A Conversation with Michał Wołczyk of L’Entre Villes
The General Manager of the Michelin-recommended restaurant shares his thoughts on hospitality, the low season, and why being a good neighbour matters.
By Ged Brown, Founder and CEO of Low Season Traveller
The autumn leaves are falling gently outside the glass walls of the Orangery at L’Entre Villes, creating a kaleidoscope of gold and amber against the crisp October sky. I’ve just arrived in Sopot and I find myself seated in this beautiful conservatory, surrounded by views of the restaurant’s fairy-tale garden, waiting to meet Michał Wołczyk, the General Manager of one of Sopot’s most celebrated dining establishments. The setting could not be more perfect for a conversation about the joys of low-season travel and the art of creating memorable experiences.
Sopot, the elegant spa town nestled between Gdańsk and Gdynia on Poland’s Baltic coast, has been a destination for relaxation and rejuvenation for over 150 years. While summer brings crowds of beachgoers and festival enthusiasts, the low season reveals a different side of this charming resort. The pace slows, the locals reclaim their town, and places like L’Entre Villes become not just restaurants, but gathering places for the community.
The Soul of the Tri-City
L’Entre Villes, which translates from French as “in the heart” or “in the middle,” is an apt name for a restaurant that sits at the geographical and cultural centre of the Tri-City region. “Sopot is in the heart, in the middle of the three cities,” Michał explains as we settle into our conversation. “That’s why we called our restaurant L’Entre Villes. It’s the soul of the Tri-City.”
The restaurant occupies a magnificent villa dating from 1903, which was painstakingly renovated in 2013 and opened its doors in 2014. Michał has been here from the very beginning, bringing with him a decade of hospitality experience from Scotland. “I worked in the UK, in Scotland actually, for 10 years in the hospitality industry,” he tells me. “My family and I were looking to come back home, and I remember the conversation when I called and spoke to the owner of the place. She said, ‘Come over, we need to see you, we need to have a chat, and we’ll show you our project which will open in six months’ time.’ I came, I saw the project, I saw the villa, I listened to the plans, and I decided with my whole family to come back.”
The Pursuit of Excellence
From the outset, the ambition for L’Entre Villes was clear: to create a fine dining restaurant with impeccable service and exceptional food. But Michał’s vision of “perfect service” was inspired by the very highest standards. “For me, perfect service means Buckingham Palace and the butlers who work there,” he says with a smile.
This wasn’t just an aspiration. Through his connections from his time in Scotland, Michał managed to bring Mark Williams, one of the owners of the British Butler Institute, to Sopot. Williams had served Queen Elizabeth II as a butler at Buckingham Palace for 17 years before retiring to teach others the art of flawless service. “He was here for seven days and he trained us every day, from morning to night, 10 hours a day for seven days,” Michał recalls. “He told us so many stories, like how a cup of tea needs to steep for exactly two seconds. The service had to be done to perfection.”
The investment in excellence has paid dividends. L’Entre Villes has been recommended by the Michelin Guide for two consecutive years, in 2024 and 2025. But Michał is philosophical about the pursuit of stars. “We’re not desperate for it,” he says. “We’re keeping our standards, we’re doing our best to keep the guests happy. Everyone who crosses the door of the restaurant is our guest. We treat them well, and then they treat us well.”
This philosophy extends to staff retention, which is remarkably high. “In Polish gastronomy, it’s very unique that staff work for several years in one place,” Michał notes. “Our head chef has been here from the very beginning, I’ve been here from the very beginning. This shows the consistency of the quality we maintain.”
The Pandemic Lesson
When L’Entre Villes first opened, its clientele was predominantly international. “At the very beginning, we had 90% of our guests from Scandinavia and from abroad,” Michał explains. This was partly due to Gdańsk’s growing reputation following the Euro 2012 football championship. “After Euro 2012, Gdańsk became a very famous destination for Scandinavia, for the British, and for tourists in general. Once they discovered this destination and our restaurant, they talked about it.”
But the pandemic changed everything. “When the pandemic came, it was 100% local,” Michał says. The restaurant was closed for seven months, and when they were finally allowed to reopen, they faced a difficult decision. Prices for supplies had skyrocketed during the closure. “For example, if Coca-Cola cost one złoty to buy before, after those seven months it was 2.5 złoty. The prices went up over 100%. We kept the prices at what had been arranged before the pandemic, and the local market appreciated that a lot.”
