Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Polish herring fillets cured in salt, then served in sour cream with raw onion, apple and pickle. The canonical zakąska (cold starter) with a shot of vodka.
Śledź (herring) has been on Polish tables since the medieval period, when the Baltic fishery and inland salt-curing made it the cheapest protein for the long winter. The śmietana (sour cream) preparation is the Warsaw version, distinguished from the eastern oil-cured śledź po japońsku. It is the canonical zakąska on every Polish vodka-tasting table and at every Christmas Eve dinner. Restauracja Polka and Stary Dom plate it as a cold starter.
4 editor picks for Śledź w śmietanie in Warsaw, ranked by editorial score. All Warsaw signature dishes · Śledź w śmietanie across every city.
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.
Coctail Bar Max & Dom Whisky on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw runs to 03:00 Thursday through Saturday and 01:00 on the off-nights. Classic cocktails.
OrderClassic cocktails, whisky flights, bar snacks
Magda Gessler's Restauracja Polka in Warsaw sits in a Renaissance tenement steps from the Royal Castle. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$$.
OrderThe bigos and the hand-rolled pierogi, with a shot of Polmos vodka.
TipBook a window seat on the Old Town side. It is touristy but earns the reputation.
Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw recreates the People's Republic vodka bar with communist-era posters, 4 zl shots and 24-hour service.
Śledź w śmietanie 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.