Getting Started
Where to eat
Where to eat in Białowieża village — from hearty Polish cooking to forest-foraged menus.
Białowieża is home to a variety of restaurants. Most serve hearty, regional dishes. The standard is a two-course meal: soup for starter, followed by a main that includes meat, carbs (potatoes, chips, buckwheat) and vegetables. Staples include pierogi (Polish dumplings) and wild game — even bison.
🥦 Vegetarian note
Vegetarians can struggle in Białowieża. Most menus offer only pierogi or placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes) as meatless options, and most soups use a meat stock base. Fanaberia and Leśna Dziupla are your best bets — both have made a point of adding decent veggie options.
Restaurants in Białowieża Village
A newer addition to the village, Fanaberia was opened specifically to fill the vegetarian gap in the local market. Expect a handful of well-executed veggie dishes alongside the usual regional fare.
An intimate and friendly bistro. The service is quick, the prices are reasonable and the dishes are sizeable. Recommended: the barszcz (beetroot soup) and the gulasz stew. Vegetarians should try the hreczniaki — battered buckwheat and cottage cheese cutlets with mushroom sauce and salad.
A friendly, family-owned restaurant with tasty home-cooked food and décor characteristic of a traditional Polish tavern. The menu is usually restricted to 4–5 dishes, with limited vegetarian options (pierogi and potato pancakes aside).
A traditionally decorated and atmospheric bistro with tasty food. Vegetarian options are limited to pierogi and potato cutlets. One notable downside: food is served on polystyrene plates — a let-down for an otherwise stylish locale.
An all-round good-quality restaurant — recommended if you feel like splashing out. Expect to pay at least 50% more than elsewhere, but you get speedy waiter service, a variety of craft beers and tinctures, and a wide menu including game, fish and salads.
Elegant, cosy and set in an inter-war building decorated in a classy, traditional Polish style. Expect a range of attractively presented regional dishes. The most expensive option in the village, but a great setting for a special meal.
A reliable alternative when you fancy a break from regional cuisine. The pizzas aren’t authentic Italian-style, but they’re not bad either. Good prices and quick service.
Restaurants in Nearby Villages
If you are cycling through the villages of Teremiski or Budy, lunch options exist there too. Look for Polana Żubra in Pogorzelce, and Karczma Osocznika or Zjazd Myśliwski in Budy. Expect the usual regional dishes. These may be closed outside the summer season.
In Hajnówka, Niezapominajka and Babuszka serve tasty regional food — the former usually has at least one vegetarian main on the menu. Pizza Vera has the best pizzas in the region.
Food Shops
Białowieża has several small shops and one supermarket. The small shops stay open until 21:00–22:00 on weekdays. The Archelan supermarket (at Grudkowska 3) is open until 22:00 and stocks everything you’d expect, including a deli counter and fresh fruit and veg.
Most shops in Poland are closed on Sundays by law. If you need supplies, Pod Sarenką (Stoczek 38) and the petrol station at Pałacowa 73 are usually open. Hajnówka has several larger supermarkets including Biedronka, Lidl and Kaufland.
Go deeper
Explore the forest with an expert
Five days tracking wolves, finding bison and walking ancient old-growth — guided by a PhD ecologist.
On our 5-day old-growth seminar, three meals a day are included, breakfast, packed lunch for the field, and dinner at a local restaurant or guest house.
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