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APRIL 2022 Features:
Also...
The Art of War: Poland’s cultural response – p. 22 Dear Mr. President: Warsaw’s presidential history – p. 11
Nuta: World Top 100 Chef returns with a splash – p. 29 Bars that make you go WOAH! – p. 51
Contents April 2022
Reviews: EAT! Nuta – p. 29
Muzealna – p. 34 Włoski Mąż – p. 36
DRINK!
WHAT A WORLD, HUH. Just as we were dusting ourselves down from a pandemic along comes a war. Like the rest of the country, all at the Insider have been left horrified by Russia’s brutalization of Ukraine, but whilst shock and disgust have been the underlying emotions, these feelings of outrage have been offset by a sharp and unexpected tingle of pride – Poland’s response has been nothing if not inspiring and the selflessness that has been demonstrated has been a lesson in humility, humanity and selfless generosity. It almost makes you wonder just how unstoppable this country could become if everyone worked together like this all of the time. So yes, thank you Mr. Putin, thank you for uniting this bitterly divided country in a way that would have been utterly unimaginable just a few months prior. Understandably, the ongoing war dominates the following pages, and it should require no explanation why the core of our features revolve around the local reaction to Russia’s invasion. Also in association, we bring you the compelling back story behind a secretive Commie era tower block as well as a look back at the presidential visits that Warsaw has hosted. As difficult as it has been to think of anything else, we have, however, made a lickle room for some lighter relief: as part of this, we bring you our unmissable rundown of Bars That Make You Go Woah! Elsewhere, there’s an unforgettable meal at Nuta, some cocktails in a barber shop, and a tasty surprise in the National Museum. Hope you enjoy it, and Slava Ukraini.
Brush 2.0 – p. 49
12 Bars that Make you go… Woah! – p. 51 Classic Wines – p. 54
DISCOVER POLIN Od kuchni – p. 63
COVER PHOTO BY KEVIN DEMARIA, PHOTOGRAPH THIS PAGE BY ED WIGHT
Designer Outlet – p. 66 njufront. – p. 68 toykobike – p. 69
Alex Webber
insider@warsawinsider.pl
Subscription Editor-in-chief Alex Webber insider@warsawinsider.pl
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In front PROPERTY
Warsaw's Deep, Dark Secret
PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Once rumored to be a Russian spy base, one of Mokotow’s iconic buildings is set for a new lease of life housing Ukrainian refugees…
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In front • Architecture
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yet remained closely guarded. On the gates, signs appeared claiming it the property of the Russian Embassy. Briefly leased in 1998 to a mysterious firm that featured a high number of Communist era former Polish agents on its payroll, the espionage rumors refused to subside. When the firm, called Fart, later went bust, notices again appeared declaring the address as the property of Russia; with great frequency, those
taking photos often complained of being harassed by goons or being approached by menacing security personnel. But this was the tip of the iceberg. The handful of urbex explorers that successfully evaded security found evidence of Russian-language documents and newspapers dating from well into the new millennium. One even reported witnessing a suspicious-looking handover taking place on the grounds.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
C
olloquially known as ‘Szpiegowo’ (‘Spyville’), the mysterious buildings found at Sobieskiego 100 are set to be turned into apartments for Ukrainian refugees after being seized by City Hall. Seemingly long abandoned, the properties have been the subject of murky rumors ever since they were first built in the 1970s. Originally serving as quarters for Soviet diplomats stationed in Warsaw, from the outside the apartments raised eyebrows for their unusual form – consisting of two blocks, these separate entities rose inwards like a pyramid and were connected at their apex by an inter-linking bridge. As it proved, it was even more unique on the inside. Sometimes called Warsaw’s first gated apartment complex, access to Sobieskiego 100 was strictly controlled by guards. Luxurious by the standards of the times, its comforts included a sauna, gym, hairdresser, cinema and basketball court. To all intents and purposes, it was a self-sufficient world. Built in close proximity to the HQ of Poland’s General Staff, it did not take long before gossips began speculating that the compound doubled as a spy base. For a time these rumors were stifled; when the Iron Curtain found itself swept back in 1989, Sobieskiego 100 found itself quickly emptied of its Russian residents. Still, this was not the end, but only the beginning of the story. With its ownership and legal status a matter of dispute between Poland and Russia, the property fell into dereliction
Disturbingly, yet another found a heap of children’s toys lying inside a tunnel running underneath. Though unproven, the discovery fueled speculation that perhaps infants had been kept there against their will. Yet more recently, the address was the site of a club open only to those holding Russian passports. Closed for good in 2017, Club 100 (or Sotka as it was nicknamed) was likewise beset with hearsay. According
to one patron, “visitors would have found more Kalashnikovs inside than there were guests.” Finally though, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appears to have acted as the final straw. After months of legal posturing, March 1st saw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced plans to snag the land back and turn it over to Ukrainian families fleeing the war. Fittingly somewhat, the same day saw one of the highest points of the block
daubed in the colors of Poland and Ukraine. Writing on Twitter, Trzaskowski said: “We have been working on taking over the real estate at Sobieskiego 100 for months. We now have final court verdicts in place and a bailiff has been appointed. In view of Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, we decided it would be logical to house displaced Ukrainian families there in the long-run.” warsawinsider.pl
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In front • Architecture news
GOOGLE THAT!
