Ostrich Tartare and Tagliatelles Pancakes: A Foodie’s Guide To Lodz

I did not expect to spend more than a month in Lodz, but between discovering places like Wake & Roll Lodz and the Ski Resort Lodz and all the incredible restaurants, I kept extending my stay. It might have been gluttonous of me, but I wanted to try as many restaurants in Lodz as possible and still return to my favorites.

I found Lodz to have a very hip and metropolitan eating scene. Coupled with the incredible lunch set menu deals, and Lodz is a contender for my favorite eating city in Poland.

I’ll quote the prices in PLN, but for reference I’m using an exchange rate of 1 USD = 4 PLN as of May 2024.

Lodz is home to Piotrkowska, one of the longest commercial street in Europe. This is where everyone goes and one of the main restaurant drag.

Manufaktura is the biggest shopping complex in all of Poland and that’s where you’ll find another collection of restaurants in Lodz.

OFF Piotrkowska, a shopping and restaurant complex literally off Piotrkowska is where you’ll find the last big batch of restaurants in Lodz.

Restaurants With Lunch Menu Deals In Lodz

One of the best things about lunch in Lodz and, really, most cities in Poland are the incredible weekday lunch menu deals. Most of the time, you’re able to get a soup or entree along with a main and even dessert for the less an a main dish on the a la carte menu. Some restaurants have a daily changing menu and others offer from a selection of different dishes. Below are a few of my favorites:

Boho

Boho is a vegan hotspot right in the heart of Piotrkowska. Their lush tropical decor matches their green and healthy theme and is an escape from the busy street.

We met friends here for lunch and ordered the large meze starter platter to share. The composition changes from time to time, but expect 7-8 meze starters and a plentiful basket of flatbread to scoop it all up.

There is a weekday lunch menu between 12 – 4 pm that includes a soup and main for 29 PLN. The dishes change daily. For their mains, I recommend the Bao Pibil, a take on the asian bao dish with oyster mushrooms with a pibil sauce and kimchi.

The Shepherd’s Pie, done with tofu was nice and hearty. The Seitan Duck, marinated seitan with hoisin on a bed of vermicelli noodles and vegetables, was a good imitation of a meat dish. Overall, be you vegan, vegetarian, or meat-eater, there’s something for everyone here.

Szpulka

This is a great go to spot for breakfast and lunch located in Manufaktura. They do a lunch set menu for 32 PLN on weekdays from 12 to 3 pm. What’s great about this place is it has outdoor seatings in the Manufaktura complex, so it’s perfect for hanging out and people watching. The international menu makes this place solid choice if you don’t know exactly what you know what you quite like.

I recommend one of the Shakshouka dishes for breakfast or the waffles with smoked salmon. For lunch, you have salads, burgers, pastas, and even ramen to choose from.

Doki Gastropub

DOKI is a very hip restaurant, constructed with shipping containers, that’s part of OFF Piotrkowska. They have a pretty extensive menu serving a bit of everything. Normally, I don’t like when a restaurant tries to do too much, but our dishes were all done well. The burger I got was amazing.

They have a lunch menu with soup and main course for 34 PLN and you can add a drink for 5 PLN. They also have discounts on Mondays (20% off seafood), Tuesdays (20% off steaks) and Wednesday (20% off burgers).

Imber

This Piotrkowska bistro is small, but it has a nice outdoor seating terrace and offers a daily changing soup and main lunch menu set for 34 PLN and also includes a free dessert. Their dishes are hearty and traditional and great when I want something regional. Monday through Friday 12 pm to 5 pm.

Galicja

There’s a Polish restaurant in Manufaktura that looks like an old-world style beer hall restaurant. They serve up all the typical Polish cuisine you’d expect. We popped in here when I first visited the mall and saw their lunch special. You can get a soup, main and drink for 35 PLN available Monday through Friday 12 pm to 3 pm.

We also ordered the tartare and the cheeseboard, which were great for going with one of their many beers on offer.

Koku Sushi

I popped into Koku Sushi Piotrkowska a couple of times when I just wanted to get my sushi fix. There are a few lunch sets to choose from between 32-37 PLN. Nothing mind-blowing, but one of the cheaper sushi options in Lodz. You can add a miso soup for 8 PLN. Monday through Friday 11 pm to 4 pm.

