BEST. PIEROGIES.EVER! If you venture to England and make it to York, do not miss this hidden gem! I've been to Poland, and the pierogies here are just as good, if not better, than the many pierogies I enjoyed in Poland. Cozy atmosphere, warm service, delicious Eastern European comfort food! My husband loved his Hunter's stew in a house made bread bowl and we shared the bacon wrapped scallops for an appetizer, beautiful presentation for all of the dishes. read more

Barbakan - Pierogies and bacon wrapped scallops - Delis Near Me - York, YOR

Wonderful food, cozy atmosphere, great beer and muled wine. We loved this restaurant! We ordered dumplings and perogis and highly recommend them! read more

Barbakan - Delis Near Me - York, YOR

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Excellent food, nice setting, and friendly staff. We very much enjoyed the whole experience. The food is delicious and beautifully prepared. The beef cheek was unctuous, and the vegetable accompaniment has lovely notes of cinnamon and juniper in the slaw portion. The hunters stew was filling but not heavy, and well seasoned. The oscypek cheese starter is similar to halloumi, with a firm, salty chew that gets your tastebuds going. The beer selection covers the gamut of Polish beers, from light lagers to raisin-y bocks (Koźlak). There's a wide range of vodka cocktails we did not try, plus ciders and wines. And the truly house made desserts are worth saving room for. I usually pass on dessert, but the cheesecake (not sweet) and poppyseed cake were too much to resist -- and I'm glad we didn't. So filling we brought half back home. The staff was friendly, and our waitress was charming and helpful, and even helped me understand the variations of the gołabki cabbage rolls that my grandmother had called galumpkies. Turns out there are many versions (and names) of these stuffed rolls across Eastern Europe. Now I know! Definitely worth putting on your York agenda. PS: the actual restaurant name is The Blue Barbakan read more

I really like this Barbakan: warm service, lovely place, very good food, you can not ask more for a dinner. Two tips: 1. Their food size is large, normally you just need share 1-2 starter and 2 main course for 2-3 person. Their cakes look tasted but I was too full to eat. 2. If you want have a dinner, please book it early or drop in very early. There are 10 tables only and almost all tables will be reserved at dinner time. This is a place I will return, nice food and people, give you a relax dinner or lunch. read more

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Best peirogis I have had in some time now. And the mushroom garlic sauce is to die for. Also, certainly call ahead for a table. read more

So my second review, and second five star review at that... I promise this is only because I'm reviewing my favourite places first... as they deserve, the sub five star reviews will come in time. This is almost one of those places you don't want to tell people about.,, it's my secret, dangit! But alas, good things deserve to be heard and found so yes... I concede, I adore this place. Not only is the Barbakan extremely unique for York (despite the confusing name that has nothing to do with the near(ish) Barbican Centre, but I haven't found a place with similar quality for this type of food in the UK as of yet... I'm sure they exist, I'm just waiting for more qualifies Yelpers to point them out. On to the food... either you'll love it, immensely, or just like it... I couldn't imagine anyone disliking it... and if you do, shame! It's very hearty fare, "meat and potatoes" if you will, but done sooo well... I'm way into the "love it" camp, obviously, so when this is what I want I couldn't imagine coming elsewhere. The cuisine I believe is Polish, so think German meets British... don't kill me, I call it like it is! The closest actual restaurant I've been to was in Luxembourg, so even that is a toss up for influence. Essentially look at the pictures on Yelp, and if it looks like you're type of food I can't imagine you would be disappointed. Oh, did I mention deserts? Oh, the glorious deserts... they are so good that we often get them to take away... something I rarely do... especially with deserts. They stand behind you tempting you constantly... I fell for it once and have tried various ones since, all worthy of a purchase. Another theme you will notice throughout my eventual reviews is that good service impresses me... and these guys definitely score a few points in this realm... aside from being friendly and accommodating (aka "oops, I booked for four but two other friends heard we were coming so now there's six of us"), I've seen on two occasions groups come in after closing and happily be accommodated... I would never expect this as the norm, if the sign says 11:00 for closing then 11:20 is too late, but it's nice to know that they definitely give it a go... on one occasion they had even started cleaning the kitchen... which is fair because it was twenty minutes past their posted closing time that night... they still smiled, checked with the kitchen, and proceeded to take orders without the "you should know better" awkwardness that can come with such timing. Personal favourites include the Golonka, seriously, just look at the photo... it alone will give you the meat sweats, Pierogi (get the half and half and figure out which one is for you), and the Oscypek... a smoky cheese that is simply wonderful (think smoke infused haloumi). Honestly, if you've looked at the menu (or read a review) and think this is a place you would like to try then please do... either you'll have a decent meal, or more likely a future staple you must return to. If you need fancier fare then perhaps this isn't the place, but at their prices (which are awesome for what you get btw) you should probably give it a go all the same. Enjoy, and thank me later. ;-) read more