AND THE WINNER IS…
Co-designed by the Warsaw-based WXCA studio and Switzerland’s Bellprat Partner, the Polish Pavilion at the EXPO in Dubai has been named the Best Large Pavilion in EXHIBITOR Magazine’s World Expo Awards. A favorite from the outset, it was praised by the 17-person international jury for being “one of the most elegant and sophisticated pavilions.” Continuing, the panel compared it to “a work of art” before citing it for its maturity and educational experience. Evoking a flock of birds in full flight, its defining feature has proved to be a kinetic sculpture constructed on the inside and outside of the structure. Designed to be “a coherent, meaningful and immersive space,” the pavilion has been widely lauded for the way in which it has sought to promote the cultural, ecological and intellectual heritage of Poland.
HISTORY REIMAGINED
Described as one of the most outstanding surviving examples of the so-called “Warsaw school of architecture”, plans have been unveiled for the renovation of the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego building. First constructed between 1928 and 1931 to a design authored by Rudolf Świerczyński, the striking structure survived WWII and later served as the HQ of Poland’s press agency (PAP) between 1957 and 2001. Regarded as one of the center’s most iconic buildings, the renovation will be undertaken by JEMS Architecki who will seek to fully restore “the monumental interiors of Świerczyński’s homage to the craftsmanship of the era”. Work is expected to last three-years.
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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT, PRESS RENDERING, JACEK WASZKIEWICZ/GOOGLE (2), PRESS MATERIAL
Tech giant Google have announced their zł. 2.7 billion purchase of The Warsaw HUB, one of the recent skyscrapers that has served to redefine the capital’s booming business district. Featuring space for 2,500 employees, the investment has underlined the firm’s commitment to the Polish capital. Acquiring towers B and C, as well as the underground area, only the hotel section will remain in the hands of the current owner.
In front • History
CITY
Flower Power Now in its tenth year, POLIN’s daffodil campaign makes its return on April 19th…
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eld virtually for the last two-years due to covid, the daffodil campaign organized by POLIN returns this April for its tenth anniversary edition. Known locally as Akcja Żonkile, the action was originally launched in 2013 and saw the distribution of tens of thousands of paper daffodils around the streets of Muranów – once the heart of Warsaw’s Jewish community. Occurring on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the event saw the lionization of the humble daffodil – symbolic of respect, memory and hope, the flower has been associated with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ever since veteran combatant Marek Edelman began leaving them at various sites linked to the revolt. A revered cardiologist, patriot and social activist, Edelman assumed command of the Jewish rebels during the Ghetto Uprising after their original leader, Mordechai Anielewicz, committed suicide. After his death in 2009, the tradition was again revived by POLIN and whilst the pandemic put the kibosh on the public distribution of flowers, the institution adapted by instead going online and creating print-friendly daffodils for people to download at home. Furthermore, special graphics were also prepared allowing people the world over to add a commemorative Facebook frame or take a selfie with a memorial poster. Whilst these options will be retained, for the first time since 2019 young volunteers will again
pound the streets around POLIN handing commemorative flowers with this year’s leading motif being ‘love’. “Edelman once wrote that nobody ever asked him about love in the ghetto,” say POLIN, “so this year’s edition will ponder not only that question posed by Edelman, but also focus on the meaning and significance of love in the Warsaw Ghetto. We will be guided by the words of Marek Edelman: ‘Hatred is easy. Love requires effort and sacrifice’.” Taking place on April 19th, this year will see 368,000 flowers dished out, an amount mirroring the number of Jews that were held captive in the largest Ghetto in occupied Nazi Europe. The day will also be marked by a ceremonial wreath laying at the Ghetto Heroes Monument outside POLIN, three theatrical performances and the unveiling of a mural outside Metro Centrum. Moreover, current events will not be ignored either with the museum stating that the war in Ukraine has been high in their minds. “This year’s edition of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Campaign is taking place at a time when people are yet again being killed in Eastern Europe, including women and children,” they say. “We want the participation in the campaign to be a manifestation of sorts of our opposition to war, and to any form of violence. With Marian Turski’s words in mind – “Auschwitz did not fall from the sky” – we wish to stand united with those who are fighting for their country, and for the freedom and dignity of their loved ones.” warsawinsider.pl