Otwarte Drzwi

This pizza/pasta spot on Piotrkowska caught my eye with their lunch menu and chic interior. I was drawn in for the burrata and also ordered one of their lunch sets that day. They do a lunch time menu Monday through Friday 12 pm to 4 pm, except Thursdays. It changes everyday, but it’s basically soup and a main dish for 37 PLN. There’s a vegetarian option of the lunch menu too. Alternatively, there are three pizza options for between 33 – 38 PLN>

Seafood Bar & Market

This place reminded me of another quick seafood spot I loved in Bari, especially the octopus mural. They offer small tapas style dishes so we could order a few things to share. The risotto and the mussels are great. It’s located in Manufactura, so we stopped in because of the decor and the lunch menu. It’s on offer from Monday through Friday 12 pm to 3 pm. Choose from a soup and one of the main dishes for 32 PLN. You can add a dessert for 2 PLN. The curry and the tagliatelle was really nice for what we paid. If you don’t go for their lunch set, the tempura mix and the seafood stew are great.

Upscale Dining In Lodz

In Poland’s 4th largest city, I expected to find some upscale dining establishments and I was not disappointed. What I like about the recommendations below are that these restaurants have great tasting menus.

Powidok

Powidok was my favorite dining experience in Lodz. The upscale restaurant at the far end of Piotrkowska offers a weekday lunch menu from 1 pm for 38 PLN, which comes with a soup and main. You cannot beat this price for quality anywhere else in Lodz.

Update: They’ve recently changed their menu and there’s now a 6 course degustation menu for 199 PLN and a 3 course menu for 109 PLN. With the 3 course, you can choose from amongst a selection of starter, main, and desserts. I’d call (530 255 555) to see if they still offer their daily lunch menus.

Stary Rynek 2

One of the two tops restaurants in Lodz, dining at Stary Rynek2 is like returning to a different era. This is fancy in the old money kind of way as far as decor goes, but their traditional dishes have been evolved for modern times.

They offer a 6 course tasting menu for 210 PLN, which is very favorable compared to just ordering a la carte. Technically, it’s more like an 9 course meal since there’s an additional amuse bouche, pre-dessert, and petit four (post dessert) that comes along with the meal. You can do a wine pairing for 160 PLN.

You should make a reservation a day in advance. We stopped by for their tasting menu on a Sunday, but it was only available from Tuesday to Saturday.

Quale Restaurant

Like Stary Rynek 2, Quale transports you to a different era as well. The retro-chic decor is a little more modern in my opinion and matches their dishes, from what I could see. This was another spot we didn’t actually dine at, but came highly recommended to us by a local in Lodz.

They have a 6 course tasting menu for 190 PLN and and 8 course menu for 220 PLN. In my opinion, always go for the full tasting menu. If you look at the price difference of 30 PLN, that’s $7 USD for two more courses. A no-brainer.

This is definitely on my list for the next time I return to Lodz.

Favorites Cafes and Quick Eats

Manekin

If you love crepes, join the long line of people who share the same sentiment at Manekin. You’ll find a Manekin in almost every major city in Poland for good reasons. The menu can be overwhelming, but you won’t go wrong with any choice. What’s a tortilla pancake or a tagliatelle pancake? Just focus on what fillings you want on the inside. Also, the tagliatelle pancake, is not a pancake. It’s tagliatelle made with, what I presume, is the flour that’s used for the crepes/pancakes. I ordered it with the salmon and it was amazing.

My suggestion if you’re eating another person is to share one savory pancake/crepe and one sweet one for dessert. They are big. We ordered two savory and a dessert (ahead of time) and ended up taking a lot of leftovers home.

Lepione & Pieczone

I singled this place out for their baked pierogies. Lepione & Pieczone on Piotrkowska makes them as good as the best I’ve had. It’s also a great breakfast spot with most dishes going for around 25 – 33 PLN with coffee or tea included.

I recommend the French Toast or the Ciabatta. For the baked pierogies, you get 3 big pieces for around 35 PLN and it comes with a dipping sauce. The Pieczone, a flat bread pizza, was lovely as well.

Len I Bawelna

Translated as Linen and Cotton, this chic restaurant is part of the OFF Piotrkowska complex. They offer a lot of dishes around 30 PLN.

We had the ostrich tartare, which I recommend alongside the chicken liver with apple. The latter is served with gnocchi and was so good. I also recommend the duck with cherry sauce, the stracetti di filetto, and the focaccia with spreads. These delicious spreads and some other sauces and preserves are also available to purchase to takeaway. You can pass on the risotto and the carbonara.

Biotiful

Once again, I’m putting the restaurant/cafe attached to the local Puro Hotel on this list. I’m partial to these places because they always seem to be a well designed concept with reasonable prices and good food. In Lodz, the Puro Hotel has Biotiful, a health concept cafe and restaurant.