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Excellent Polish food, perfectly prepared in balanced sauces. Perhaps the best stuffed cabbage I've had anywhere - including church dinners! - and a wide selection of Polish beers; try the Raspberry Beer for a really fine change of pace. A nice selection of good Romanian wines, too, along with a full bar and plentiful selections of dessert. Atmosphere is quiet, relaxing and low key, and service was attentive and unintrusive. Highly recommended! read more

Barbakan - Best stuffed cabbage I've had in a LONG time!  The secret's in the meaty sauce.  Note Polish raspberry-flavored beer - GREAT! - Delis Near Me - York, YOR

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Spent 45 minutes here for a delightful lunch. I had pierogi (cheese and potato), which appeared pan-friend with a sprinkling of lardons of bacon, sour cream on the side, and fresh herbs atop 5 pierogi. They were hot, perfectly cooked, and very filling. I had no room for the visually gorgeous desserts that were in the glass case at the front. Service was a tad cavalier, but nothing out of the ordinary for a weekday lunch. This place is cozy, with not a great amount of seating, so if you're looking at a weekend or evening seating, I recommend a reservation. read more

There's only 1 restaurant which I would travel back to the city just to eat at (in Florence). Until now - I've finally found a second restaurant which I would travel for (and thanks to Teresa C for recommending this place to me) Barbakan is a family run Polish restaurant, and their homestyle food is just DIVINE!!! I would happily eat here every day if I could! I did come here twice, once for lunch, and dinner. So their hours operate as this: open at 9am for breakfast, however starting at 10am you can order their £7 lunch specials! So I came here at 10am, and ordered myself TWO lunch specials - I couldn't decide on one, so I got the cabbage rolls and pirogies, and took half of it home. There were 4 cabbage rolls, baked in this rich tomato sauce, and it was so incredibly delicious. I didn't leave a drop of sauce behind, as I mopped it up with the delicious toasted rye bread. There are 6 pirogies in an order, so the waitress kindly offered a sampling of their 3 pirogies: beef, cheese, and pumpkin curry. Hands down, my favs were the cheese, and pumpkin curry. It was nicely fried with a brown crust on the outside, with some fried with cubes of crispy bacon, and a side of sour cream. It was soooo good. Actually the waitress knew I only planned on eating half my dishes, so she kindly packed everything else up for me, along with extra bread! Now, DINNER TIME: There is a dinner special between 6-7pm, a starter and a main, for £13. Fantastic deal, since you get so full off the meal! A complimentary basket of rye bread was given to me, along with some sort of fantastic garlicky-dill butter spread. I was told it was butter, but it tasted a bit like a whipped or cream cheese to me. Anyhow, whatever it was, it was delicious. I ate all the bread and spread, and even asked for a bit more :/ I started off with a mushroom roll, which was a mix of mushrooms, rolled up in a pancake and deep fried. It also came with beetroot borscht. And it was amazingly good! I'm not a picky eater, but I'm usually not a huge fan of borscht - but man, this purple soup was served in a mug, and I slurped up every last drop. I got the hunter stew for my main, which is a mixed meat stew with cabbage and carrot, served in a bread bowl. And It arrived piping hot! I was so full just looking at it, but it was one of the best things I've eaten on the trip. Its definitely a hearty and meaty dish, lots of meat and sausage. I only managed to finish 2/3. Unfortunately, I was too full to have dessert, because everything looked so good on display, all the cakes are baked fresh every day. The rest of the menu had breakfast items, hot and cold sandwiches (which sounded amazing), big salad plates with salmon, and a really large selection of Polish dishes. Seriously, you CANNOT go wrong here. The workers are so nice and accommodating and friendly. ANOTHER BONUS - KIDS GET BREAKFAST FOR FREE! It stated this on their menu, but I really don't know how it works. I'm sure its probably something like free for every child accompanied by an adult (purchasing an item for themselves too, of course). Anyway, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :) ** THEY ARE CLOSED MONDAYS FOR DINNER read more