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US Presidents
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Dear Mr. President With Joe Biden’s trip to Poland making world news in March, join us for a look back at previous presidential visits to this fair city…
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ividing opinion, President Biden’s Warsaw speech in March earned an enthusiastic response from the Polish public, but a more startled reception from more cautious-minded diplomatic quarters. Quoting Pope John Paul II, the President began his speech with the words “be not afraid”, before underlining the Polish capital’s role in modern history. “For generations, Warsaw has stood where liberty has been challenged and liberty has prevailed,” said Biden. Moving on, the President’s fire and brimstone address appeared to call for a shift in global policy, before concluding with the powerful assertion that “this man [Putin] cannot remain in power.” Flashed around the world, political pundits immediately drew parallels to other great speeches delivered by American leaders on foreign soil such as Ronald Reagan’s 1987 call in Berlin to “tear down this wall”. Marking the twelfth time a US president had visited Warsaw, Biden’s appearance could yet come to be remembered as one of the most important presidential trips to occur in half-a-century. warsawinsider.pl
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US Presidents
1972 May 31-June 1
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scrambled to make use of the 16 teletype machines and 30 foreign telephone lines that had been made available to them. Nixon had actually visited before, once as Vice President in 1959. That time, 50,000 onlookers gathered to see his motorcade and memories of this are likely to have played a hand in his relatively last-minute decision to visit in 1972. In between intense diplomatic meetings, Nixon visited the Old Town, wrote a check for USD 100 to aid in the reconstruction of the Royal Castle (then still a ruin), and laid wreaths at the Palmiry Cemetery and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
1975 July 28-July 29
Up next, Gerald Ford rolled into town in 1975; met at the airport by First Secretary Gierek, the cavalcade then rolled down Żwirki i Wigury and Trasa Łazienkowska. Completed just a year previously, the development of Trasa Łazienkowska had been promoted as a sign of Poland’s engineering prowess, so without doubt the decision to direct Ford down this road was made with the aim of impressing him. Huge crowds lined the streets, and with no American flags available in shops, people resorted to making their own DIY versions from dresses and suchlike. Staying just for one night in Warsaw, the whistle-stop tour included a visit to the Old Town and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as Polish-US negotiations to buy licenses to produce color television sets.
PHOTOGRAPHS THIS SPREAD LEFT TO RIGHT, WIKICOMMONS (3), SHUTTERSTOCK
For the first time ever, an incumbent US President visits Poland. Flying from Tehran, Richard Nixon’s Boeing 707 was met at Okęcie Airport by Henryk Jabłoński, the chairman of the State Council. The visit had not been approved by the Kremlin – who most likely would have vetoed it – and it is said that Brezhnev only got wind of it after a KGB report warned him that Nixon would imminently visit Warsaw. Staying overnight in Wilanów Palace due to the shoddy state of the city’s existing hotels, Nixon held a press conference in the Europejski that was attended by around 480 journalists who
1989 & 1992 July 9-July 11
July 5
1977
December 29-December 31 Visiting both the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto Uprising, Jimmy Carter went off-plan to also swing by Miodowa street for a conversation with Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. Carter’s visit was notable for many reasons, not least because his press conference in the newly-opened Victoria Hotel became the first ever live and uncensored broadcast by an American president to be delivered behind the Iron Curtain. The trip was not without amusements, either. Among other mishaps, the translator asserted that Carter had “abandoned America to come for good to Poland,” and that the President “desired Poles”.
