Kubicki

Kubicki is one of the oldest restaurants in Gdansk, running on the Motlawa waterfront since 1918. Over more than a century it has become a local institution, the sort of address families return to across generations. It serves classic Polish and Baltic cooking in old-school dining rooms with views over the river.

The kitchen keeps to the classics, with duck and fresh fish among the dishes it is known for. This is traditional Polish and Baltic food rather than experimental cooking, done in the manner the restaurant has held to for years. The full menu changes, so check the current list on the venue's own channels.

The dining rooms are old-school, with a settled, traditional feel that matches the restaurant's long history. Tables look out over the Motlawa. It reads as a proper sit-down restaurant rather than a quick stop, and its reputation means it stays busy.

Good for travellers who want established Polish cooking with a sense of history, for a longer sit-down meal, and for anyone who values a river view. Popular with locals as well as visitors, so it works for an occasion.

It stands on the Motlawa near the waterfront, close to the Main Town's main sights. The medieval crane (Zuraw) is a short walk along the river, and the Long Market runs just inland. For another riverside option, see Gdanski Bowke. The Gdansk guide covers the waterfront in full.

The restaurant has stayed in family hands since it opened, and its pork knuckle (golonka) on braised cabbage is made to recipes handed down from the first owner, Bronisław Kubicki. Alongside the duck, the kitchen is also known for pâté from Żuławy chickens (Pomorskie Prestige, restauracjakubicki.pl).

The setting carries its own history. In the interwar years the place ran as 'Kubicki Cafe International', a night café and one of the more fashionable addresses in the city. The building is under heritage protection, and one of its three dining halls keeps brick from the former Teutonic castle visible on the walls (Pomorskie Prestige). Current menu and opening times are worth checking through the restaurant's official channels.