Prosto z Patelni — Review by KSIĄŻULO
Szarbinów, Poland — Polish
A controversial restaurant with a notorious history of billing fraud and questionable practices. The reviewer documents extreme wait times exceeding 90 minutes, an aggressively guarded toilet requiring payment, and mediocre food quality including oversalted tripe and weak tomato soup. Despite some polite staff moments, the overall experience reflects ongoing problems that plagued the establishment under previous names.
What was great: The owner was polite and talkative, fish portion was normal size (186g), food arrived relatively quickly after ordering
What could improve: Extremely long wait times (90+ minutes), toilet locked and required key with 6 PLN fee, rude staff interaction regarding bathroom access, overly salty tripe, weak tomato soup with strange goulash-like flavor, stale garlic croutons charged at 16 PLN, frozen fish despite claiming fresh, limited menu items available, history of financial fraud and dishonest billing practices, only three shared payment cards for entire restaurant, mysterious black carbonated drink served without visible bottle, suspicious online reviews
The Dishes
The reviewer ordered multiple items to thoroughly test the restaurant. The tripe arrived extremely oversalted, described as painfully salty to the point of triggering a throat response. The tomato soup proved disappointing, tasting more like a goulash with a meat-based sauce rather than traditional tomato soup, served with cream and thin pasta noodles. The fish weighed 186 grams, confirming a normal portion size contrary to previous allegations of kilogram-sized servings. Garlic croutons, charged separately at 16 PLN for what should be included, were stale and clearly not fresh bread. The fried potatoes were standard frozen varieties. A mysterious black carbonated drink was served without a visible bottle, simply poured into a glass with ice that looked suspiciously like home freezer ice.
The Experience
The experience was marked by extraordinary dysfunction. Wait times exceeded 90 minutes from entry to receiving food. The toilet situation became a defining feature of the visit, locked behind a key requiring 6 PLN payment, with the owner claiming 40 security cameras throughout the establishment, seemingly all directed at the bathroom. Staff attempted to prevent customers from accessing the toilet without first ordering. The menu took 20 minutes to receive, ordering took another 17 minutes to finalize, and staff repeatedly abandoned customers mid-order to handle other tasks. Only three to four shared payment cards circulated among tables, creating additional delays.
Value and Pricing
Pricing reflected questionable value. Garlic croutons cost 16 PLN for four small pieces, when normally included with dishes. Sauces were charged separately at 2.50-3 PLN. A tomato soup was priced at 19.99 PLN. The tripe cost 29 PLN plus 16 PLN for croutons. These additional charges appeared standard practice, with staff aggressively upselling extras. The 6 PLN toilet fee was particularly notorious, with historical reports of customers being charged double if they failed to lock the door properly.
Notable Moments
The owner warned that the tripe was extremely spicy and prepared with special spices, yet the dominant flavor was overwhelming saltiness rather than heat.
When a female customer also requested toilet access, she was similarly refused the key without first ordering, suggesting systematic bathroom gatekeeping.
The reviewer noted that a mysterious black carbonated drink arrived with no visible bottle, having simply been poured into a glass, raising questions about what beverage was actually served.
The owner mentioned that police had been called previously when a customer fled after using the toilet without paying, involving a 30-minute investigation and a 500 PLN fine.
The Verdict
This restaurant, operating under various names (Captain Diantus, Baltic, now Straight from the Pan) to escape notoriety, remains problematic. Historical billing fraud involving split receipts, unauthorized charges, and falsely massive fish portions created a viral scandal. While this particular visit avoided the most egregious practices, the fundamental dysfunction persists: excessive wait times, aggressive upselling, mediocre food quality, and an obsessive, punitive bathroom access system. The suspicious pattern of overwhelmingly positive five-star reviews contrasted with damning one-star reviews suggests manipulated ratings. This establishment is best avoided unless you enjoy long waits, questionable service practices, and mediocre food at inflated prices.