The Polish sandwich is, more often than not, open. The everyday form is the kanapka: a single slice of bread, buttered, with one or two things laid on top and eaten with a knife and fork or in the hand. The street form is the zapiekanka: half a baguette toasted under sauteed mushrooms and cheese, finished with a zigzag of ketchup. Both are built on the same logic, good bread and a clear topping, with no second slice to hide behind.
The catalog of 251 sorts along those forms. The largest single force is the kanapka and its endless toppings, ham, cheese, egg, herring, pate, twarog, radish, the cold-cut counter on bread. Around it stands the zapiekanka in its dozens of versions, the Polish kebab that took over the late-night street, the burger and the tost, the sausage in a roll from an outdoor grill, the Krakow obwarzanek ring and the pretzel, the soup served in a hollowed loaf, and the deep-fried pasztecik. The bakery supplies the roll and the loaf themselves, and the table supplies the mustard, horseradish, pickle and sauce that go beside all of it.
The categories below capture how the catalog actually sorts. The two giants are the kanapka and the zapiekanka; the roll, the loaf and the sausage anchors carry the everyday meal. Below the anchors, the full filterable catalog lets you browse every entry by name or category.
Browse by family
Zapiekanka
Poland's iconic open-faced street food: half a baguette toasted under sauteed mushrooms and melted cheese, finished with a zigzag of ketchup. · 30 sandwiches
Kanapka
The Polish open-faced sandwich: one slice of buttered bread with a single clear topping, ham, cheese, egg, herring, pate, twarog, the everyday staple. · 61 sandwiches
Kebab
Poland's late-night street kebab: doner meat in a roll or rolled in lavash with cabbage, salad and a choice of garlic, mild or hot sauce. · 15 sandwiches
Burger & Hamburger
The patty in a bun, from the plain Polish hamburger to the craft scene: Angus beef, pulled pork, the oscypek burger and the schnitzel-patty fusion. · 14 sandwiches
Tost & Grzanka
The Polish toasted sandwich and the topped toast: ham-and-cheese tost pressed hot, plus garlic grzanka and pate or cheese on toasted bread. · 11 sandwiches
Hot Dog & Parówka w Bułce
The Polish hot dog: a frankfurter-style parówka in a roll with fried onions and sauce, sometimes baked into the bread itself. · 5 sandwiches
Kiełbasa w Bułce
Polish sausage in a roll: a grilled or fried kiełbasa, Kraków or Silesian style, in bread with mustard, fried onion or sauerkraut. · 11 sandwiches
Obwarzanek Krakowski
Kraków's braided ring bread, boiled then baked and crusted with poppy, sesame or salt, eaten plain or split and filled with ham, cheese or twaróg. · 7 sandwiches
Bajgiel
The Polish bagel, historically from Jewish communities, split and filled with cream cheese or smoked salmon. · 3 sandwiches
Precel
The Polish pretzel, a twisted lye bread eaten plain or split with butter or cheese. · 3 sandwiches
Zupa w Chlebie
Soup in a hollowed bread bowl: żurek, barszcz or tripe soup poured into a round loaf, the bread eaten as it soaks. · 4 sandwiches
Pasztecik, Krokiet & Pączek
The fried filled-dough family: the Szczecin pasztecik, the breaded krokiet crepe roll, and the savoury pączek, stuffed with meat, cabbage or mushroom. · 9 sandwiches
Oscypek & Bundz z Chlebem
The Tatra highland sheep's cheese with bread: smoked oscypek grilled and served on bread with cranberry, and fresh bundz with a slice. · 3 sandwiches
Imported Sandwiches
The international imports kept recognisably foreign: BLT, club, croque, panini, Philly, Reuben, the baguette sub, halloumi and the wrap. · 16 sandwiches
Bułka z…
The wheat roll and what goes in it: the kajzerka and its kin split and filled with schnitzel, egg, cheese, ham or fried fish. · 20 sandwiches
Chleb & the Polish Loaf
The loaf itself and the simplest open breads: rye, sourdough and wholegrain, bread with butter, lard, honey, jam or twaróg, plus eggs on bread. · 24 sandwiches
Przy Kanapce: Sosy i Dodatki
The Polish table that frames the sandwich: mustard, horseradish, ćwikła, pickle, mayonnaise, garlic and tartar sauce, and the skewered koreczki. · 15 sandwiches