Culinary bike tour in Tricity

Bike rental

Entrance to the beach no 63

If you need to rent a bike for your culinary bike tour we recommend to do it at VELO KING bike rental point marked on the map with 1. It’s located in Gdańsk. Here we recommend for you to start and end your tour.
Until September end VELOKING bike rental point located in Sopot is also open but only on the weekends (Sat-Sun). So if you wish to end your bike tour in Sopot you can return your bike there.

A bike rental for one day will cost you 60 PLN (~15 EUR) incl. a helmet. If you wish to have your bike delivered to e.g. your hotel in Tricity it will cost you extra 70 PLN per bike. That’s the card rate prices. If you are with a bigger group then you can probably negotiate the transportation prices.

BRZEŹNO pier

Start with a visit at a small wooden pier located in Brzeźno, a district of Gdańsk. It’s a popular sunbathing area for locals and tourists. At a stone throw from 2 big residential areas of Gdańsk Zaspa and Przymorze. These are typical residential districts from the communist times with high and long block of flats and murals on them (Zaspa).

Walking along the pier you can admire long and wide beaches and take perfect photoshoots at the sunsets. Looking waterfront on the right you will see Gdańsk harbour, the shipyard and Westerplatte peninsula. Looking on the left you will see Sopot with its pier.

Tavern KLIPPER

A food stop for a delicious and warming fish soup Klipper

Entrance no 65, Gdańsk

From the pier you continue your culinary bike tour straight to the tavern Klipper. They have quite long menu list with both soups, starters, fishes and meat dishes. I recommend to take a fish soup which is made of cod, salmon, halibut, vegetables and chilli pepper. Rich with flavours, dense with fishes and warming from chilli pepper. This bar is not so known and crowded as Bar Przystań which I describe below in this article. It’s not so visible from the cycyling path, a bit hidden behind the bushes so watch out not to overlook it.

Bar PRZYSTAŃ

A food stop for cold fish starters and garlic crispy bread

Entrance no 33, Sopot

This has been for years one of the most popular fish bars in Tricity. It’s very crowded especially in summer. The queues are long and waiting time to get the fish can be tough. Some locals say this bar is overrated, not that good as it has been before. Maybe I’m partial to this spot but I do not share this opinion. The staff there some of them the same for years is serivce minded and friendly.

It’s not cheap but the fish there fried, baked or steamed is always fresh and delicious. Next to it there are a few stalls where they sell fresh smoked fish. And the colourful fishboats parking on the beach are not there only for decoration. Early in the morning you can meet fishermen coming back from the sea with a fresh fish.

Their fish soup is amazing. However or me tough to judge which fish soup is better in Bar Przystań or Klipper. Both are delicious.

In Bar Przystań I personally  recommend cold fish starters. They are displayed at the counter so unless you speak fluent Polish you can pinpoint the your choices. They have great variety of  herring served in very different ways, Baltic herring backed in vinegar, Kartus style rolled fried  herring  with tomato sauce and Kashubian style fillet with sweet onion in oil. Apart from them  smoked salmon, salmon tartare, fish/seafood salads and many more.

 

TROPIKALNA WYSPA restaurant

A drink with a sea view

Entrance no 28, Sopot

Leaving bar Przystań behind you continue your culinary bike tour turing right. After about 500 meters you will reach Tropikalna Wyspa restaurant.

The bar operates seasonally (until 4.10.2020, after this date please check it up).
It’s situated on the beach and except for indoor part it has a spacious terrace with a sea view. If you wish a table on the beach, it’s also possible.
They serve fish and seafood dishes. You can find among the other cod, halibut, salmon, mussels, or trout from smokehouse. The last one very tasty has limited availability so when chance to have it definitely worth trying.

The bar has also fancy cocktails and drinks both with alcohol and alcohol free.
So before next stop for the main dish it’s time to take a drink, a beer or just take a sit and enjoy the sea view.

SOPOT pier

The longest wooden pier in Europe

It is 500 meters long. It’s the most popular Polish leisure and pedestrian facilities, a showcase of spa. Usually in summer very crowded, but no wonder it’s so. It’s really beautiful and the view over Sopot and the Tricity from its farthest end is amazing.

The pier is a mooring point for cruise boats and water taxis. At its end you can find a marina.
In the close area of the pier you are not allowed to ride a bike, so if you want to visit it then you need to push your bike. The entrance to the pier is free after 27 th of September 2020. If you chance to be there earlier and you haven’t admired Sopot from the pier’s end then please take your time and definitely do that.
This year due to pandemia please remember to cover your face with a face mask and to keep the social distance.

BULAJ restaurant

Casual fine dining 

or 
PIASKOWNICA restaurant

Cozy bistro for the mains

Close to entrance no 13

After about 1 km ride from the pier you will reach Bulaj restaurant or if you continue extra 500 meters you will get to the restaurant called Piaskownica.
These are my 2 recommendations for the main dish stops. Choose Piaskownica if you prefer more laid back, bistro style bar with homemade liquor. If you are in mood for casual fine dining with more sophisticated foods then choose Bulaj.

Both places are my favourite ones. While Piaskownica serves more simple dishes, staples of the fish and seafood menu Bulaj lures with more creativity and not so obvious combinations of the ingredients. They also have vege options and decent choice of good wines.

