Marcin Przybysz's Epoka in Warsaw cooks elevated Polish food from a different historical century each course. The room sits inside the Raffles Europejski hotel.
Signature dishes: Historical Polish tasting, Pierogi 1850
Must order: The full multi-course history-of-Poland tasting menu, no a la carte.
Tip: Bookings open four weeks ahead. The wine pairing leans heavily on Polish and Hungarian producers.
Address: ul. Ossolinskich 3, Warszawa, Warsaw
Alewino in Warsaw started as a wine shop on Mokotowska and grew into a tucked-away bistro behind a courtyard gate. The wine list runs deep on younger Polish and natural producers.
Signature: Polish charcuterie plate, Pierogi with wild garlic
Order: The kitchen's set plate of the day with a glass of whatever the sommelier is excited about.
Tip: Look for the signpost by the gates as you arrive; the entrance is off the main street, easy to miss.
Butchery & Wine in Warsaw was the first proper dry-ageing steakhouse in Poland when it opened in 2010. Glass-fronted ageing fridges, a 500C Bertha oven, and a Polish sommelier-champion wine list.
Signature: 28-day dry-aged ribeye, 90-day matured ribeye
Order: The 90-day matured ribeye with a Polish-aged-beef tartare to start.
Tip: Sundays closed. Lunch is the cheaper window for the dry-aged cuts.
Alewino in Warsaw started as a wine shop on Mokotowska and grew into a tucked-away bistro behind a courtyard gate. The wine list runs deep on younger Polish and natural producers.
Signature: Polish charcuterie plate, Pierogi with wild garlic
Order: The kitchen's set plate of the day with a glass of whatever the sommelier is excited about.
Tip: Look for the signpost by the gates as you arrive; the entrance is off the main street, easy to miss.
Butchery & Wine in Warsaw was the first proper dry-ageing steakhouse in Poland when it opened in 2010. Glass-fronted ageing fridges, a 500C Bertha oven, and a Polish sommelier-champion wine list.
Signature: 28-day dry-aged ribeye, 90-day matured ribeye
Order: The 90-day matured ribeye with a Polish-aged-beef tartare to start.
Tip: Sundays closed. Lunch is the cheaper window for the dry-aged cuts.
Zoni sits inside the old Koneser vodka factory in Warsaw's Praga district. Five surviving giant copper stills frame the dining room and the kitchen cooks contemporary Polish.
Signature: Beef zrazy, Ruthenian pierogi
Order: Whatever pierogi are on the seasonal menu and a flight of Koneser-distilled vodka.
Tip: The Praga Koneser complex also holds the Polish Vodka Museum; pair a tour with dinner.
Mateusz Gessler's Warszawa Wschodnia in Warsaw runs 24 hours a day at the Soho Factory complex in Praga. French technique on Polish ingredients, with the bar wrapped around an open kitchen.
Signature: Beef tartare, Polish bistro classics
Order: Whatever cut the bar grill is searing tonight and the in-house bakery's sourdough.
Tip: Open round the clock, the rare late-late-night option for a proper dinner outside Old Town.
Magda Gessler's Restauracja Polka in Warsaw sits in a Renaissance tenement steps from the Royal Castle. Seven flower-painted rooms, classical china, and the Polish home-cooking canon.
Signature: Bigos, Pierogi, Potato pancakes
Order: The bigos and the hand-rolled pierogi, with a shot of Polmos vodka.
Tip: Book a window seat on the Old Town side. It is touristy but earns the reputation.
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 under the wood beams.
Signature: Beef tartare, Polish steaks
Order: The hand-cut tartare to start, then whatever steak the butcher's window has aged longest.
Tip: Sunday lunch is the easy booking window. The basement dining room is the better seat.