George Bush Snr. became the first president to visit after the political transformation, first arriving just weeks after the first partially free election had been held. Taken to Umschlagplatz – the site of Jewish deportations to Treblinka death camp – Bush and his wife met Marek Edelman, the last leader of the Ghetto Uprising, and exchanged hugs and handshakes with the crowd. Later, they joined General Jaruzelski, the leader who had notoriously announced Martial Law in 1981, to raise a toast for Poland. Far briefer, his second visit to Warsaw was timed at precisely four hours and fifteen minutes and was undertaken so that he could be present for the ceremonial reburial of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the piano supremo that became Poland’s Prime Minister in 1919. warsawinsider.pl
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US Presidents
July 6-July 7
July 10-July 11
2001 June 15-June 16
Although George Bush Jnr. visited Poland three times as POTUS, only once did he stop in to Warsaw. Voicing his support for Poland’s proposed membership of the EU, Bush’s visit included a speech inside the BUW building in Powiśle during which he quoted from a song by the folk-rock band Golec uOrkiestra. Drawing massive attention at the time, the President’s motorcade comprised of 40 Mercs whilst 150 people were employed to ensure every detail during his speech went to plan – according to Gazeta Wyborcza, there was even a worker tasked with checking the backdrop matched the color of the president’s eyes. With every detail lapped up by the public, the best-selling newspaper also reported on the presidential dinner at the Palace on the Water: crayfish with chanterelles, guinea fowl breast roulade, roe deer pate with marinated porcini mushrooms and tartlets with vanilla cream.
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PHOTOGRAPHS THIS SPREAD LEFT TO RIGHT, SHUTTERSTOCK, WIKICOMMONS, SHUTTERSTOCK (2)
1994 & 1997
Staying at the Marriott, Bill Clinton used his first Warsaw visit to tell Poles that NATO membership was no longer a question of ‘if’, but a question of ‘when’. The following morning, Clinton went jogging in Łazienki (Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak had politely declined an offer to join him). On his second visit, over 20,000 people descended on Old Town to hear Clinton speak in Pl. Zamkowy, with dozens reportedly fainting in the blistering heatwave.
2017 July 5-July 6
2011 2014 2016 May 27-May 28
June 3-June 4
Obama had planned to visit for the ceremonies marking the 2010 Smolensk disaster, but this was disrupted by the volcano explosion in Iceland that put travel on pause. Instead, it wasn’t until 2011 that he touched-down. Whisked around town in The Beast, by this time the presidential motorcade had grown to include 51 cars and nine motorbikes. Meeting veterans of the Warsaw Uprising at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Obama also spoke at the site of POLIN, which was then under construction.
July 7-July 9
Enter ‘the Don’. It took twenty-three planes to transport the President and his delegation to Warsaw, with Trump choosing the Warsaw Uprising Monument as the location to deliver his keynote public speech. Praised by some for “the best speech of his Presidency”, the Washington Post was more critical and lambasted its content for being little more than “white nationalist dog whistles”. More charming was First Lady Melania who took tea at the Belvedere Palace before visiting the Copernicus Science Centre where she challenged a boy to race robots.
Returning three-years later, this time Obama’s visit included a celebratory dinner cooked by Poland’s first Michelin star holder, Wojciech Amaro, as well as a brief scandal after a video of him working out in the Marriott’s gym was published online. Quickly going viral, some raised security concerns. Last visiting in 2016 for a NATO summit, this time Obama demonstrated less warmth to Poland’s leadership and castigated them for weakening the constitution. warsawinsider.pl
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The Big Man 16
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As a president Ronald Reagan never visited Poland yet he remains lionized here for his crusade against Communism. However, he did make the trip in 1990 during a 10-day European tour. Speaking in the Royal Castle, his 45-minute speech was interrupted ten times with applause most notably when he said: “I have always believed that, where freedom is, any friend of freedom will feel at
home. And I have been waiting a long time to say to the people of Poland, ‘Today, on your soil, I feel at home’.” Today, Poland’s fondness for him remains undiminished and as such those walking the capital will find a 3.5-meter tall monument facing the US Embassy. Erected in 2011, it depicts him during his epic 1987 speech in Berlin when he implored Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
PHOTOGRAPH THIS PAGE BY KEVIN DEMARIA
US Presidents
Support Ukraine
Walls & Peace
P
redating Warsaw’s love affair with murals, ever since Communism collapsed the 1.5 kilometer stretch of wall running by the horse racing track on Puławska has been synonymous with street art. With each pre-fabricated panel serving as an individual canvas, the wall has long been favored by both novice artists and those more established. With its displays changing frequently, Poland’s oldest legal graffiti space has assumed an almost legendary status in urban folklore – as recently as 2011, Adidas faced a huge backlash after leasing its entirety for an ad campaign. Infuriating Poland’s artistic
