Where to eat near Witów: five addresses and one mountain hut

The question comes round regularly, usually on the second day: where can you get a proper meal here without driving to Krupówki? The area around Witów does better on this than you might expect: several sensible places sit within a few minutes' drive.

We run none of the places described here and have no stake in them. We list them because we send guests to them ourselves, and because none of them involves queuing on the road to Zakopane or looking for paid parking.

Witowianka, the nearest

A restaurant by the Witów-Ski slopes, with Polish and European cooking and regional touches. Separately, right at the slope, there is a self-service inn built for skiers who want to eat quickly between runs.

It is the closest option to us and the one guests most often pick for an ordinary lunch. There is a play room on the ground floor of the restaurant building, so a meal with children does not end after ten minutes. We have given this place its own post on the blog.

Leśniczówka u Zięby and the Ziębówka restaurant

A correction is needed here, because the two names circulate locally as if they were separate places. Leśniczówka u Zięby and Ziębówka are one business: Leśniczówka has been running in Witów since 1991 and offers rooms as well as food, and Ziębówka is its restaurant, standing some fifty metres away.

Ziębówka was built in 2008 in the Zakopane style, with a carved leluja motif and a tiled stove in the middle of the room. The menu is built on family highland recipes, with a seasonal card that changes with whatever is available. The kitchen works with local produce.

This is a place for an unhurried, longer dinner rather than a quick meal between one walk and the next.

Karczma Gazdówka u Zająca

The inn stands at the mouth of the Chochołowska Valley, on the way to one of the most popular trails in the area. Inside it feels like a restored forester's lodge, and the menu sticks to regional cooking: pierogi, broth, lamb.

What sets it apart is the size of the portions at moderate prices, which makes it a frequent choice for families and larger groups. It also hosts bonfires, sleigh rides and highland evenings, so if you are after an evening with music rather than just lunch, this is the address.

The natural shape of the day is this: a morning walk into the Chochołowska Valley, lunch at the inn on the way back, and the hot tub in our garden in the evening.

The trout fry house

Witów also has a trout fry house. It is not a place for a long evening, but a break from highland cooking, which after three days can start to weigh on you. Fresh fish after a whole day on the trail is sometimes exactly what is missing.

It is the smallest and most seasonal place on this list, so it is worth confirming the opening hours directly before setting off.

The mountain hut on Polana Chochołowska

A category of its own: you cannot drive here. The PTTK hut stands on Polana Chochołowska, about two hours and ten minutes' walk from Siwa Polana, and it is the destination of the most popular route in the area. You can also get there by bike, as the Chochołowska is the only Tatra valley open to them.

The food is mountain-hut food and is meant to be: hot soup, something as a main course, tea. The value is in where you are sitting, not in what you are eating. In season and at weekends it can be crowded, and when it is busy the choice of dishes tends to shrink in the afternoon.

Or simply a barbecue in the garden

After two or three meals out, a good many guests switch to the simplest option: shopping on the way back, a barbecue and a fire in our garden. The place for both is ready and does not require buying a separate package; just tell us when you are planning to light it.

Cheese from the shepherd's hut on Polana Biały Potok, bread and something off the grill make for the kind of evening guests mention afterwards more often than the restaurants. Breakfast is included in your stay; lunches and dinners on site are arranged individually, mainly for larger groups and celebrations.