The sign on the door said it was closed. The luminous orange posters in the window gave the impression of a corner shop’s special offers on six-packs of beer. But once I had tentatively pushed open the door and encouraged my doubtful friend Kirsty to follow me inside, our misgivings immediately changed.

A Taste of Poland is on a small strip of shops on Filton Avenue in Horfield. It’s next door to a Polish food shop and is owned by the same family, who towards the end of last year decided to open a restaurant serving only the best in Polish cuisine and sourcing every ingredient from Poland.

There is only room for 20 people to eat at any one time, but our chatty waiter told us that last Sunday they fed 80 people, a lot of those ex-pat Poles, some of whom travelled from far and wide, but also a lot of curious English willing to try a new cuisine.

As he was talking the restaurant up before our food arrived, the waiter also told us that they had recently served a man in his 80s, who was crying as he was eating his meal, as it was the first authentically Polish food he had eaten since leaving Poland as a child.

The Polish presence in Bristol is noticeable, with a number of food shops dotted about, but A Taste of Poland is the only Polish restaurant in the city since the closure of Chopin on the Cheltenham Road after little more than two months in business.

While the decor in Chopin was basic to say the least (the removal of the tables and chairs hasn’t actually made too much difference to the look of the place), the Denes family have gone all-out with Taste of Poland. There are designer Italian leather seats, polished black tables, and black and white photographs of Polish cities on the muted yellow walls.

Having no idea what to have, I let our waiter recommend me something. His choice was the zraz wolowy, beef roll stuffed with gerkin, peppers, ham and onion (£4.50) served with mashed potatoes (£1.20) and beetroot with horseradish (£1.20), simple in concept, decidedly unappetising in appearance but meaty and wholesome in taste. Like every other dish on the menu, it was absolutely fantastic value.

Kirsty chose the kotlet devolay, fried breaded chicken breast stuffed with butter and herbs (£3.90). Her saute potatoes (£1.50) were a triumph, the waiter telling us that not even he knows the secrets of the chef’s seasoning.

The best way to describe Polish food is that it is hearty, with big portions for big-eaters. Neither of us were able to finish our plates, but we were both full and contented, and delighted not to have judged A Taste of Poland by its outside appearance.

A Taste of Poland, 229 Filton Avenue, Horfield. 0117 969 5069.