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community, the sportswear giant backed down only after they realized the strength of opposition. Now, the wall is back in the news, this time after several artists used it to voice their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Though still dominated by more regular graffiti art, dozens of works have appeared dedicated to the Ukrainian struggle, among others the now iconic image of Olga Kuryło, the 53-year-old teacher wounded in a rocket attack. Other points of interest include a portrait of Putin of shooting himself in the head as well as several slogans supporting the people of Ukraine.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
On Puławska, Warsaw’s street art community has joined together to voice their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty…
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Support Ukraine
Across Warsaw, tributes to Ukraine’s ongoing struggle have come in all shapes and sizes: from the knitted ‘yarn bombs’ found adorning the bollards on Praga’s Kawęczyńska street to the epic portrait of Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Al. Jerozolimskie. Visible when crossing Most Poniatowskiego, this XL mural of Ukraine’s president has been one of many outdoor artworks implemented by Good Looking Studio to show support for the people of Ukraine. But these outpourings of support have proved to be just the tip of the iceberg – flags, banners and posters have popped up like toast, whilst more unusual expressions have come in the form of Francuska 30’s display of yellow and blue umbrellas. And just to underline the city’s stance, find scores of buildings illuminated in the colors of Ukraine come nightfall – brilliantly somewhat, this briefly even included the Belarussian embassy following a drone pilot’s prank.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
The Big Picture
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Support Ukraine
The Art of War
The artistic and cultural response to the war has been staggering in its creativity, with many artists producing works to either raise money or awareness for the Ukrainian cause…
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Russian Bear by Paweł Jońca
Stepping on Lego hurts, as this marauding Russian bear is about to find to its cost. Issued as a downloadable poster available for whatever price you deem fitting, as of press time over zł. 170,000 had been raised through its sale for pro-Ukrainian causes. Covered by a non-commercial license, those purchasing it can, for instance, print it for home, set it as their profile pic, use it on t-shirts or have it as their phone’s wallpaper. To download your own bear, click over to: siepomaga.pl/russian-bear warsawinsider.pl
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Support Ukraine
Kijów-Warszawa Regarded as one of Poland’s best-loved contemporary painters, Tytus Brzozowski has carved a global reputation for his surrealist watercolors of quirky city scenes. Painted for an online charity auction held in March, features of Kijów-Warszawa include Kyiv’s modernist Salute Hotel, the Pechersk Lavra Cathedral and the Majdan Nezaleznosti column. Warsaw, meanwhile, is represented by Zygmunt’s Column and the Royal Castle with the two capitals linked together by Poniatowski Bridge. As per usual though, it’s the finer details that provide the greatest joy – on the bridge find a group of protestors holding up a banner quoting the response the defenders of Snake Island gave to the Russian warship that called for their surrender. Raising money to supply humanitarian aid, the painting fetched a final price of zł. 41,400.
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ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
by Tytus Brzozowski
Neighbors
by Jakub Rozalski Famed around the world for his fantastical and often apocalyptic paintings, few artists have captured the horror of the war in the Ukraine better than Jakub Rozalski. Liked by over ten-thousand of his Facebook followers, the artist used the social media platform to explain the thinking behind the painting titled Neighbors. “As you may know, my wife is from Tatarstan and has a Russian passport; we have a family in Russia. Friends from Ukraine... It is hard to believe what is happening… When eight-years ago I started working and creating my world of 1920+ (a series of paintings inspired by the Polish-Bolshevik War), I wanted to share my passion for history,
my love for the countryside, and my fear of war. I thought that maybe I could build interest and awareness about this difficult period in Poland’s history so that people would not repeat the same mistakes over and over again.” “In my darkest dreams, I did not expect that in 2022, my vision would become so real. A few hundred kilometers from our borders the world looks more like 1939 than 2022. We have to support Ukraine and their heroic fight, because they are fighting not only for their own freedom, but for the freedom of the whole of Europe! My heart lies with the Ukrainian people, and the Russian people who did not want this war.”
No More War by Mateusz Król
Warsaw-based digital artist Mateusz Król thrilled Insta in March with this stunning work. Dripping with symbolism, it shows a ‘No Tank’ sign set to a rich background that references the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
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Support Ukraine
Raven
by Jan Herba Known for his non-standard and intriguing sculptures, Jan Herba’s Raven was created with Ukrainian colors streaking through the hand-cut black steel. Auctioned on Facebook, the 1.5 kilo bird was purchased for a bargain zł. 400.
The Ghost of Kyiv by Paweł Swanski
An artist, designer, illustrator and craftsman, Swanski’s art has appeared on canvas, Warsaw’s walls (and scores of other international cities) and even helmets and bikes. Lauded for his highly graphic style, the Warsaw-based artist created The Ghost of Kyiv for a private auction. Taking bids upwards of EUR 1,500, all money raised will go to support those fighting in Ukraine. The title of the work, incidentally, refers to the Ukrainian flying ace credited with shooting down ten Russian jets in the early days of the invasion.
