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I often recommend places to you, but I also use your recommendations. Mandragora of Lublin appeared in them frequently. I decided to visit this place and check if it is indeed worth it. As you are reading this text, you can easily guess that I managed to make it to Mandragora, and I am eager to share my impressions with you!
Location
Mandragora restaurant is located in the very heart of Lublin, at Rynek 10. The easiest way to get here is by strolling through the Old Town. The tenement house in which the restaurant is situated is distinctive, and the sign is visible from a distance, so you should have no trouble finding it.
Interior
The Mandragora restaurant is located in a tenement house dating back to 1521. Its interior has a unique atmosphere. It is cozy and filled with various objects. It resembles a house from years ago, but the decor is not overwhelming. Iza, who creates this place, simply shows its idea:
“The heart of Jewish celebration is the home, and in it, the kitchen plays an important role. The Haggadah read on Passover invites: ‘Let all who are hungry come and eat with us’ I invite you into my world – the world of a modest, honest, homemade cuisine. Filled with old photos, lace, with Jewish music in the background. Here the most important things are the kitchen and … You. For you, we cook.”
This is indeed how you can feel inside. Very friendly staff, warmth emanating from the interior, and good cuisine (which I will talk about in a moment) create a very desired effect!
What Mandragora means?
You will find out about this from the first page of the menu, where it is written that “The name of the restaurant comes from the Old Testament, from the Song of Songs, and symbolizes love, fertility, and happiness.” Mandrake is a plant that was considered an aphrodisiac and sometimes even something magical.
Menu
Mandragora, as you have surely noticed, is a place with history. It’s not about the historical nature of the restaurant, although it has been around for a while, but about the history it carries. One could say that this is a place that speaks, not only through its cuisine.
“Our menu opens the doors to an ordinary Jewish home. And in it, the kitchen plays a special role. Filled with tradition, history, and symbolism, it brings back the most beautiful memories. Before you are dishes whose recipes have been passed down through generations. Jewish cuisine is a melting pot of flavors and culinary customs from all over the world. Shalom! Prepared from the best products, handmade, on-site.”
Such an introduction encourages one to delve into the menu, which is interesting and diverse. You will find warm and cold appetizers, soups, warm fish dishes, main courses, and desserts. I didn’t immediately know what to decide on. Among the appetizers, various takes on herring, tartare, but also blinis, goose giblets, or Jewish caviar await you.
It does not get any easier as you flip through the next pages of the menu, encountering carp or cabbage soup with almonds and raisins. Moving on to main courses, I decided on the waiter’s recommendation, but more on that in a moment! If you’re not a fan of liver, then duck with tzimmes, falafels with hummus, or latkes will also be a perfect choice.
An interesting feature is the special Shabbat menu, which is only available during this period. In this special menu, you will find Gefilte Fish, Cholent with goose, goose dumplings, or Lublin-style cholent with beef. My visit to the Mandragora restaurant took place during the week, and I already know that during a Saturday stay, I must try the cholent because I like this dish.
Mandragora is not a kosher restaurant in the official sense of the word, but it is an establishment that adheres to kosher principles. Interestingly, you will also find kosher wines and beers on the menu.
Our opinion
The day of my visit to Mandragora was quite exhausting for me, so to recharge, I started with a coffee. I chose a Jewish-style coffee (21 PLN), which is brewed and served from a pot. It contained cardamom and cinnamon and hit the spot when it comes to my tastes. I am usually a fan of the classics – espresso, but occasionally a coffee with cardamom or one like this is very much to my liking as well.
To start, I decided on something that can say a lot about a place, a classic – hummus with pita (30 PLN). Very pleasant, creamy with tahini, spices, and parsley. It disappeared very quickly. The pita also vanished, and had it not been for the fact that a main course was waiting for me, I wouldn’t have minded a second round!
My main dish was liver with onion sauce and dumplings (42 PLN). And I won’t lie if I write that it was the best liver I have ever eaten. The sauce full of flavors and the fried dumplings made for the perfect combination! Offal was popular in Jewish cuisine, and looking at this dish, it’s no wonder! This dish was apparently so popular in Jewish homes that over time it even inspired a song, to which the lyrics were written by Jacek Cygan.
In the end, I had to decide on a dessert. In the Mandragora restaurant menu, we find three proposals – Paskha, Malabi, and Rugelach. The first and third items have the annotation “taste the tradition,” which indicates a traditional recipe. However, I decided on the Malabi (25 PLN), which I love and devoured at every turn when I was in Israel. I even attempted to recreate the recipe at home so if you are interested, feel free to check out – my recipe for Malabi. The one I had the opportunity to eat at the end of my visit to Mandragora was very good!
Wort to visit?
Mandragora is a place towards which I had high expectations. They were met and even exceeded. The pleasant interior, courteous and professional service, and cuisine that hit the spot for me mean that during my next visit to Lublin, I will definitely go there with family or friends.
I haven’t visited many Jewish cuisine restaurants in Poland, but then again, there aren’t many such establishments. However, Mandragora is at the top of this category for me, and I encourage you to visit!
Before your visit, take a look at their website; perhaps there are some interesting events taking place on-site.
