Bistros, trattorias and the everyday places where Warsaw actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Warsaw actually eats.
Zapiecek on Swietojanska is the Warsaw Old Town pierogarnia chain locals send tourists to without apology. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$.
OrderA mixed plate: ruskie (potato and cheese), miesem (meat) and a sweet jagody (blueberry) closer.
TipSix locations across the centre; this one queues less than the Freta sister. Walk in for late lunch.
Gosciniec Polskie Pierogi in Warsaw plays the modernised-pierogarnia card with four central locations: Podwale, Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat and Piwna.
OrderThe wild-boar pierogi and a half-litre of cherry-infused vodka.
TipThe Podwale branch has the biggest dining room and the easiest weekday lunch booking.
Pyzy, Flaki Gorace! in Warsaw's Praga district plates pyzy dumplings in jam jars under fluorescent strip lights. Kitchen leans traditional polish.
OrderPyzy with mushroom gravy and a small bowl of flaki on the side.
TipOpen daily 11:00-22:00. A second branch sits at Podwale 5 in the Old Town if you can't cross the river.
Bar Mleczny Prasowy in Warsaw has fed the centre since 1954 from a socialist-realist building on Marszalkowska. Kitchen leans milk bar (bar mleczny).
OrderPierogi ruskie with sour cream and a glass of kompot.
Tip12:00-14:00 weekday peak. Aim for late breakfast or the 14:30 lull.
Bar Familijny on Warsaw's Nowy Swiat has run continuously since the People's Republic. Mon-Fri 07:00-20:00, Saturday 09:00-17:00, Sunday closed.
OrderNalesniki (Polish pancakes) with twarog and a bowl of zurek with white sausage.
TipMon-Fri 07:00-20:00, Saturday 09:00-17:00, Sunday closed Walk-ins usually OK.
Bar Bambino in Warsaw, on the Krucza-Hoza corner, is the slightly-more-upmarket take on the milk bar. Priced at $. Kitchen leans milk bar (bar mleczny).
OrderThe daily soup with a plate of pierogi and a glass of cherry kompot.
TipMon-Fri 08:00-20:00, weekends 09:00-17:00. Walk in, no reservations needed.
Bar Mleczny Pod Barbakanem in Warsaw sits just past the Barbican between Old and New Town. Vintage decor, ladies in white coats at the till.
OrderBigos with a slice of rye bread and a beetroot soup chaser.
TipOpen daily 09:00-17:00. Pay cash. The line moves fast Walk-ins usually OK.
Tel Aviv Urban Food on Poznanska in Warsaw is the original 2010 vegan-pioneer location of the three-restaurant Tel Aviv group. Located in Srodmiescie.
OrderHummus mushabbaha with warm pita and pickled cauliflower.
TipThree Warsaw locations: Poznanska is the original, Mickiewicza the Zoliborz outpost.
Mateusz Gessler's Warszawa Wschodnia in Warsaw runs 24 hours a day inside the Soho Factory complex in Praga. Kitchen leans modern polish bistro.
OrderTartare, the daily fish, and a coffee from the in-house bakery.
TipOpen round the clock. The 02:00-06:00 menu is short but real food.
Vegan Ramen Shop in Warsaw's Muranow is the plant-based ramen counter that built a citywide cult on house-made noodles and slow-pulled mushroom broth.
OrderThe shoyu bowl with gyoza on the side.
TipTight room, no reservations; aim for early lunch or late dinner to skip the queue.
Magda Gessler's Polka in Warsaw is the Old Town home-cooking room: seven flower-painted dining rooms in a Renaissance tenement, heavy curtains.
OrderThe bigos plate, hand-rolled pierogi, and a Polmos vodka shot.
TipTouristy but earns it; ask for the back room, not the streetside seats.
Lokal Vegan Bistro on Krucza in Warsaw, run by the Margines cooperative since 2015, rebuilds the Polish home-cooking canon without any meat or dairy.
OrderThe vegan pierogi ruskie and a bowl of mushroom-and-barley krupnik.
TipClosed Mondays. Tue-Sat 12:00-21:00, Sunday 12:00-19:00. Cash and card.
Guided tour · 4 hours
Discover what pierogi, gołąbki and schabowy are on a 4-hour food tour of Warsaw, and experience the flavors of Polish cuisine. Learn about the local food culture and h...
2 hours
Make your trip to Poland complete by learning to make pierogi, delicious Polish dumplings that become popular across the world.
Day trip · 1 day
A swift journey will take you to the "European Capital of Culture 2016", Wrocław. The city of 100 bridges will enchant you with its splendid Gothic Old Town.