Hotel Karczyce

Operated by the well-known Chef Beata Śniechowska, this modern bistro is one of those spots where you just know you’re going to have a good time. Closely set tables add to the intimacy and buzz of the atmosphere, while bright and friendly service quickly puts you at ease. The cooking offers reinterpreted versions of classic Polish dishes with brilliant results: the signature 'Our Pierogi' and the well-balanced 'Duck Breast with 5 Polish Flavours' are prime examples. Make sure you enhance the experience by asking the engaging, thoughtful sommelier to match a range of Polish wines to your dishes

Situated on the edge of the Old Town, inside the Hotel Jazz, there’s a stylish, faux-industrial quality to this friendly restaurant. Exposed brickwork and concrete flooring combine with pared-back décor and varnished wooden tables for a classic bistro feel. The cooking has a similar ethos of unfussiness, with a welcome lack of over-elaboration in dishes that combine quality ingredients with precise technique – such as the array of dumplings or scorched herring with baked potato. The wine list’s hidden highlights include local Polish riesling.

The lucky locals have got the perfect neighbourhood spot in this wine bar and bistro, located a little out from the city centre. Its rustic-chic design feels perfectly of the moment, with exposed brickwork and lo-fi furnishings, while the wholesome cooking and interesting wine list are similarly on-trend. Dishes of low-fuss, big-flavour food could include the likes of minced pork cutlet with tarragon or the playful date madeleines with toffee sauce for dessert. The thoughtfully curated, lesser-known wines are the perfect accompaniment.

As enviable locations go, this is certainly up there. The smart brasserie is located inside the impressively domed Centennial Hall and overlooks the Wrocław Multimedia Fountain, where stunning illumination displays take place in the summer. The well-priced menu offers dishes that balance flavours and textures wonderfully, showcasing the technical strength and understanding of the kitchen. Intense mushroom soup with rabbit sausage and smoked sour cream is a prime example. Work up an appetite with a stroll around the nearby park or Japanese gardens.

A former car wash and workshop has been transformed into this welcoming bistro that lives up to the ‘Garden’ part of its name. Promoting a local and seasonal ethos, the chefs utilise home-grown produce, while the sprawling terrace includes an outdoor kitchen and BBQ area. The concise menu is supplemented by blackboard specials, each dish coming with an appealing price tag and extracting bags of flavour from the ingredients. The same team run the Piekarnia bakery next door, which provides bread, cakes and pastries to bookend your meal.

The surroundings are an event in themselves at this restaurant situated on the estate of the same name, which has a 14th-century castle at its heart and now hosts bedrooms, a spa and even a motor museum across its various buildings and parkland. Dining takes place across several castle rooms and focuses on carefully executed dishes with heart and soul, such as comforting homemade blood pudding or generous duck breast with a rich, full-flavoured sauce.

This younger sister to Mercado Tapas Bistro sits underneath the next railway arch and is a smaller, more intimate space, boasting closely set tables and the chatter of diners blending into the rumble of trains overhead. Like its sibling, the menu has a Spanish heart but this time mixes in more globally minded small plates, such as pork ribs with miso glaze or the standout ricotta agnolotti. Spanish wines are to the fore and the service team run things smoothly.