Quick Review: Ostro (Gdansk, Poland)

Any visit to Gdansk will involve some time walking along Długie Pobrzeże, browsing the shops, considering the restaurants, snapping pics of the new buildings over on Granary Island. If you enjoy the steady flow of people walking by and the buzz of being on the beaten path, you can stop at a place like Ostro and eat out front, where the experience might look like this: However, as we learned during our walkabout earlier in the day, there is a parallel universe behind the facades. A chill area of back patios illuminated by classic streetlamps and strings of warm bulb lights.

We opted for that experience. Stylishy casual. Lively, but not rowdy. Good vibes.

Service was, let's say reserved. But I think that varied by server. A few of them looked like they were finding inspiration in Robert Palmer's "Simply Irrestible" back up band. Hair pulled back. Minimal expression. And our main server maybe uttered 10 words to us throughout the course of the meal. Seemed to maintain a consistent approach with neighboring tables, so it wasn't just us. But at the end of the evening a friendly fellow delivered our check and wished us well. Not rude service. Just not warm service.

This starter was delicious. I believe it was a burrata with some olive tapenade and bread they make on premise. Great beginning.

I was intrigued by the promise of Polish red wine on the menu.

I do not have the most discriminating palate for wine, but I remember it being tasty enough.

Our choice of pizza was not as successful. It sounded great on paper. Some kind of cheese, bit of ham (I think), and pistachios (which is a pretty big thing in Poland). Taste was good. Dough was nice. But the 'cheese' was so fresh and watery that it turned the middle of the pie into a soup. Couldn't get through the whole thing. Which was fine since we weren't starving as we housed the starter dish. But there would be no glorious next-morning-pizza for breakfast.

Overall a strong recommend for the experience. Nice atmosphere. Looked like a great selection of craft beers if you're not convinced by the Polish wines. Just be careful with your pizza selection. Wrong cheese can sink the deal.