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This is now my go to sandwich shop and restaurant in York. The first time I went, I was being toured by a group of Canadian girls that used to live in York and apparently fed on the Barbakan's pierogi for most of that time. Now I find myself not leaving the house before 10am, so I can grab a sandwich (all about £3) just after they are open. They make everything fresh and sometimes you will have to wait for 10 minutes until the bread rolls are done, but is it so worth it. I was thinking about calling them before and then picking up the food later, so I don't have to wait, but the waiting is an experience for itself! There are little details all over the place that make it very homey and the people working there are super-nice. But apart from getting a sandwich for takeout there is a plethora of good food if you decide to stay inside. My friends don't even ask me anymore where I want to grab something to eat after the pub. It is always the Barbakan. (I guess that can be a bit annoying for them, but I don't care really...) I have not yet tried the cake, as I didn't have the time or the occasion to do so, but I will get back to you guys later. Anayway, class A restaurant and please don't make this place your little secret, since it totally deserves to be booked out for months! read more

I first came to this small but mighty establishment for a lunch sandwich- it was delicious but hey I make pretty decent sandwiches so I could not understand all the fuss. That is until I came here for dinner- WOW! Really good food at pretty decent prices (considering the portions!!). I ate my beloved pierogi but people on my table got a selection of mains which were all delicious (I recall a pork cooked in honey that was mouth watering and a hearty stew in a bread roll). Service was very friendly as well, will certainly be back soon! read more

This place is so good, we kept coming back for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The pirogues, stuffed cabbage, cakes, everything were outstanding, not to mention our host/waitress Ana. Initially we thought she was the owner since she ran the restaurant when we were there. She's super nice, gracious, and helpful with suggested local sites. Definitely try the pirogues!!! Breakfast and lunch seems to be more on the quiet side and food comes out quicker but dinner is more packed with people and worth the wait. read more

Let me start with the disclaimer that we only tried the baked goods and didn't have a full meal. We were walking by and noticed it was a cafe with a small selection of baked goods. We went in and ordered a couple of the donuts, which looked good but were a little pricey at 5£ for the two. When we got the donuts back to our hotel, we were sorely disappointed. They were so dry and stale that they were probably sitting out on display for days! So disappointing and a complete waste of money. The servers were very nice there but we wish they had known the donuts were so bad. read more

Great polish food. I am polish and grew up eating similar. This fulfills the home cooked polish food you are looking for.

Really small intimate restaurant! Great service and really big portions!! Went there for an anniversary with my fiancée and loved it! Would definitely recommend! Staff at the place were really nice and helpful and the food was delicious!! The restaurant is set away form the heart of the city so it is in a very quiet area! Really easy to find and get to about 10 minute walk from the city centre. I would highly recommend if anyone is looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion! read more

This is a very nice cute little restaurant, very homely feeling and delicious polish food with great new polish variety of beers! Well done guys! Really nice meal read more

We stumbled on Barbakan by accident, but what a wonderful find. In addition to Polish fare it offers a wide selection of just plain tasty dishes of eclectic background. It's away from the touristy part if the city, but still only a short walk - and well worth it. Prices are quite reasonable, particularly given the high quality. read more

This was one of the best meals of our lives. Such an incredible restaurant with every bite of food thought out. As someone of Polish decent, I was thrilled to find Barbakan while we are on holiday throughout Scotland and England. The perogies are the best I have ever had. We shared the veal medallions and schnitzel which are both recommend. I wish I could bring this restaurant home with me and will dream about it for years to come! (Until we make our way back to York) read more

Barbakan - Delis Near Me - York, YOR

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Really nice small friendly atmosphere. Amazing food at a really good price! read more

