Polish clear beetroot broth, soured with rye starter or lemon, served clear with uszka (small mushroom dumplings) at Christmas Eve or as Sunday lunch first course.
Barszcz czerwony in its clear festive form is the canonical Christmas Eve first course on Polish tables, served alongside uszka dumplings filled with wild mushroom. The dish has been part of Polish cooking since at least the 16th century, with the clear broth (klarowny) distinguishing the Polish version from Russian or Ukrainian borscht. Warsaw restaurants like Restauracja Polka and Stary Dom serve it year-round; at Christmas every Polish household sets a tureen on the table.
4 editor picks for Barszcz czerwony in Warsaw, ranked by editorial score. All Warsaw signature dishes · Barszcz czerwony across every city.
Stary Dom ★ 4.3
mokotow · ul. Pulawska 104, 02-620 Warszawa
Stary Dom in Warsaw is the steak and Polish-classics anchor of leafy Mokotow, an old-house dining room with linen tablecloths and a deep cellar list.
Bar Mleczny Pod Barbakanem ★ 4.3
stare-miasto · ul. Mostowa 27, 00-260 Warszawa
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.
Restauracja Polka ★ 4.2
stare-miasto · ul. Swietojanska 2, 00-288 Warszawa
Magda Gessler's Restauracja Polka in Warsaw sits in a Renaissance tenement steps from the Royal Castle. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$$.
Gosciniec Polskie Pierogi ★ 4.0
stare-miasto · ul. Podwale 19, 00-252 Warszawa
Gosciniec Polskie Pierogi in Warsaw plays the modernised-pierogarnia card with four central locations: Podwale, Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat and Piwna.