Just a quick note to say that the Polish restaurant card was extremely helpful. The waiters all seemed to recognize the problem. I received some sad meals (dried chicken breast and limp vegetables) and some curiously delicious meals (moist chicken breast topped with pineapple and strawberry preserves!) and I watched my husband and cousins eat some very tempting breads and cakes. But I got to try some of the local diary favorites (I love cheese and sour cream!) and I have survived Poland with my appetite in tact.
On to Austria tonight!
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5 comments:
Hello
My name is Grace Coakley and I am from Ireland. I am a coeliac too and I was reading your blog which I found very helpful. I also am travelling to Poland (Warsaw) and I was wondering if you have any other further advice about eating out or how readily available fresh fruit, etc, is available over there. I have printed out the eating out cards which I am glad to hear were useful. I would be grateful if you could get back to me about this.
Thanks
Grace :-)
Hi Grace,
I don't have any other way to contact you, so I hope you come back to read my reply.
Definitely take the card with you. In a big city enough people working in restaurants will know English so will recognize words like bread and pasta, and many restaurants will have English translations of their menu if you ask. But the card helps drive home the point. One thing about the card, it refers to if you're pointing to a specific menu item. I was trying to show the card to a waitress and ask what she could recommend that met the requirements and she was a little confused. So then we both were confused. And I ended up with chicken and strawberries! (It was surprisingly yummy!)
In most restaurants, plain potatoes or fresh salad will be available if nothing else. Fresh fruit should be available at markets, but I don't know how much variety there will be in winter.
Breakfast is hard because it revolves around bread. And I don't like eggs so I was glad I had some cereal bars and hot cereal with me.
I didn't go to Warsaw so I unfortunately can't recommend a specific restaurant or market there. But I've found that in all major cities, the concerns are pretty much the same as at home.
Have fun on your trip!
Stephanie
Hello,
My wife and I moved to Warsaw about 6 months ago. She is a Celiac, so we've had to be careful. Warsaw has been pretty good. Most people know what we're referring to, and yes, having the card is a big help. It really helps clear things up. Though, one time she asked for "no flour", and the waiter heard "no flower" and began talking about removing the garnish.
Anyways, we just (tonight) tried out a restaurant that we heard of. It's called Oliwka, and it's very easy to get to using public transport (on the outside around the corner from the main entrance to the Galeria Ursynow, right at the Natolin metro stop).
They have a good Gluten-Free menu. We shared a Pizza and Pierogi. They were both really good, though slightly gummy (as a lot of GF doughs can be). Their website is www.oliwka.eu. The website is in Polish, but they have an English menu. We will be writing about our experience in our blogs (mine and hers soon if you're interested in more information.
Ciao,
~Tom
I saw repeated reference to a gluten-free card? Could someone please direct me to that? We will be traveling to Poland from the US on 7/14/11. Thanks
Bill in SF, CA
Bill, here is the link to the card: http://www.celiactravel.com/cards/
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