express was the larger minimarket near us. We bought most of our non-refrigerated items here such as bread, peanut butter, jam, protein bars, and water. I also often stocked up here on fruit like bananas, grapes, and apples. However, there were times I stopped to grab a quick, ready-made meal as they had these available as well. Some examples of what I would get would be salads, sushi, sandwiches, or a hummus tray.
Żabka is a smaller convenience store, a bit like a 7/11, but still has a surprising selection of fresh foods. Żabka has been popular with many SRAS students – you can read a longer review of what they have here. I would usually get such items as Oshee isotonic drinks, kombucha, pretzels, dried fruit, pico balla candy, fruit snacks, chips, and much more. Sometimes I would even stop here for a quick lunch and grab vegetarian-friendly salads or sandwiches and even fruit. It was a very nice option to have as sometimes we would be in a crunch for time.
Vegetarians, Welcome to Poland!
Poland has a wonderful array of cuisines – and vegetarians and even vegans should have nothing to worry about when coming to this country. My own experience abroad was exceptional – and delicious!
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