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ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
Warszawska Syrenka Ми з вами by Henryk Kwiatek
Created in parallel with Kwiaciarnia Grafiki’s exhibition at Wrocław’s BWA Studio, the Syrenka was created by Henryk Kwiatek in response to Russia’s outrageous invasion. “I was immensely confused, surprised and pissed off by what that madman Putin is doing,” says the artist. “By producing this graphic I wanted to support all the Ukrainian people as they strive to defend their freedom.”
The work was inspired by Blue Scotch, a piece painted by Edward Krasiński who was born in the city of Łuck (currently part of Ukraine). “We updated his work,” says Kwiatek, “so it’s not just a tribute to Ukraine but also to art.” Available for download on Kwiaciarnia Grafiki’s website, it’s proved just one of a string of initiatives undertaken by the studio. For more, check: graphicsflowershop.com
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WARSAW'S BIGGEST For Warsaw at its best, visit us at Hala Gwardii for good vibes, the city's top food market, international street food tastes, traditional Polish products and a busy list of events aimed at young and old alike – winter doesn’t have to be boring! For more, see: www.facebook.com/halagwardii
BUZZ Open Friday through Sunday Plac Żelaznej Bramy halagwardii.pl
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Eat!
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Andrea Camastra returns with a bang! warsawinsider.pl
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Review
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Commonly understood to be the biggest gastronomic talent working in Poland, Camastra's new restaurant looks set to conquer all.
WHO’S COOKING Step forward Andrea Camastra. Raised in Bari, Andrea Camastra’s visionary approach to cooking saw him claim his first Michelin star in 2016 for his Warsaw fine dining venue, Senses. Singled out by Hervé This (one of the founding fathers of molecular gastronomy) as the natural successor to Ferran Adrià, Camastra later found himself inducted into Le Chef’s rundown of the world’s top 100 chefs. Commonly understood to be the biggest gastronomic talent working in Poland, his new restaurant Nuta looks set to conquer all. WHAT’S THE PLACE Camastra’s previous gaffe, Senses, did have the capacity to intimidate: just entering meant walking down a red-carpeted flame-lit corridor that had you thinking you were attending the Oscars. Plush and painfully posh, it wasn’t a place for the casual interloper. Nuta, on the other hand, is far more accessible in its style and spirit. This openness is emphasized by the vast floor-to-ceiling windows and a design that feels sophisticated but never ceremonial. Still not fully complete due to the
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challenges of Covid (remember that!), we’re told future plans will include bold splashes of wall art sometime in the future. But this should not be taken to mean that the restaurant isn’t ready – as it is, it looks perfect. Adorned with orb-like lights suspended from the ceiling and images of the cosmos projected onto the far wall, there’s something about this place that speaks of defined ambition and easy-going affluence. All that ignores the most important element of all – the open kitchen. Without wishing to labor the comparisons too much, this makes a massive difference when thinking of Senses. There, you kind of got the idea that Camastra was locked far back like some precious bird in a gilded cage. Contrast that to Nuta where Camastra isn’t just on display, but often to be found jiggling between the tables and chatting to the customers – and if they’re lucky, having a quick drink with them as well while pondering the finer points of life. Allowing him the freedom to express his personality, this lends Nuta a valuable vitality that was lacking in the straitjacketed formality of Senses. Being here is fun!
GUIDING PRINCIPLES? Foodies immediately connect Camastra with the weird and the wonderful. Celebrated for his creative use of science, he was previously hailed for his note-by-note philosophy, an artistic process that saw him extract flavor molecules from some foods before adding them to others. Things have changed, and now Camastra is keen to push his artisanal credentials. “Anyone can learn science,” he says, “but using artisanal methods takes real skill.” This much is evidenced by the bread, the choice of which includes Barese-style focaccia, garlic butter layered brioches and two types of sourdough. Accompanying it, in-house butter that evokes the taste of the Polish karczma with its emulsion of smalec and pickled cucumber. Frankly, with this kind of perfection you’d be happy to tell them to forget all the rest and bring you a sandwich. MENU HIGHLIGHTS Despite eyewatering offers from abroad, never did Camastra consider leaving Poland when Senses found itself guillotined by Covid.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Review
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Review
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Nuta Pl. Trzech Krzyży 10/14, nuta.com.pl
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Extraordinary in every respect, Nuta is a place where the impossible happens.
