Friday’s Featured Food: Eating at Kubicki, the Oldest Restaurant in Gdańsk
Again, Friday’s Featured Food has been a neglected part of my blog and as you can imagine, I have eaten enough different types of food on my journey to keep this as a weekly fixture for ten years or more, probably 100 years in fact! But I won’t have time to do one every week, and I will never get round to that but today I take you to the Oldest Restaurant in Gdańsk in Poland – Kubicki. After whackpacking the world, I decided to settle in Gdańsk in times of depression. Here is the restaurant’s website: Kubicki Website. It’s a charming place for dinner.
Kubicki Restaurant – Oldest in Gdansk
Where is Kubicki?
Kubicki is down by the riverside in the beautiful Old Town of Gdansk. Your walk will take you through the Stare Miasto (dreamlike) and past the crane and some boats. This is a lovely city.
View on the walk to Kubicki
Kubicki is also not too far from the Solidarnosc Museum either, or the ill fated Post Office which the Germans stormed when they decided to start World War 2.
At the front of the Post office in Gdansk, Poland.
Touring Westerplatte on what can be described as the “Hitler tour”
Who Went to Kubicki with me?
I went on a charming walk here with my travel friend who said yes to a date. Although we were just friends, this actually turned into a date, ands she felt me up and kissed me afterwards, without my consent and as a full shock. It can only be described as a tainted date, in retrospect. This was to be our first and only date. A feast for Karolina’s eyes with her charming Northern Irish man in Poland, her luscious charms disappearing into the sunset after her rude and romantic tongue kissing. Her name isn’t Karolina – I changed that as she doesn’t deserve to be on my blog.
How Old is Kubicki Restaurant?
Kubicki Restaurant dates back to 1918, so it has survived this city under the moniker of the “Free City of Danzig”, the Nazi invasion, the Second World War and the Communist era, Solidarnosc and the like. The restaurant has remained open and Polish cuisine has been served for over 100 years with only a few minor closures, most recently due to the COVID-19.
Kubicki Restaurant – Oldest in Gdansk
Kubicki Restaurant – Oldest in Gdansk
Kubicki Restaurant – Oldest in Gdansk
The Menu at Kubicki Restaurant
This is not a cheap place to dine and of course I paid the bill – it was around 80 zlotych but well worth it. The food in the meantime, was delicious and the date was really interesting. We spoke about life a lot and about the future. Karolina showed me images of her flat when she worked abroad and I gave her some chocolates and a very kind and nice Irish claddagh ring souvenir. It said on it “loyalty, friendship, love”.
The soup menu at Kubicki, Oldest Restaurant in Gdansk.
The warm starters menu at Kubicki, Oldest Restaurant in Gdansk.
We were only here for a light meal, as Karolina only had one hour to spare in her extremely busy life, so we decided on a soup and a starter. Karolina is a seaside lady and she chose the stinging nettle and spinach soup with crayfish.
Karolina’s stinging nettle and spinach soup with crayfish.
And what did I have?? I love Pierogi in Poland and so I decided to try the Gdanski style Pierogi here.
My Gdańsk style Pierogi
All meals are served with bread and ogorki (pickled gherkins) and we also had a water each. There is a charge for all that but I didn’t know it then and wasn’t too worried as we enjoyed the date a lot! But it was dear and Karolina just wanted a free meal.
The bread and ogorki (pickled gherkins)
She selfied our date.
Lovely date in Kubicki
Lovely date in Kubicki
After the dinner date, we walked quite romantically through the Stare Miasto in Gdansk and spoke of how we would meet again in another city abroad. Karolina also wanted to show me some sights and bars in her town, so that was interesting too – I couldn’t wait to see all that later and started to plan my trip there already. Later, I toured Karolina’s town and loved it, I started watching the local football team (went to a few matches) and also dated another girl from that town. The memories though of Kubicki, are saved for this table here…
Our table – Karolina Deyna and Jonny Blair.
Karolina lived nearby and after the date, she walked me to the very very pretty old town. It was here on Ulica Długa that she decided to kiss me – not just on the cheek but a proper kiss. I guess maybe that is the style in Poland as I didn’t want or expect that at the time.
Stare Miasto in Gdansk, Poland where Karolina and Jonny kissed
I invited my travel friend for smoothies a week later as well but by then she had moved to another city to work 91 hours a week in a tough job. But I made new friends from her town and some of my own mates visited me.
Millwall Neil and I at the Old Town Square in Gdansk, Poland.
Touring Gdańsk – Stare Miasto.
I was dining out with a travel friend and the meal was not sponsored by any clients, I paid for it. My contact really must have loved it as they later texted me to say:
“Thanks for that amazing night”.
The travel friend also hung up my Irish souvenir in their flat, thanks for this nice evening, I will post stuff on Northern Irishman in Poland from now on.
Best wishes and thanks to my travel friend for this lovely experience, and all stay safe please.