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What to eat in Bydgoszcz

A local food guide for visitors from Poland and abroad: what comes from here, what doesn't, what to see and where to eat in the Old Town.

A guide for visitors

Local food in Bydgoszcz: what comes from here

Bydgoszcz has no single dish that all of Poland associates it with, the way Toruń has gingerbread. In the 2018 survey „Zapomniane Smaki Bydgoszczy” (Forgotten Flavours of Bydgoszcz), 72% of the residents asked could not name a dish typical of Bydgoszcz and Kuyavia.

The most Bydgoszcz thing is fish. The city grew up on the Brda, fish was traded at Rybi Rynek (the Fish Market) for centuries, and crayfish from the Brda were a local delicacy. Below we write about what is worth eating, what not to look for, what to see along the way and where to find it all in the Old Town.

Fish from the Brda and nearby lakes

Fish was traded at Rybi Rynek on the Brda from the 16th century. Herring came from Gdańsk and waited in the granaries by the river, while live fish and crayfish were kept in baskets submerged in the Brda.

Today our freshwater fish comes from the region: trout from farms in the Tuchola Forest and perch from nearby lakes. At Port Jatki you can try whole fried Tuchola Forest trout and Bydgoszcz-style zander in crayfish sauce, our own dish in memory of the Brda crayfish.

Kuyavian cuisine

Bydgoszcz lies in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. In the „Zapomniane Smaki Bydgoszczy” survey, residents most often named żur (sour rye soup, 36%) and czernina (duck blood soup, 23%) as regional dishes, and lard (41%) and plum butter (35%) as regional products.

The Polish Ministry of Agriculture's List of Traditional Products includes kaczka z weka from this region, duck preserved in a jar: in Kuyavia, ducks were once raised on every farm.

Something sweet: croissants on 11 November

On 11 November, Bydgoszcz bakeries make rogale (St Martin's croissants). The name „rogal świętomarciński” is protected in the EU and reserved for Poznań and Greater Poland, so in Bydgoszcz they are sold as Bydgoszcz or Kuyavian croissants.

The Sowa patisserie comes from Bydgoszcz: Feliks and Stanisława Sowa opened a bakery on ul. Pomorska in 1946.

What is not from Bydgoszcz

Gingerbread is Toruń, about 45 km away. The St Martin's croissant is Poznań, and „szneka z glancem” is a word from the Poznań dialect. Tasty and close by, but not from here. In Bydgoszcz, look for fish.

Polish wine from the region

Kuyavia and Pomerania have their own vineyards. At Port Jatki we pour wines from three vineyards in the region: Winnica Pod Jabłonią, Winnica Braci Czart and Winnica Irena.

To take away and as a gift

You can take local flavour home with you. At Port Jatki we sell smoked fish to take away (eel, trout, catfish and sturgeon) and fish preserves in jars that we make ourselves: herring, fish in marinade, pâtés and tartares.

Where to eat local food in the Old Town

A few places within a short walk. Walking times from ul. Jatki 6.

Port Jatki

ul. Jatki 6

Our fish restaurant: Tuchola Forest trout, perch from nearby lakes, Bydgoszcz-style zander, wine from the region, and smoked fish and jars to take away. Opening 16 November 2026.

Shrimp Bistro

ul. Jatki 9 · 1 min

Our second restaurant, on the same street: shrimp and seafood.

Sowa patisserie (Cukiernia Sowa)

cafés in the city centre

A Bydgoszcz patisserie since 1946: cakes, and croissants in November.

What to see in Bydgoszcz

The main sights: museums, the opera, cruises on the Brda and parks. Most are a few minutes' walk from ul. Jatki 6; walking times are given for each place.

Old Market Square (Stary Rynek)

2 min walk

The square was laid out when the town was founded in 1346. Every day at 13:13 and 21:13 Master Twardowski appears in the window of the house at Stary Rynek 15.

Granaries on the Brda (Spichrze)

ul. Grodzka 7-11 · 2 min

Half-timbered granaries from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Inside, the District Museum has an exhibition on interwar Bydgoszcz.

Cruises on the Brda

Rybi Rynek pier · 2 min

The Bydgoszcz Water Tram sails from Rybi Rynek seasonally, from early May (not in winter): the Old Town and Sunny routes take about 60–75 minutes. Tickets online or at the Bydgoszcz Information Centre, ul. Batorego 2. MS Bydgoszcz also sails the Bydgoszcz Canal on the Locks Trail route.