“Why would I,” he shrugs, “I love this country.” This much is apparent via a menu that has sought to celebrate his newfound life in Warsaw. Of course, there are cheeky references to Italy (the mini pizza, for instance, which mixes Tuscan and Neapolitan styles and is enjoyed with garlic foam), but these are outweighed by the heavy Polski slant. Take the chłodnik as an example, a dish made with fermented beetroot juice and served in a chilled gazpacho style with 12-year-old balsamic vinegar, goat cheese foam and a fresh hit of horse radish ice cream. Next, sea trout that’s been barely cooked and served with sour cucumber gazpacho, daikon pickle, compressed cucumber, mustard ice cream and a miso leaf wheel. Locally-caught we’re told the fish is, but such is its texture that it could have been sent from heaven. And from there, the going gets even better. Nordic sea mackerel comes with a Polish teriyaki glaze (sour cucumber and sour cabbage juice) and a broth of alium to represent the onion and garlic family. But the biggest win of the
night comes from the duck, a beautifully cooked bird in a sauce of such oomph that it might knock you sideways. “It gives a real upper cut,” says the chef, and he’s completely right. So good as to be almost overwhelming, the eel also delivers a high impact response. Cooked ‘po grecku’, it swims lightly on a broth made from the wriggly fish’s bones and skin. Palette cleansed with a lemon cube of ice that dissolves in the mouth, dessert is the final treat, and a triumph of happiness – Panettone dipped into a glorious ooze of chocolate and petit fours that left us so floored we forget to take notes; what we cannot forget is the gratification they gave. AND THE PRICE? Nuta is a world class experience, and as such it’s easy to reach dizzying figures where your bill is concerned – for the full pleasures of this restaurant, the Maestro menu tots up to a cool zł. 590 per head with service from the first to last dish lasting around three-hours. Comprised of approximately seven to eight dishes, the Virtuoso menu is priced at zł. 450
and will swallow around twohours of your time. However, for lighter wallets the Compositore menu (available from Tuesday through to Thursday) is tagged at a more affordable zł. 295 for three dishes of your choosing. Yes, that might sound pricey at first glance but remember this: Nuta has no peer. Aimed at people that want to enjoy the very best that life has to offer, the financial trade-off is definitely worthwhile. Give them your money, give it them all! FINAL THOUGHTS Extraordinary in every respect, Nuta is a place where the impossible happens. A complex odyssey that engages every pleasure receptacle in the human body, it is absolutely unthinkable that anyone can leave without being staggered by the quality. Camastra himself says he’s no longer chasing Michelin stars, and that’s principally because he knows they will arrive regardless of his goals – and yes, interpret that not as a sign of arrogance but for what it really is: a statement of fact. Visit here and you will be grappling with the spectacular. warsawinsider.pl
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BACKGROUND Given the National Museum coordinates shared by Muzealna, a little history lesson feels in order to lend context to this restaurant. So yes, pay attention at the back: created by the founders of Ale Wino, this gastro crew have done much to elevate Warsaw’s culinary standing – and while not exactly rags-to-riches, their story does have a feel-good ring. First starting out as an online wine store, such was the popularity of their little project that a bricks-and-mortar space followed. Everyone loved it, and it became one of the leading doyens of epicurean Warsaw. Food was not secondary at Ale Wino, and what emerged was a fully-fledged restaurant capable of trading punches with the best. But more was to follow. In the shape of Kukułka, the owners added to their portfolio a duo of dessert stops that left everyone spellbound. True, not everything they touched turned to gold. Launching Restauracja Forty in 2020, what looked set to become one of Poland’s leading edge restaurants had the stuffing knocked out of it by the pandemic. When it closed in May of last year, foodies shed a tear. This, however, did little to curb the passion of owners Tomek and Kasia. With Ale Wino and Kukułka embedded in the public’s mind, they sensed that the time was right to expand once again… so along came Muzealna.
