Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Kotlet schabowy is the Polish breaded pork loin cutlet, pounded thin, dredged in flour-egg-breadcrumb and fried in lard to a deep golden crust. Polish Sunday lunch.
Kotlet schabowy entered Polish kitchens in the 19th century as a direct adaptation of the Austrian Wiener Schnitzel, which itself traces to 15th-century Milanese cotoletta. The Polish version uses pork loin (schab) instead of veal and bigger portions. The post-1945 socialist period made it the canonical Sunday family lunch dish across Warsaw, served with mashed potatoes and mizeria cucumber salad. Every milk bar and pierogarnia in the city still plates it today, and home cooks debate the right thickness (5mm, ideally) and oil temperature (170C).
4 editor picks for Kotlet schabowy in Warsaw, ranked by editorial score. All Warsaw signature dishes · Kotlet schabowy across every city.
Also in: Kraków.
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 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.
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.
OrderThe hand-cut tartare to start, then whatever steak the butcher's window has aged longest.
TipSunday lunch is the easy booking window. The basement dining room is the better seat.
Kotlet schabowy makes more sense with someone from Warsaw explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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.
