5 Places You MUST Visit In Warsaw This Spring (2017)

Where to eat in Warsaw this spring? The last few months saw a couple of interesting places opening. Other than this we’ve visited some restaurants that have been around for some time already to check whether they’re still as good as we remembered them. You’ll find them on the list below, which is a clear sign they’re thriving! So here comes another episode in our guide to dining in Warsaw. This time, we’d call it ‘An International Edition’. Read on!

(hint: our selection is randomly ordered:)

Krem

Oh, this is a place we needed! Krem is a new café/bistro run by Luc Magnon, whose name doesn’t sound too Polish, does it? Well, of course, he’s French so what you get in your plates is a lot of Paris and a touch of Poland. Make sure you come hungry because you will want to order pretty much everything on the menu, as long as you’re not on diet. If you are, stay away! You will not be able to resist raclette cheese overflowing baked potatoes and Serrano ham. You will regret not having croque madames and croque monsieurs, buttery wonders filled with cheese, ham, mushrooms or walnuts. And you’ll definitely not order dessert. See? It this is not a place for those of you counting calories! Otherwise, it’s a food porn paradise not to be missed!

Krem, ul. Śniadeckich 18 (map below)

Reginabar

Imagine yourself in Canal St. in NYC: you look right and see Little Italy, you look left and there’s Chinatown. Reginabar puts you exactly in the same place: you open the menu and look right, and choose a delicious, leopard-spotted pizza, you look left and wonder whether take pork wontons or the classic American-Chinese general Tso’s chicken. After you’ve made your choices (and you won’t go wrong with basically anything at Reginabar), wash your food down with one of fantastic cocktails prepared in the bar. The place is another Warsaw culinary concept of Trisno Hamid (who also makes one of the best ramen in town at MOD) and it is a great spot for lunch, informal dinner or just a relaxing cocktail. And you will love the lush chandelier just above the entrance.

Reginabar, ul. Koszykowa 1 (map below)

Kieliszki Na Hożej

This is a place that makes it easy to fall in love with. Let’s start with the location: the restaurant takes up a beautiful ground floor of an early 20^th c. house with huge windows overlooking both Hoża and Poznańska streets. The interior is modest but classy and the first thing you’ll notice is going to be glasses. Hundreds of wine glasses. Well, it should not come as a surprise if the place is called Glasses In Hoża Street! Wine lovers, you can start getting excited: this is one of the best places to have a proper tasting as the wine list is huge (hundreds of wines), curated by one of the best Polish sommeliers and all wines (yes, all of them) are available by glass, including some Polish ones, which are usually a rare find. Ok, so at that point you might think we’re talking about a wine bar, right? Well, not exactly! Kieliszki Na Hożej is first of all an exquisite restaurant: the chef has graduated from Alain Ducasse’s culinary school so expect French influences in the menu. The service is impeccable, so it’s definitely a great choice for a special dinner. Booking a table is highly recommended!

Kieliszki Na Hożej, ul. Hoża 41 (map below)

Nowo

Do you know Nowogrodzka steet? Too bad if you don’t, as this is one of the best addresses in the city to go out dining! So where do you think NOWO restaurant could be located? Yes, you’re right, 10 points for you! NOWO opened just a couple of weeks ago but we feel it’s a place worth recommending. The starters section surprised us with foie gras headcheese with smoked apple mouse and fresh horseradish, but you’ll also find a couple of Polish classics like herring in sour cream with linseed and baked potato or buckwheat with forest mushrooms. Main courses are a bit more international with asian-style ribs (a bit too sweet, in our opinion), beef burger with Polish kimchi or octopus with smoked mussels.

What we enjoy a lot after (or during) a meal is a good cocktail and NOWO didn’t disappoint us: an important part of the restaurant is a gin bar, so if you’re a fan, as we are, you’ll find plenty of options to pair with your food, from sweeter Pimm’s Cup to sweet-and-sour gin basil smash to dry martinis.

NOWO, ul. Nowogrodzka 10 (map below)

Korea Town

Sometimes you travel to London for great sushi, your best memory from Berlin is a Vietnamese restaurant and your trip to New York just wouldn’t be complete without that Neapolitan pizza. We’ve got one more ‘country A – cuisine B’ set for your list: Korea Town in Warsaw. The owners are not new to the Korean culinary scene in Warsaw, their previous big hit is Miss Kimchi – a little less formal and simpler bar in Wola district. The new place took us (and other city dwellers, too – since the place opened, reservations are a must!) by storm. Could it be because of the love for fermentation Polish people share with the Koreans? Anyway, the menu relies on true Asian ingredients and our favourite was soondubu jjigae, a spicy soup with pork, seafood and tofu. But makes a visit to the restaurant a true journey through Korean flavours is a set of 8 banchan (small sides) served with every main course. We had two versions of kimchi (classic and pineapple), spicy cucumbers, marinated radishes, calabash, soy sprouts with sesame oil – we were actually fighting for the remaining pieces. This is definitely one of the best Asian restaurants in Warsaw.

Korea Town, ul. Olesińska 2 (map below)

Map of locations:

Text: Michał Sobieszuk

We’re Eat Polska. We run culinary tours about food, vodka and beer in Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk. We’re also passionate foodies and city explorers, and this blog is where we share our hints with you.