In the land of pierogi and kabab one might wonder how hard it is to go vegan in Poland, but rest assured, you will do just fine!

These past two weeks I traveled to Poland for the International Pole Sport Federation (IPSF) competition, which was held in the small town of Kielce, central-ish Poland. These competitions always seem to end up in places I have never heard of (I’m speaking about Kielce, not Poland), but they give me the best excuse to explore new cultures and small towns!

Whenever I travel to a new place I do the standard Google vegan places nearby and check out Happy Cow. I was instantly concerned when I looked at Kielce, but pleasantly surprised by Krakow and Warsaw. Unfortunately, I would be spending the bulk of my time in Poland in Kielce. So, let’s start there.

Kielce

First and foremost, most Polish people know what vegan means, so we are already doing better than New Jersey! Most places had a vegetarian option on the menu, and some were receptive to making adjustments to some of their dishes, others less receptive. Asian food, overall, seemed pretty safe in Poland. We found a good Korean fusion place that had a few options and a super cute logo! Sushi was also easy.

As I had three competitions spread between three days and was helping the rest of my team during the off time, my finding food schedule was a bit challenging. We ended up defaulting to our hotel restaurant more often than we would have liked. We stayed at Hotel 365, which was in the woods and felt a bit like glamping, as our small twin beds were glorified cots, we had beetles in the room, and there was zero sound proofing in the space. However, the room was pleasantly warm and the shower was good.

At first the restaurant at the hotel was very generous to accommodate our diet with salads, pasta, and even a stuffed peppers dish, which were all delicious! The breakfast was a bit lacking and they misguided us on a few items. Sadly, as time went on they seemed less keen on making us special dishes. Fortunately, this was towards the end of our stay. We suspect they were a bit burned out because they were very busy while we were there as there were actually two different world championship competitions (pole and breakdancing) happening in this small city at the same time. I mean, what are the odds??

I want to give a shout out to the one vegan restaurant in Kielce, Wegemania, who sadly was not open after five or on weekends. But they had awesome vegan food if you could get there! They had a few options for breakfast and a wide range for lunch, ranging from wraps to more traditional Polish dishes. What I really liked about them is they weren’t trying to mimic non vegan food. They just made good, healthy food! It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine that so many vegan restaurants go unhealthy trying to make the same dishes I don’t want from animal eaters. I’m vegan for many reasons, but health is one of them.

No one at Wegemania spoke English, but they were super sweet and Google Translate came to the rescue! We sadly only got to go three times, but if you are passing through Kielce for lunch or breakfast give them a visit!

Krakow

After five days in Kielce we made our way to Krakow. We had read that Krakow was a vegan heaven, and every time we googled vegan food in Kielce, restaurants in Krakow kept popping up.. which got a bit confusing.

As we were in Krakow for only two nights (which was not enough, one should at least do three), we didn’t get to try too many places. But we absolutely loved Bhajan Cafe. This Indian restaurant was vegan and vegetarian, but we enjoyed everything we had. In addition to having typical Indian food for dinner and lunch they also had a whole vegan breakfast menu. Their tofu scramble and vegan mango lassis are a must!

Their staff was also very friendly and even shared their temple which they had below the restaurant with us. I will note that while there are many ethnic restaurants across Poland, I only saw white Polish people working in them. I’m not sure who works the kitchen, but this was very different for me coming from New York City. So, while the food was good, it left me wondering how these restaurants came to be.

No Bones, a purely vegan restaurant in Krakow, was always at the top of every search we did, even in Kielce, so it felt right to try them. The cafe has a great vibe, but we didn’t find the staff very friendly and the food was trying too hard to mimic non vegan food. It didn’t feel particularly healthy to us and had very little veggies. I had seen more healthy options online for them, but they were not on the menu when we got there. So, if you are looking for healthy vegan food, you should look elsewhere. If you want a cool vibe and fun food, check them out, they are adorable!

Warsaw

We spent some time in Warsaw at the beginning of our trip and then a day at the end, and we collectively agreed that Warsaw has some of the best vegan food we have had! So, maybe Warsaw is a vegan heaven?

Vegan food seemed pretty easy to find, and we found some organic options as well. We really enjoyed two restaurants — Vegemiastro and Pink Vegan.

Vegemiastro had a ton of great options for traditional Polish food and other dishes. I had their mix of vegan pierogi, which were all interesting and my perfect first meal in Poland! They had a range of desserts and yummy drinks as well. Unfortunately, we only had time to go once. I would have loved to try more of their extensive menu!

This brings us to our all star vegan restaurant, a must visit if you are in Warsaw — Pink Vegan. Pink Vegan had some of the best and most creative vegan food I have ever had. Every dish was an explosion of different flavors that magically just worked together: Strawberry kimchi? Shockingly good! Artichoke fried in wine, to die for. The dishes would be savory, but out of nowhere you would get a pop of sweetness which would titillate the senses. Even my non vegan friends felt their soups were the best they have ever had!

Also, added bonus, while it was never advertised.. we suspected that the name Pink Vegan had a deeper meaning, as the Nazis in Poland put Pink Triangles on homosexuals. If this is true, I am that much more excited to support them!

All in all, Poland is pretty easy to be vegan in, easier than some parts of the US. The food can be a range of quality, like everywhere, but more often than not it was good to exceptional. So, my vegan friends, go forth, visit Poland, and feast!

Traveling Vegan - A Taste Of Poland

Kielce

Krakow

Warsaw