This period taught the team an invaluable lesson about the importance of the local community. “The word spread out very quickly,” Michał says. “Nowadays we have about 80% local business, not only private guests but also corporate events, and 20% tourists.”
The shift has been profound and positive. “I think a lot of businesses learned this during the pandemic,” I suggest, “that it’s really important to be a good neighbour to the local market.”
“Exactly,” Michał agrees enthusiastically. “And I love that whole concept. It’s about being a good neighbour first and foremost. A good place to live is a good place to visit. You look after the local population first.”
Creating Community
One of the ways L’Entre Villes has embraced the local community is through its Sunday Brunch, an idea Michał brought back from Scotland. “Sunday brunch was great over there in Scotland, it was so popular, and we managed to bring that tradition here as well,” he says. “We have 50 to 70 guests every Sunday, even during this time of the year. It’s unbelievable.”
The brunch is more than just a meal. It’s a show. “We do live cooking, with the chef coming out with his hat, flambéing, all the flares and everything. We put on a show, not only good food but also entertainment.”
The restaurant has also introduced afternoon tea, another British tradition. “We created afternoon tea especially for all the ladies who don’t go out to restaurants for an à la carte meal so often, but who fancy going out for a nice coffee and a nice snack,” Michał explains. At 115 złoty for two people (about £20), it represents exceptional value in such elegant surroundings.
“It’s about value, isn’t it?” I observe. “For the quality, to have the surroundings, the service, and of course the food as well.”
“Exactly,” Michał nods. “Some people have bigger wallets, some people have medium wallets, and some others have smaller wallets. It doesn’t mean we don’t want them here. No, it’s totally different. We welcome them here and we’ve created good offers for them as well.”
Collaboration Over Competition
What strikes me most about Michał’s approach is his belief in collaboration rather than competition. “We don’t treat our competition as competition. We treat them as friends,” he says. “We think that the cake is big enough to share.”
This philosophy was exemplified by an event the restaurant hosted for its 10th anniversary last year. “We invited 10 chefs from the region who are in the Michelin Guide, who had also been awarded Michelin recognition. They came here and we created a very famous event. All together with our head chef, that was 11 chefs from the Michelin catalogue. It was unique for this area. All the newspapers and TV stations were talking about it.”
The restaurant also participates in local initiatives like “Flavours of Gdańsk,” a collaborative effort where restaurants create special three-course menus using local products. “We don’t want to fight with anyone, we don’t want to compete with anyone,” Michał emphasises. “We want to offer good quality. We’re not saying we’re the best at everything. We’d like to take as much as we can from the experience of others as well. And they’re welcome to copy us. If they keep the quality like we do, they’ll keep the tradition going. Competition creates ideas. We push each other on.”
The Low Season Experience
As our conversation draws to a close, I ask Michał about his personal favourite thing to do during the low season months in Sopot. His answer is beautifully simple.
“My favourite thing is to walk along the seaside and watch the leaves coming down,” he says, his eyes lighting up. “Then I pop into one of the seaside restaurants for a nice winter tea or mulled wine to warm up. And then I go for another short walk and come to L’Entre Villes for dinner.”
It’s a perfect encapsulation of what makes Sopot special in the low season. The crowds have gone, the pace has slowed, and there’s time to savour the simple pleasures: a walk by the Baltic, the crunch of autumn leaves underfoot, the warmth of a welcoming restaurant, and the company of people who genuinely care about creating memorable experiences.
L’Entre Villes is more than just a Michelin-recommended restaurant. It’s a testament to the power of high standards, genuine hospitality, and community spirit. As Michał has shown, when you treat every person who crosses your threshold as a valued guest, when you invest in your staff and your local community, and when you view your competitors as collaborators rather than enemies, you create something truly special.
In the low season, when the summer tourists have departed and Sopot returns to its residents, this philosophy shines even brighter. The restaurant becomes a gathering place, a celebration of local culture and cuisine, and a reminder that the best travel experiences are often found not in the busiest months, but in the quieter moments when a destination reveals its true character.
L’Entre Villes
Al. Niepodległości 737, 81-838 Sopot, Poland
Tel: +48 575 160 037
Michelin Guide recommended 2024 and 2025
Sunday Brunch available every Sunday from 12:00
Afternoon Tea and Degustation Menu available
