On Thursday 15 October, following a period of increased spread of the Coronavirus in Poland, the Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared that new restrictions would come in to effect across the country on Saturday 17 October - by default, the whole country became a yellow zone, with some areas, mainly major cities, being assigned 'red zone' status. On Saturday 24 October, as the infection rate continued to get worse, the entire country was upgraded to a red zone. All cafés and restaurants continue to function, albeit, not as normal. Gastro points aren't able to permit entrance to their establishments, and can only provide takeaway and/or delivery options! It is not clear when these restrictions will last, due to the very real possibility of them being extended in response to an in increase in infection rates. 

Read our updated info about the Coronavirus in Silesia.

If you're reading this, you're most likely choosing to avoid going out as much as possible, instead self-isolating, working from home, couped up indoors and binge watching as many TV series as possible. Slightly boring, but OK, the circumstances are out of our control and we have to just go with the flow. So far, so good, 8 episodes in to your favourite series of the moment and then the dreaded belly rumble hits. It's time to eat. You hopefully have enough food at home if you're living here as an Expat or Erasmus student, but you may be a tourist or business traveller in a hotel room or rented apartment and don't have the luxury of stocking your own fridge. Hell, whatever your situation, you might just want to eat something from one of your favourite restaurants. Relax, it's not the end of the world.

All restaurants in Silesia remain open, although members of the public are not permitted inside, you can still enjoy their exciting menus by choosing takeaway and delivery orders. In order to survive, some (but not all) local restaurants have embraced takeaway and delivery options, either by calling them directly, or using online/app services like Pyszne.pl, Glovo, UberEats and Wolt - these apps are likewise good to find open restaurants with takeaway/delivery near your current location. Restaurants have also introduced their own additional measures to instil confidence amongst clients. These practices range from having their delivery people wear protective masks, wiping card terminals and cleaning hands with antibacterial gels/wipes after each transaction. Beyond this, some transactions are completely online based, meaning no physical contact with the delivery person, who simply places your order at your door, keeping their distance as they greet you.

Although these apps are a good resource for hungry locals and visitors to find open restaurants with takeaway/delivery near their current location, they also charge high sign-up fees to those businesses on their platform and take 30% commission for each order. If you truly want to support local businesses we encourage you to call in your order and pick it up yourself, or choose the restaurant's own delivery service when applicable. The restaurants (who we've spoken to on this matter) will thank you, and so will we. Below is a list of the best places in Silesia that are making food to order.