What is in season in Warsaw. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Asparagus (szparagi): White and green asparagus arrive at Hala Mirowska from late April through early June, dressed with butter and breadcrumbs in the bistro tradition.
- Strawberries (truskawki): Polish strawberries hit market stalls in June, before the imported supply. Eaten with cream, layered in cakes, and shaped into the season's pierogi z truskawkami dessert filling.
- Wild garlic (czosnek niedzwiedzi): Czosnek niedzwiedzi (bear's garlic) appears on neo-bistro menus through April and May, leaf-blade pestos and folded into vegetable pierogi at Alewino and Bez Gwiazdek.
Summer
- Chanterelles (kurki): Kurki yellow chanterelles arrive in late July and run through August, sold by country foragers out of vans at Hala Mirowska and folded into cream sauces on placki ziemniaczane.
- Sour cherries (wisnie): Polish wisnie sour cherries peak in July, used in soups, sweet pierogi, infused vodka (wisniowka), and the Mazovian cherry-and-vodka tradition every restaurant in the city pours by the glass.
- Cold beetroot soup (chlodnik): Chlodnik litewski, the Lithuanian-Polish cold beetroot-buttermilk soup garnished with dill and hard-boiled egg, runs across every traditional menu through July and August.
Autumn
- Wild mushrooms (grzyby): Polish foragers walk back from the Mazovian forests with porcini, chanterelles and bay-bolete through September and October, sold loose and dried at every market in the city.
- Game (dziczyzna): Wild boar, venison and pheasant run on bistro menus through October and November, often plated with red cabbage and a juniper sauce in the modern Polish kitchens.
- Plums (sliwki): Italian plums hit markets in early September, layering plum cake (placek ze sliwkami) on every bakery counter and filling sweet pierogi through to November.
Winter
- Herring (sledz): Pickled and creamed herring runs the Christmas Eve Wigilia supper table and through the winter at every milk bar and vodka bar. Sledz w smietanie with raw onion is the canonical bar zakaska.
- Bigos (hunters stew): Bigos, the slow-cooked sauerkraut and meat stew, peaks through December and January when cabbage is at its best. Every Polish restaurant in the city plates it through winter, ladled over rye bread.
- Paczki (Fat Thursday): Paczki, the rose-petal-jam doughnut, anchor Tlusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday, the Thursday before Lent) when queues form down Nowy Swiat outside Blikle and Lukullus from 06:00.
Seasonal in Warsaw, FAQ
When is the best time to eat in Warsaw?
Peak food season in Warsaw is year-round.
What time do people eat in Warsaw?
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
How does tipping work in Warsaw?
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
What is the one dish to try in Warsaw?
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Warsaw rewards trust.