Man Crossing the River (Przechodzący przez rzekę)

over the Brda by ul. Mostowa · 3 min

A sculpture of a tightrope walker suspended over the Brda by Jerzy Kędziora, marking Poland's entry into the European Union in 2004.

Cathedral (Fara)

ul. Farna 2 · 4 min

The oldest church in the city, the Gothic Cathedral of St Martin and St Nicholas.

Opera Nova

ul. Focha 5 · 5 min

An opera house on the Brda, built from 1973 to 2006. Opera, ballet, musicals, operetta and concerts.

Soap Museum (Muzeum Mydła i Historii Brudu)

ul. Długa 13-17 · 6 min

About 50 minutes: first you make your own soap, then a tour through the history of hygiene. Book tickets in advance.

Mill Island (Wyspa Młyńska)

8 min

A green island of about 6 ha in the city centre, with branches of the District Museum: the European Money Centre, the White Granary and the Leon Wyczółkowski House.

Rother Mills (Młyny Rothera)

ul. Mennica 10 · 8 min

Mills from 1848–1849, since 2021 a science and culture centre with permanent exhibitions and a viewing point.

Water Tower – Waterworks Museum

ul. Filarecka 2 · 14 min

A 45 m tower from 1900 with an exhibition on the city's waterworks and a viewing gallery at the top.

Myślęcinek Park

ul. Gdańska 173-175 · by car or bus (about 5 km)

A forest park of over 800 ha with a zoo (open all year) and a botanical garden.

Exploseum

ul. Alfreda Nobla · by car or bus (about 9 km)

Underground corridors and buildings of a former German explosives factory from the Second World War. Guided tours only.

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Sources: survey „Zapomniane Smaki Bydgoszczy” (Nasza Niepodległa project, Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej, 2018, 168 people); List of Traditional Products, Polish Ministry of Agriculture (kaczka z weka); „Wprost”, 2009 (croissants in Bydgoszcz); Wikipedia: Sowa (patisserie), Rybi Rynek; „Gazeta Wyborcza”, 22 February 2017 (Rybi Rynek, Brda crayfish). Walking times: OpenStreetMap walking routes. Sights: visitbydgoszcz.pl (Old Town walking route, 2026 cruises), muzeum.bydgoszcz.pl, mlynyrothera.pl, muzeummydla.pl, opera.bydgoszcz.pl, muzeum.mwik.bydgoszcz.pl, myslecinek.pl, zoo.bydgoszcz.com, as of 19 October 2026.

Visitors' questions about food in Bydgoszcz

What is typical food in Bydgoszcz?

The most Bydgoszcz thing is fish: it was traded at Rybi Rynek on the Brda from the 16th century, and crayfish from the Brda were a local delicacy. From Kuyavian cuisine, residents most often name żur and czernina, and on 11 November people in Bydgoszcz eat croissants (rogale).

Where can I eat local fish in Bydgoszcz?

In the Old Town, at Port Jatki, ul. Jatki 6, a 2-minute walk from the Old Market Square. We serve Tuchola Forest trout, perch from nearby lakes and Bydgoszcz-style zander in crayfish sauce. Mains cost 59 to 89 zł.

Is gingerbread from Bydgoszcz?

No. Gingerbread is Toruń, about 45 km from Bydgoszcz. Bydgoszcz was known for its fish trade on the Brda.

What can I bring back from Bydgoszcz?

Something you won't find elsewhere: smoked fish or fish preserves in jars from the Port Jatki deli, and in November croissants from a Bydgoszcz patisserie.

What can I see in Bydgoszcz in one day?

On foot from ul. Jatki: the Old Market Square, the granaries on the Brda with the District Museum, the Man Crossing the River sculpture, the cathedral, Opera Nova, Mill Island and the Rother Mills, all within about a 10-minute walk. From May you can also take the Bydgoszcz Water Tram from Rybi Rynek.

Are there river cruises in Bydgoszcz?

Yes. The Bydgoszcz Water Tram sails seasonally, from early May, from the pier at Rybi Rynek, a 2-minute walk from Port Jatki: the Old Town and Sunny routes take about 60–75 minutes. The boats do not sail in winter. Tickets are sold online or at the Bydgoszcz Information Centre.