Sitting at an outdoor table across from the Neptune Fountain and under the soaring tower of the old City Hall in Gdansk, Poland,  I listened to a talented street performer entertaining crowds with beautifully rendered violin solos. The heat of the day had subsided, and I was enjoying a cool late-summer evening at Kaszubska Marina, right at the corner of the historic Long Market — a perfect location for trying a new ethnic fare.

The Kashubs are a West Slavic ethnic group in the north-central part of Poland, with their own traditions, language that is closely related to Polish, and cuisine that will thrill your palate. As the name of the restaurants hints at, fish is a popular item here, but you’ll find no challenge in selecting something that doesn’t come from the sea.

Try This: You can start with a traditional Polish soup with eggs and barley sausage, but even better is the Kashubian potato gratin stuffed with bacon and served with wild mushrooms and red peppercorns — a fantastic appetizer that will make you eager to see what’s next. For the main course, you might like the pork ribs with potatoes and fried cabbage, but I recommend choosing the fillet of zander (a local white fish similar to perch) served on zucchini pancakes alongside spinach, Kashubian hummus, mushrooms, and a salad.