The food in the Chojnice region is unfussy Pomeranian cooking — pork, potatoes, mushrooms gathered from the surrounding forest, and a great deal of freshwater fish. Pike, perch, and eel from the lakes appear on most menus, often smoked or fried whole. Look out for kashubian specialities like ruchanki (sweet yeast pancakes) and zupa szczawiowa (sorrel soup served with a hard-boiled egg).
A handful of pierogi and pancake bars line the streets off the market square in Chojnice. Around Lake Charzykowskie, the larger pensions run waterside restaurants that fill up at weekends in summer — book ahead if you want a table on the deck. The forest mushroom season runs from late August to October, and small roadside stalls sell baskets of chanterelles and porcini at very low prices.