In 2023, Poznań got the esteemed honour of being only the third Polish city to be covered by the prestigious 'Michelin Guide,' raising the profile - and the stakes - of the city's excellent gastronomy scene, as local restaurateurs now compete for hard-fought Red Guide recognition. Read on to see which Poznań restaurants made the cut in Michelin's latest edition.
But wait! Why is a French Tyre Company telling us Where to Eat?
Good question. If you don't already know the origin story of the travel industry's most prestigious gastronomy guide, we'll sum it up for you: a long time ago (1900), two brothers created a travel guide to encourage French motorists to drive more and increase the demand for tyres. Over the years, that guide evolved from where to find a mechanic with Michelins in his garage, to where to you can find an achingly formal, insanely expensive, gourmet meal. The gastronomy and tourism industries embraced this shift towards exclusivity, and began courting (in some cases, paying) Michelin for inclusion, giving the guide its unrivalled prestige - regardless of whether there are more travellers today who can afford an exclusive multi-course tasting dinner (the now-standard Michelin dining experience) as there were motorists back in 1900. [For context, in 1900 there were about 8000 cars in the entire United States (the most car-based society in the world). For more context, Boston (an apparent food desert) is getting its first Michelin guide in 2026 after paying the tyre company for three years of coverage.]
Poland's Michelin Milestone
Poland's Michelin milestone came in 2023, after the Polish Tourism Organisation entered into a formal (yet mystery-shrouded) agreement with the Michelin company to have its own fully dedicated Michelin guide - the first edition of which included Warsaw, Kraków (both previously covered in regional European guides) and...ta-dum...Poznań! This was a major moment for the gastronomic reputation of not only those cities but the entire country, and has since lead to the expansion of Michelin's Polish coverage to Pomorskie (Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia) and Wrocław. The 2025 Michelin Guide to Poland included 107 restaurants across the entire country.
Want real advice about visiting Poznań - not just its fanciest restaurants? Our guidebook highlights what really makes Poznań unique, including its street food, street art, student culture and more.
The Hierarchy of the Michelin Guide and What it (Really) Means
Of course the Michelin Guide has multiple levels of recognition, and part of its marketing success lies in how sparingly they grant this recognition. At the bottom of the pyramid is simple inclusion in the guide, which in the ho-hum language of a company that produces rubber products, merely indicates that the restaurant is 'noteworthy' or 'worth knowing about.' What it really means, however - or the meaning that the restaurant industry has foisted onto it - is that this restaurant is among the best in town and meets a nebulous, but understood standard of excellence in terms of quality and professionalism.
Next is the 'Bib Gourmand' designation, which very sparingly highlights restaurants that allegedly offer "exceptionally good food at moderate prices." This is one of the most-coveted designations in the industry, perhaps because it signals a false affordability in addition to excellence. SInce (in our observation, at least) this designation rarely goes to restaurants that are truly market-average in price, its pretty unclear what 'Bib Gourmand' actually means, but it is a big deal.
Michelin-Star Restaurants in Poznań
That brings us to the Michelin Star system, which assigns a venue one to three stars, indicating that it is "High-quality cooking, worth a stop" (One Star), "Excellent cooking, worth a detour" (Two Stars) or "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey" (Three Stars). If that kind of language doesn't have your mouth watering...well, you can always eat tyres.⭐Restauracja MUGA
Michelin 'Bib Gourmand' Restaurants in Poznań
![]()
Fromażeria
![]()
SPOT.
Located in a former power station south of Poznań's Old Town, this veteran restaurant features its own culinary school and vineyard, and is surrounded by a beautiful park. Michelin champions its "exceptional wine list" and "added bonus of attractive pricing and generous portions." We tout its "sophisticated menu" of "modern European cuisine accented by Asian flavours, including house-smoked ingredients and vegetarian and gluten-free dishes," calling it "Poznań at its cutting-edge best."
![]()
Posto
Located in a restored barn, this spacious restaurant embodies a rustic elegance and offers a rich pan-European menu that includes duck-blood soup (czernina), shrimp and scallop risotto and pâté en croute. Michelin describes "a wonderful generosity to the food that chimes with the enthusiastic service." We call it a "warm, welcoming place worth seeking out for the food and atmosphere."
![]()
TU.RESTAURANT
Not a barn this time, but a barracks dating back to 1890, this former military space has been incredibly transformed into a red-brick modern-rustic two-story space for fine dining. Headed up by Chef Filip Cwojdziński - no stranger to the Michelin Guide after starred ventures in the UK and Ireland - TU’s imaginative menu leans into wild game and surf n' turf, and the wine list - bottles of which line an entire wall - is second to few. Michelin describes it as a "stylish and characterful restaurant" with a "wide-ranging, modern European menu that includes small plates, large dishes to share and a small pasta selection." We call it "beyond doubt, one of Poznań's top dining destinations."
Comments