Polish food is incredible, from hearty pork knuckle and pickles to rich soups and pierogi dumplings, along with indulgent chocolates, fantastic beers and vodkas and more.
As its capital, Warsaw is unsurprisingly a great city for foodies, with a good number of traditional restaurants and milk bars (cheap and cheerful food served in retro diners, a hangover from the communist era), innovative fine-dining eateries experimenting with the possibilities of Polish cuisine and ingredients, and cafes, not to mention its delis.
Pork knuckle at Dom Wodki with horseradish vodka and ice cream
So what should you be eating and drinking when in Warsaw?
Eat
To get a good taste of traditional Polish cuisine for a good price, head to Zapiecek, an institution in the city with great prices and multiple locations (our favourite is the one by Castle Square as it has plenty of room) that focuses on pierogi. With many varieties and all of them delicious, as well as many other types of traditional Polish food from pork knuckle to sausages, this is a good place to unwind with a few dumplings and a beer. Their flaki (tripe soup) is also fantastic.
Pierogi at Zapiecek
Also in the Old Town, Fret@ Porter is another good traditional restaurant with particularly good pork knuckle. They also serve oscypek cheese, which is served grilled and is often found in food stalls around the city. The Old Town in general is a good area to explore with many good restaurants at competitive prices.
Oscypek
For a more experimental take on tradition, head to Dom Wodki close to the impressive National Theatre. This serves Polish classics like barszcz (borscht), pierogi and pork, but do so in a fine-dining setting while providing a vodka pairing, showcasing the possibilities of Poland’s favourite tipple. We also recommend Nolita, which has a very reasonably priced tasting menu that really pushes the boundaries of Polish cuisine. When we went, it reminded us of a Polish version of kaiseki.
Fine dining at Nolita
Other fine-dining areas include the Royal Castle’s restaurant. If you feel like eating in another Polish landmark, head to Kulturalna in the Palace of Culture and Science, which does a good selection of lunch dishes and cakes.
Salad at Kulturalna
Another major draw to the city is its cafes, and particularly their love of hot chocolate. Polish chocolatiers Wedel have numerous cafes in the city and we recommend visiting one to taste a variety of Polish hot chocolates, while also picking up a pack or two of Ptasie Mleczko – chocolate covered marshmallows, among the nicest chocolates we’ve had. Bombonierka, however, had the best hot chocolate in the city, while To Lubie is a good place for brunch and a cup of coffee.
Wedel hot chocolate
If you have room for dessert, we recommend visiting La Vanille for their famous cupcakes or visiting a bakery to try traditional Polish bakes. We particularly recommend rose-jam paczki (donuts) from 5 ciastek, while also visiting a deli to pick up some kielbasa, cheese and pickles.
Paczki
Drink
Poland is famous for its beers and vodka and naturally Warsaw is a great place to discover Polish drinking culture. To begin with, PiwPaw is a good choice for fans of craft beer, showcasing a wide range of Polish breweries. If you feel like a cocktail with a nice view, we recommend Panorama Sky Bar, which has superb views of the city at night, with the Palace of Culture and Science just outside.
Another good cocktail bar is NM Bar, which is close to the Old Town with a good variety of cocktails, vodkas and beers, as well as friendly staff. Enoteka, a good wine bar and restaurant, is also just next door, which provides an introduction into the world of Polish wines, as well as a good selection of food and international wines. For something less expensive but immensely fun, Polyester Café is just opposite – try their hot gingerbread beer.
NM Bar
Warsaw is a fantastic city for foodies, with comforting classic dishes and experimental chefs looking to highlight just what Poland can do with its produce.