Szczecin's food scene has improved considerably in the past decade. The city has benefited from the same restaurant renaissance that transformed Gdańsk and Wrocław, with a new generation of chefs taking Polish cuisine seriously rather than treating it as an obligation.
The waterfront below the Wały Chrobrego has become the main concentration of good restaurants and bars, with terraced venues overlooking the Oder particularly lively in summer. The old town area around Aviators' Square also has a reasonable selection of cafes and mid-range restaurants.
Polish staples are available everywhere — żurek (sour rye soup), bigos (hunter's stew), pierogi, and grilled meats. Szczecin's proximity to the Baltic means seafood appears more often here than in inland Poland: smoked fish from the Oder estuary and Baltic herring are local specialities. German-influenced dishes occasionally appear in more nostalgic restaurants. Craft beer has arrived in force — several local breweries are producing work worth trying.