It’s a very spacious cafe and I immediately thought this would be a cool place to grab a coffee and do a couple hours of work. The cafe is very open, but cozy. I would put this place on the your list as a breakfast spot. There are a lot of different coffee and tea options with some pretty pastries and desserts to go along with it.

Pop N’ Art

This cafe is a great spot to meet up with friends for a drink. The decor draws from different movies and pop-culture themes to make this possibly the coolest cafe in all of Lodz. They do movies on the second floor and have different events throughout the week. It’s very much a place for locals, but we found the atmosphere and staff to be very inviting.

If I lived in Lodz, I’d be coming here pretty regularly.

Bread

I loved this the interior safe of this cafe next to Boho. They have a dish of the day for 25 PLN.

Favorite International Restaurants

Ato Ramen

Ato Ramen was recommended to me by a Polish chef I met in Poznan. There’s always a line and we finally bite the bullet and queued up. After the first sip, I understood the hype – this was the best bowl of ramen I had in all of Poland. The tonkotsu broth was rich and thick and the fresh noodles had a perfect chew that you’d expect from ramen in Japan.

There menu is simple. There are four categories of ramen, indicating different types of broth and then 3 selections under each for 3 different variations. They also have two burgers and 3 fries option. One of the ramen category is also vegan.

We also had the Ato-Burger, which I would highly recommend if you come a second time or want something different than ramen. Instead of a beef patty, you get grill chashu pork slices topped with kimchi and truffle coleslaw between two homemade Japanese flour buns. So much flavor.

Mangal

While there are a few kebab shops in every Polish city, it was nice to see a full on Turkish restaurant. I travel to Turkey a lot and I love their cuisine. While Mangal won’t measure up to eating in Turkey, it comes quite close.

They have a lunch menu here too from 11:30 to 3 pm on weekdays for 35 PLN. You can choose from a few classic Turkish mains like Adana Kebab or Kofta and it comes with a soup. The rest of the menu is very reasonably priced and includes other classic must-try dishes like pide, lahmacun, and iskender kebab.

Mangal also offers Turkish breakfast sets for 25 PLN between 10 am and 2 pm.

Las Tablas

Like Pjona, Las Tablas serves Spanish tapas, but it’s a bit more of a upscale experience compared to Pjona. You really can’t beat the tapas at Pjona for the price-point, but if you want something a little nicer, Las Tablas is the place to go. Their tapas menu has all the classics and costs between 11 to 14 PLN each. It’s not Spain, but I’ll take these two spots any day because they are so cheap comparatively.

The paella here is pretty good too for about 60 PLN and it’s for 2 people and I loved that they had an estofado (Andalusian stew) dish.

Pho by Lily Tran

Decent quality Vietnamese food by my normal standards. Pretty good for a place in Poland. It was perfect for a rainy afternoon. I always try to see what Banh Xeo (a Vietnamese crepe filled with sliced pork belly, shrimp, bean sprouts and onions) tastes like at Vietnamese restaurants in Europe, as sort of a litmus test. It could have been crispier, but good enough to pass for Banh Xeo. I recommend trying the Bun Bo Nam Bo and Pho.

Best Cheap Eats In Lodz

Pjona

A fun tapas place on Piotrkowska. It was one of two Spanish tapas spot that we went too and to be honest, I liked both, so they are both on my list. Pjona ranks higher on my list because it’s more of a relax, hang out kind of place. There’s a large selection of tapas and everything costs 5 PLN. Bowls are 10 PLN each as are the dessert. Such a deal for their tapas.

If you want to take the decision making out of your hands, get one of the two sets. One is for two people and comes with 10 chef’s choice tapas plus 2 free ones. For a bigger group, you can get the party set which comes with 20 chef’s choice tapas and an additional 5 for free.

Their drinks menu is simplified as well. 5 PLN for sodas, 10 PLN for beer, wine, liquor and tea, and 20 PLN for cocktails.

Kapusta Z Grochem

This is a popular spot amongst students for cheap local Polish food with a very old school vibe. Inside, it’s like a time capsule of the 80s. This is one of my favorite cafes.

Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa

This is a chain that you’ll find in every major city in Poland known for their cheap drinks and snacks. I went to my first Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa in Poznan for their cheap 10 PLN beef tartare. In Lodz, it’s right on Piotrkowska nearby all the major clubs. I found Poland to be one of the cheaper places to go out in Europe, but if you want cheap drinks before heading to one of the clubs, this is the spot.

Looking for more travel inspirations? Scroll through some of the 450+ experiences on my bucket list. Maybe you’ll find your next adventure on there.

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Updated on June 22, 2024