The name of this establishment can be translated roughly as "Pork Knucklery". Pork knuckles--or ham hocks--is what they do. For fans of the dish, Golonkarnia is a great place to be.
I happened to feel like pigging out one afternoon, so I ordered their signature dish: the roasted golonka with crunchy skin. It arrived quicker than I anticipated. The pork knuckle came on a cutting board, with knife and fork stuck into it (see picture). It was huge: two people would struggle to finish it. The skin was suitably crunchy, while the meat was soft with just the right amount of fat. Grease was oozing out as I cut it, so I had to constantly soak it up with pieces of bread. Fine dining it isn't but that's the point. In the end, I finished less than half. The helpful lady running the place packed the leftover in a foil and I was eating golonka the next couple days.
The other golonka plates come in more reasonable portion. I've tried the po staropolsku and it's very tasty. If pork knuckle is not your thing, their non-pork dishes are also quite good. The beef goulash here is among the best I've eaten in the city. If ox tongue is your thing, they make a very good one.
Golonkarnia is located slightly out of the way for tourists though really not that far off. It's a stone's throw from the Novotel Hotel. The place is hard to miss since it has a pig's head over the storefront. The off-Old-Town location is actually nice since it means it's usually not crowded. After eating such heavy food, one feels like resting a little before being on the move again. The laid-back, no-pressure atmosphere is a definite plus.
Menu in Polish, English, German, and Russian. read more