Barbakan - Delis Near Me - York, YOR

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Amazing!!! We had the perogii, veal medallion, weiner schneizel and chicken kabob. Everything was delicious and the service is wonderful! I definitely recommend this place. read more

If you are in York and like polish food then you MUST come here. First night we arrived there were no tables and the waitress seemed as if she was rushing us out. A little put off, but still intrigued by the menu, we returned the next day and were glad we did. This place was awesome. Stuffed cabbage and pierogis. Followed by home made desserts, this is a great meal. read more

What a gem of a restaurant this is! My husband and I had the poached eggs with hollandaise sauce over brioche bread. The flavor was just amazing. Absolutely the best breakfast we've had since arriving in the UK 2 weeks ago. Friendly staff and reasonably priced. Reservations highly recommended. read more

Great experience at the Barbakan. It was my first time in York and a friend recommended us this Polish restaurant. Having lived a year in Warsaw, I was looking forward to tasting some Polish dishes again. The place is really nice, extremely cosy with a warm atmosphere. We booked quite early 7.30pm and were the first ones in the restaurant. However, an hour later, the place was completely full and they had to turn down people! So one piece of advice, book your table or come early. I was very pleased to have some Polish beer as well, especially the one with the honey taste. I had some pierogis (of course) and a tasty meat dish. read more

Fabulous little cafe with great food. We arrived at 11.50am on a Wednesday and the place was empty, by 12.10 it was packed! Ordered the pierogi for the kids, I had the hunters stew and my husband the Hungarian pancake. Also ordered a side of chips. The chips were amazing - golden, crisp and thick. The pierogi were delicious ( the only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is one was burnt) and my meal was super tasty. My husband wiped his plate with the warm homemade bread so I assume his was delicious too! The service was a bit slow but the waitress was lovely and very accommodating to our whims (we have three young kids and so need extra plates, cups and accidents are a certainty!). All in all a great little restaurant and will definitely go back. read more

Fun polish cafe. Sells interesting polish dishes such as stuffed cabbage leaves, hunters stew and stuffed pancake. Very friendly staff.

I was actually lucky enough to live next door, literally next door, to the Barbakan. The atmosphere is really lovely, incredibly warm and unique. The food is also very unique, although I think it's important to warn the public that although the Barbakan is a Polish restaurant, the food they serve is by no means traditionally Polish, so don't get your hopes up. That being said it is still delicious! Also, be prepared to book a table in advance, especially if you are with a large group, this place is always packed. read more

Lovely find, when we visited the staff were bright and friendly and an interesting menu meant that our party all found something to their liking and when the food arrived we were not disappointed. Perhaps not high end but good homely cooking served in a simple fashion. read more

Pierogies were excellent staff super friendly and helpful going back tomorrow for breakfast!

It's like home. Fantastic friendly atmosphere. Delicious food. Good prices.

Having moved house a few weeks ago, I miss the Barbakan deli most of all the restaurants we tried in York. First of all, the owners make their own bread, in their own oven, with the dedication it takes to bake, very early in the morning, in all seasons (I know how dough reacts to temperature and so on). Then, the ingredients used to make sandwiches are invariably scrumptious and harmonious. We also miss the getting picnic makings here, especially the marinated tomatoes and red peppers. Along with the outstanding and reasonably priced sandwiches (how can anyone but a misguided tourist spend lunch money on the dry, tasteless, exorbitantly-priced fare at pretentious tearooms in the centre when Walmgate is only a five minute walk from Parliament St.?)... they also have awesome coffee--Illy espresso, cappuccino, latte and so on. The Polish and other international products in the shop are also very nice, from a wide range of cuisines, and as far as I knew, it's the only place in York that sells kefir. The only lunch choice in York even in the same league is Il Paradiso del Cibo, just a few doors up, doing pizza and pasta. The Barbakan, however, is my personal flavour gem, and can't be replaced :( read more

My partner and I agree with every word above and our only reservation is that more and more people are going to get to know about the wonderful food, friendly service and remarkable value and we will not get a table. They are going to start opening in the evening soon. We are regular visitors to the City and this place was recently discovered by us. It wil be the first place we visit on return despite York being well provided with many excellent places to eat. read more

fab food and all made with care Fab and friendly service Well priced as well!