Travelling gluten free in Poland

Are you going on a holiday to Poland and looking for the best gluten-free spots? Look no further! We have gathered all necessary information for gluten free in Poland in one easy overview.

It is a picturesque and interesting country. To start with we have good news for people with Coeliac disease and others on gluten-free diet who would like to visit our country. If you are on this kind of diet you can survive in Poland for sure. We offer you some useful advice.

If you want to buy gluten-free and lactose-free products you have to look for:

  • healthy food shops (in Polish: sklep ze zdrową żywnoscią) or eco-shops, they are in most cities;
  • super- or hypermarkets (like Auchan, Real, Tesco, Carrefour, Biedronka);
  • shops in malls (look for “Organic Market”,  ‘Kuchnie Świata’);
  • luxury food shops (like ‘Piotr i Paweł’ or Alma);
  • gluten-free rice wafers Good Food or Sonko (wafle ryżowe) may be easily found in regular shops;
  • you can also order gluten-free food by telephone or the Internet with delivery in e-shops (one example: www.glutenex.com.pl).

Polish brands: Bezgluten, Balviten, Glutenex, Kupiec, Margita, DROBIMEX, GZELLA, Konspol, Staropolskie Wędliny, Roleski, Helio, Eurohansa, Miran Wafel, Cinna, Grana, Profi. Also such like Sonko (crunchy breads) – but you have to check if there is the crossed grain symbol, because they also produce food containing gluten.

If you plan to visit us just for a couple of days and stay somewhere out of town, the best solution is to take some provisions of bread and other products you need daily.

When staying at hotel it is also worth trying, while booking rooms, to ask hotel staff to order some gluten-free products for you. If you would like to use hotel dining room you may talk to the chief describing your diet and decide what sort of meals are safe for you. Below you have a short text in Polish, which informs that you are on a GF diet and the main points describing it:

Polish coeliac dietary explanation

Polish version:

Jestem na diecie bezglutenowej z powodów medycznych – choruję na Celiakię. Nie mogę spożywać produktów zawierających pszenicę, żyto, jęczmień i owies oraz wszelkich wyrobów z ich dodatkiem, szczególnie mąki, skrobi i bułki tartej. Mogę jeść: kukurydzę, ryż, ziemniaki, soję, proso, grykę. Również wszystkie warzywa i owoce, mleko, ser biały i żółty, jajka, świeże mięso. Glutenu nie zawierają również masło, margaryny, oleje, oliwa z oliwek, cukier, pieprz i sól. Przy stosowaniu przypraw należy przeczytać na etykiecie, czy nie zawierają glutenu.

Dziękuję!

English version:

I am suffering from Coeliac disease and therefore because of medical reasons I am not allowed to eat any foods which contain gluten-containing cereals or products of these.

This means:

No products from wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut and oats as well as products of these like flour, semolina, bread crumbs, bread, pastry, noodles, dumplings, sauces, cakes, wafers etc. But also butter, oil, sugar, pepper and salt. If you are using spies please

Thank you!

Where to buy gluten-free food in Poland

Polish brands: Smak Życia (Ultraeuropa); Bezgluten; Balviten; Glutenex.
Also such like Sonko (crunchy breads) – but you have to check if there is the crossed grain symbol, because they also produce food containing gluten.
International brands: it’s hard to say, because it depends on the city, shop, etc.

Where to buy:

  • Organic food shops.
  • Bigger supermarkets (in cities); on the countryside / provinces it might very difficult to buy gluten-free food, so if you are planning to go there, buy gluten-free food earlier and take with you.

Gluten-free restaurants and hotels in Poland

In any other restaurant you have to consider carefully (together with a waiter) what you can eat safely. Soups are risky because flour is often added to them. Fortunately there is a bigger choice as far as the main course is concerned. You can always choose boiled potatoes (after all Poland is a country where potatoes are the basic ingredients in dishes) or rice. As far as meat is concerned you can choose a roasted chicken (without the skin because you never know what it was sprinkled with), grilled meat (after checking what the added spices were) or a piece of meat (without sauce). Salads that go with the dishes are usually safe.

Polish Coeliac Association

MENU BEZ GLUTEN (GLUTEN FREE MENU) is a project of safe gluten free eating out in Poland, leaded by Polish Coeliac Society. We create a base of restaurants, coffeehouses or hotels friendly for persons on a gluten free diet.

If you want to find a place with a gluten free menu, click on the region of Poland you are interested in on the map: http://www.menubezglutenu.pl

Then you will be shown a list of the restaurants from this region with the full contacts details.

All these restaurants have a special logo of the project what means such places are trained by us and serve safe gluten free meals.

Please always inform the service in a restaurant you are on a gluten free diet.

Polish Coeliac Society – Polskie Stowarzyszenie Osób z Celiakią i na Diecie Bezglutenowej

The Polish Coeliac Society is the biggest nation-wide organization supporting people on a gluten-free diet. The mission of the Society, a public benefit organization, is the promotion of knowledge about the coeliac disease and the gluten-free diet and providing all-encompassing support for the afflicted. The organization was established in 2006 on the initiative of parents of children suffering from the disease and adult afflicted persons, their families and friends, who decided to confront the lack of awareness and knowledge of the coeliac disease in Poland and the problems encountered by people following a gluten-free diet. The Society has about 3.000  members country-wide and has its branches in several Polish cities, including Warsaw, Cracow, Szczecin, Lodz, Poznan, Radom, Trojmiasto, Leszno, Kielce, Elblag, Torun, Katowice and Bialystok.

Website: www.celiakia.pl

Have good time in Poland and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions at info@celiakia.pl or katarzynameller96@gmail.com

Last update of this Travel Net information: June 2016