Restauracja Polka is a traditional polish restaurant in Stare Miasto, Warsaw.
Magda Gessler's Polka in Warsaw is the Old Town home-cooking room: seven flower-painted dining rooms in a Renaissance tenement, heavy curtains.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Bigos, Hand-rolled pierogi, Placki ziemniaczane
Must order: The bigos plate, hand-rolled pierogi, and a Polmos vodka shot.
Tip: Touristy but earns it; ask for the back room, not the streetside seats.
Address: ul. Swietojanska 2, 00-288 Warszawa, Warsaw
Zapiecek on Swietojanska is the Warsaw Old Town pierogarnia chain locals send tourists to without apology. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$.
Signature: Pierogi ruskie, Pierogi z miesem, Pierogi z jagodami
Order: A mixed plate: ruskie (potato and cheese), miesem (meat) and a sweet jagody (blueberry) closer.
Tip: Six locations across the centre; this one queues less than the Freta sister. Walk in for late lunch.
Gosciniec Polskie Pierogi in Warsaw plays the modernised-pierogarnia card with four central locations: Podwale, Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat and Piwna.
Signature: Pierogi ruskie, Pierogi z kapusta i grzybami, Pierogi z dzikiem
Order: The wild-boar pierogi and a half-litre of cherry-infused vodka.
Tip: The Podwale branch has the biggest dining room and the easiest weekday lunch booking.
Lokal Vegan Bistro on Krucza in Warsaw, run by the Margines cooperative since 2015, rebuilds the Polish home-cooking canon without any meat or dairy.
Signature: Vegan pierogi, Vegan bigos, Vegan placki
Order: The vegan pierogi ruskie and a bowl of mushroom-and-barley krupnik.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Tue-Sat 12:00-21:00, Sunday 12:00-19:00. Cash and card.
Zapiecek on Swietojanska is the Warsaw Old Town pierogarnia chain locals send tourists to without apology. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$.
Signature: Pierogi ruskie, Pierogi z miesem, Pierogi z jagodami
Order: A mixed plate: ruskie (potato and cheese), miesem (meat) and a sweet jagody (blueberry) closer.
Tip: Six 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.
Signature: Pierogi ruskie, Pierogi z kapusta i grzybami, Pierogi z dzikiem
Order: The wild-boar pierogi and a half-litre of cherry-infused vodka.
Tip: The 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.
Signature: Pyzy (potato dumplings), Flaki (tripe soup), Schab
Order: Pyzy with mushroom gravy and a small bowl of flaki on the side.
Tip: Open 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).
Signature: Pierogi ruskie, Kotlet schabowy, Zurek
Order: Pierogi ruskie with sour cream and a glass of kompot.
Tip: 12:00-14:00 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.
Signature: Nalesniki, Kotlet mielony, Zurek
Order: Nalesniki (Polish pancakes) with twarog and a bowl of zurek with white sausage.
Tip: Mon-Fri 07:00-20:00, Saturday 09:00-17:00, Sunday closed Walk-ins usually OK.