For me Piaskownica is one of these so called hidden gems. Cozy, with a few sitting areas placed on the different levels and terraces with picturesque views. The tables are also situated on the beach hidden behind the dunes and the bushes, with the hammocks waiting for you to rest after a good meal.
Big jars with homemade liquors mature in the sun on spot’s the terraces. Do not hesitate to buy and try it. You won’t regret.
The menu is short and simple but very tasty in my opinion. It consists of fish and meat dishes, salads and pastas are also available.
But please remember you can only pay cash in Piaskownica and there is no cash machine in the close neighbourhood.
In Piaskownica you order the food at the counter while in Bulaj they take orders at the table.

In Bulaj I have a few favourite dishes which luckily stay on the menu regardless the season.
Their fish soup is fabulous and intrigue. It’s made of Baltic fish but served with mussels, coco milk and algae. Even though I earlier mentioned Bulaj has more sophisticated menu and experiments with flavours then my favourite main dish is a Polish pork chop with a bone. An iconic dish in the Polish cuisine. Here it’s served with young potato and stewed cabbage. Before getting started with this article I have just had rich and slow Sunday breakfast but my taste buds are getting activated when writing about this dish from Bulaj.
For a dessert I recommend a fabulous meringue cake even though it’s not the only dessert spot I would like to highlight on your cycle route.

CAPPUCCINO CAFE and SOPOCKI MŁYN

The best cakes and the best dumplings off the bitten track

If neither Piaskownica or Bulaj particularly convinced you or you still manage to cycle a few more minutes then I have a great reward for you.
About 1,5 km from Piaskownica there are 2 great culinary addresses I would like to draw your attention to.
Sopocki Młyn (Sopot Mill) and Cappuccino Café. Both belong to one and the same owner.
The first one is a great option for lunch and the main course and at Cappuccino Café you will be delighted with their choices of coffees, home made cakes and ice creams made on the spot.

Sopocki Młyn which means Sopot Mill is chosen not incidentally. It was to underline the character of their menu which is mainly based on flour dishes. They specialize in dumplings (another iconic Polish food) but also make pasta in front of the guests and sell homemade preserves.
Their food is delicious, made from the best quality ingredients delivered by local producers.

After the main dish at Sopocki Młyn Cappuccino Café located just next door invites you for a dessert you will keep in your heart for a long time. Cappuccino is a cafe, bakery, place with homemade ice creams and probably the best meringue cakes in the entire Tricity, Poland or even Europe.
If you do not have enough space in your stomach for 2 meringue cakes (remember I have recommend one in Bulaj) then choose the one in Cappuccino. Their choice of meringue cakes – perfectly dry on the outside and wet inside with blackcurrant, raspberry, sea buckthorn and many more is huge. Alike the portions of the meringue cakes here. So sharing one cake for 2 is also an option.
You might have noticed I am addicted to meringue cakes but do not worry. They have also other cakes such as panna cotta, chocolate souffle, tarts and cheesecakes.

The advantage of this place is also very friendly and helpful staff serving all these specialities with a smile.
Last but not least when the weather lets you take a place and relax in one of the hammocks or sun loungers in their outdoor space.

ORŁOWSKA TAVERN in Gdynia

Wide selection of fish and seafood with a view

PIER in Gdynia Orłowo

Within 15 minutes ride from Piaskownica in Sopot you will reach Gdynia the third city of Tri-city complex. Tawerna Orłowska restaurant is situated in the seaside district of Gdynia called Orłowo. It’s a quiet and charming villa area with a high cliff and its own wooden promenade pier (11). The pier is shorter than in Sopot but also less crowded. The admission is free.

The tavern’s specialities is fish and seafood dishes. The choice of fish is huge. Baltic herring, cod, flounder, mackerel, sprats, eel, trout and many more. Smoked, fried or grilled. If you tend more for international seafood menu then octopus, squid, oyster, prawns, mussels and lobster should meet your taste buds expectations. The tavern experiments with fish and seafood and offers not obvious dishes such as a algae salad, seafood stew, seafood platter and a lobster soup.

Attached to the tavern there is a small smokehouse where you can buy a freshly smoked fish or a take away corn with fried sprats. Delicious for a snack later on.

On the way back to Gdańsk I recommend once again to take a break in Sopot. For a fancy drink or a waffle if you do not have enough of sweets yet.

COCTAIL BAR MAX

Fancy coctails by the beach

Fruity, exotic, with fancy decorations, sour or sweet, just delicious. However do not expect the menu. Just say what fruit you like and what flavour you feel for. The bartender will do the magic and create an individual drink for you. The coctails are like smoothies based on fresh fruit from all over the world, in alcoholic or non-alcoholic versions.
It’s a lovely cocktail place the Hawaii would not be ashamed of.

GOFRY POD ARKADAMI

The waffles paradise close to the Sopot pier and Coctail Bar Max

If you are into sweets or just need more carbo to cycle back to the tour’s end point then plan a yummy waffle stop in Sopot.

Fresh, warm just baked, with whipped cream, with fresh strawberries, blackberries, cherries, with fruits in gel, or just plain with powder sugar. Simply delicious.