3 Must Try Gdańsk Poland Milk Bars

During our time in Gdańsk Poland, we discovered a type of restaurant we had never heard of throughout our travels in Europe. The Polish Milk Bar features all of the delicious traditional Gdańsk food in a cafeteria-style setting. The food is insanely cheap even by Poland’s standards, and a great way to taste everything this country has to offer. Join us as we guide you through our three favorite Gdańsk milk bars! 

What is a Polish Milk Bar?

First established in the late 1800’s, Polish milk bars took off and stayed popular through the last century. They are especially prevalent in Gdansk Poland, as it’s a city where new and modern beautifully clash with the best of the old country.

You’ll notice you have more than a few options, which can be overwhelming when first ordering. However, once you realize how cheap everything is, you’ll have a hard time holding back on the food at the Gdańsk milk bars!

Most milk bars in Poland display specific plates you can order as you move up the line. These are usually the most traditional pairings, and will only cost you around five U.S. dollars.

If you’re like us and can’t make up your mind, you can get creative with it and mix and match with sides. At the end of the line before you pay is where they showcase the desserts.

These range from scrumptious cakes to colorful fruit yogurt cups. Check out our complete guide for what to eat in Gdansk after reading about the milk bar scene.

3 Must Try Gdańsk Milk Bars

Bar Neptun

Set right on the main walking street of Gdańsk, Bar Neptun is the first Milk Bar we had the pleasure of experiencing. At this point, we were pretty unclear about how it all worked. For this reason, we opted to pick a set plate that was shown in the window.

What we ended up ordering was quite possibly the best thing we’ve eaten in Poland, if not in all of Europe!  A crispy potato pancake was cooked and folded over marinated pork. Then the whole plate was absolutely smothered in delicious goulash sauce.

We recommend enjoying this or one of the many other traditional Polish dishes at Bar Neptun, and then grabbing a seat outside with your dessert. It’s typically very busy here. If there are no seats outside, head upstairs for a table overlooking Dluga Street.

→ Bar Neptun Location

Bar Mleczny Stagiewna

Our next must-try out of all the Gdańsk milk bars is Bar Mleczny. We actually found our way to this cute eatery by the canal more than once. Its picturesque setting right across from the AmberSky Ferris Wheel gives it more of a pub-type atmosphere. Yet, you still line up with your tray and get to pick your meal Polish Milk Bar style.

Here we went with one of Brigitte’s favorites golabki!  This work of food art consists of pork and rice wrapped in cabbage topped with a thin red sauce. For sides, we chose sautéed cabbage and pork along with traditional mashed potatoes. Sounds good, right??

We grabbed a seat in the bar window with a gorgeous view out to the street, but there is also plenty of seating at tables outside and upstairs. The beers here are only 8 Polish Zolty ($2 dollars USD). This drink special along with the delicious food made us regulars at Bar Mleczny during our time in Gdańsk!

→ Bar Mleczny Stagiewna Location

Bar Turystyczny

The last choice on our milk bar Gdansk list is a bit off the beaten path, but well worth the trip! Bar Turystycny just happened to be in between our Airbnb and the main strip in Gdańsk. Otherwise, we may have missed it completely.

After several wafts of polish meat and goulash on our many walks by into the heart of the city, it became an obvious stop for us on our last day. We found Bar Turystycny had more of a local crowd, which is always a good sign.

Mid-afternoon it is common to see a line bellowing out the door with everyone craving a lunchtime meal. Here we decided to mix and match a few things while trying to find the best food in Poland. It was time to get more creative than our first two Gdańsk Milk Bar experiences!

We went with pig knuckle, creamed spinach, and more delicious mash potatoes. (Potatoes go with everything in Poland if you haven’t noticed!)  The pig knuckle was bursting with flavor and 1000 times tastier then any standard Virginia ham you’d get in the U.S.

For our soup, we asked for something local, and boy did we get it! If you do visit Bar Turystyczny we’d probably steer clear of the Tripe Soup… but to each their own. 

→ Bar Turystycny Location

The Milk Bar Gdańsk Experience

Honestly, this is the best way to taste traditional food in Poland. Some of the meals we had at the milk bars in Gdańsk were some of the best we had in the country.

Whatever Gdańsk Milk Bar you choose is sure to be tasty! These 3 are the most famous, so there are plenty more local spots to find on your own.

Get out there, explore, and make sure not to forget the dessert! Also, read about our top things to do in Gdansk before your visit.

If you’re looking for where to stay in the city, you can’t go wrong with the Hilton Gdansk. The Hotel Hanza is a great choice as well, with the Five Point Hostel being perfect for budget travelers. 

For the real foodies, we highly recommend renting a car and including another city in your Poland itinerary. Check out our complete guide to Krakow food if you make a visit!

Have any questions or want to share your own milk bar Gdańsk trip? Leave us a comment below!

Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake

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