Modern Polish$$$praga-polnoc
Mateusz Gessler's Warszawa Wschodnia in Warsaw runs 24 hours a day at the Soho Factory complex in Praga. Located in Praga Polnoc. Priced at $$$.
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.
Traditional Polish$$$stare-miasto
Magda Gessler's Restauracja Polka in Warsaw sits in a Renaissance tenement steps from the Royal Castle. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$$.
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.
Polish modern$$$mokotow
Stary Dom in Warsaw is the steak and Polish-classics anchor of leafy Mokotow, an old-house dining room with linen tablecloths and a deep cellar list.
Signature: Beef tartare, Polish steaks
Order: The hand-cut tartare to start, then whatever steak the butcher's window has aged longest.
Tip: Sunday lunch is the easy booking window. The basement dining room is the better seat.
Greek$$srodmiescie
Meze by Teo Vafidis and Sons on Wilcza in Warsaw runs a Greek and Mediterranean carte built around shared meze plates, souvlaki and grilled octopus.
Signature: Souvlaki, Grilled octopus, Moussaka
Order: The mezedakia sharing plates with a glass of assyrtiko.
Tip: The lunch carte is the value pick; the kitchen leans heavier on grill and seafood at dinner.
Mediterranean$$srodmiescie
Aioli on Swietokrzyska is the breakfast-through-evening Mediterranean canteen that Warsaw uses for the in-between meals: late breakfast, working lunch.
Signature: Breakfast plate, Italian pasta
Order: The shakshuka at breakfast or the daily pasta at lunch.
Tip: The all-day kitchen and the live DJ slot after 21:00 make it the rare both-and room.
Modern Polish$$$powisle
Kafe Zielony Niedzwiedz in Warsaw, the Green Bear, hides in Beyer Park between Powisle and the centre. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans modern polish.
Signature: Beef cheek, Foraged-vegetable plates
Order: Whatever foraged-mushroom dish is on, with a glass of Hungarian Furmint.
Tip: Entry by car from Kruczkowskiego on the Powisle side. Walk-up from Smolna through the park.