A COLLECTOR’S ITEM
Not to be mistaken for a fuddy-duddy museum experience, Muzealna captures the essence of modern Polish food and design… 34
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LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Dating from the inter-war years, the modernist edifice housing the National Museum in Warsaw strikes nothing if not
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Review
Muzealna Al. Jerozolimskie 3, restauracjamuzealna.pl
a powerful pose – passing it outside, it’s impossible not to be intrigued by its stoic and monumental form. The largest of all of the capital’s cultural institutions (at least for the time being), its austere sense of majesty harks to those golden years of Poland’s Second Republic. Approaching, its dimensions seems to swallow you whole, and as the automatic doors swing open you enter inside the main foyer – a marble affair often brimming with unruly school groups going wild on their big day out. Lying to the right-hand side, find Muzealna squirreled down a staircase that opens onto the -1 level. Though hardly challenging, count finding it as a mini-adventure that will appeal to exploratory senses. DESIGN Design figures highly. Minimalistic at first sight, this sun-kissed chamber is sprinkled generously with works attributed to some of Poland’s top design pioneers. “We wanted the interior to connect to the National Museum,” reveals the co-owner Tomek. “Not by referencing the old masters, but instead by referring to the museum’s Gallery of Polish Design.” As such, examples of the applied arts are copious in their number: a communal table manufactured from upcycled fishing nets; colorful 3D-printed totems by UAUPROJECT; cupboards by Maria Jeglińska; customized seats by Studio Rygalik; elegant vases by Malwina Konopacka; and a host of other little add-ons that add punches of individualism to this echoey room. Though seemingly buried in a cellar, this turns out to be warsawinsider.pl
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Review
FOOD & DRINK The wine angle is covered by Damian Zakrzewski, a sommelier whose choices have been described as “daring and confident” in the past. Poland features highly on his list, but aware of the nation’s youthful limits there’s also several wines from more expected sources. Despite this, there’s a clear preference towards the smaller vineyards. Now, no-one would be critical if you simply ambled in for drinks, just bear in mind that overlooking the menu should be an offence made punishable by law. For this, blame Przemysław Suska, a rising star with the world at his feet. “We wanted the Polish element to go further than just the design,” says Tomek, “so like the interior we feel that Przemek’s menu offers a contemporary look at what this country does well.” Modernizing classics like gołąbki, Suska’s approach sees this stuffed cabbage dish forego its traditional meat and rice elements, replacing them instead with bulgur and mushrooms. A little playful in his reimagining of the Polish kitchen, Suska’s other triumphs include a herring served with labneh and tarragon mayonnaise as well as a duck main course in a sweet fruit sauce composed of prunes and sundried fruits – when no-one’s looking, you lick the plate. But it’s not just domestic classics that have been
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retuned. International dishes are also given a Polonized spin – instead of beef wellington, guests can order a beetroot wellington that will instantly charm with its bold rustic tastes and magical puff pastry coating. Usually considered a heavy, meat-driven cuisine, at Muzealna the menu is as light and airy as the restaurant itself. And, of course, then there’s the most important course of all – dessert. Featuring three options, these include, at the time of writing, a deconstructed cheesecake with salted caramel and burnt white chocolate as well as the classic Warsaw ‘wuzetka’ cake with cocoa sponge, spiced Chantilly, marmalade and chocolate. But the big win is the meringue, a gorgeous assembly of coffee cream, milk ice cream and fluffy meringue. FINAL BITS & PIECES Despite the premium location and sky-high quality the prices have been kept sensible: as things stand, you’re looking at starters that average out at the thirty mark, and mains that start in the mid-40s and peak in the low-60s. Desserts, they’re approximately PLN 25. For the more frugal, lunch deals are a snip at 30 for two-courses and 36 for three. Do, also, keep the owners on your watch-list. As it turns out, they’ve not yet finished with the National Museum. Opening sometime in the near future, we’re told to look forward to a funky cocktail bar set in what was once Café Lorentz. We don’t need to tell you, we’ll be the first ones there…
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
A tiny piece of the Italian good life packs a wallop on Mokotowska…
C
onsider this a warning: visit Mąz Włochy on an empty stomach and, mamma mia, you’ll leave with bags loaded with the best that Italy has to offer. Alessandro, an Italian expat living in Warsaw for over fifteen years knows how to cherry pick the best of the best of his home country, and like a pocket sized Eataly, his store on Mokotowska has it all to keep you coming back for more. SHELF LIFE Alessandro has reached out to the best suppliers and producers in Italy to bring you items that remain largely impossible to locate elsewhere in Poland. Top prize goes to Amedei cocoa cream produced in the Tuscany region of Italy and considered one of the finest chocolate producers in the world. This spreadable love-joy will conquer you at first bite and leave you helplessly addicted – think Nutella without all the bad stuff. But there’s also much more in this tiny shop, and you’ll soon learn to humanize it and consider it the best new friend you’ve made in years. The range of products available at
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Muzealna’s biggest trick: floorto-ceiling windows run down an entire flank allowing for plenty of natural light to come gushing in.
Włoski Mąż ul. Mokotowska 41, facebook.com/wloskimaz
different prices is an excellent reason to go back and try everything – and what is espresso without some biscotti?
hand while you gaze up at the espresso machine and listen to Alessandro extol the virtues of his different bags of beans.
LOOK UP! Started as an idea to test the popularity of Don Caruso’s various coffee bags, it turned out that people liked it so much that Alessandro tacked a five zed price tag onto each espresso. The proprietor’s kindness always shines through though and don’t be surprised to find a complimentary slice of Panettone by De Mori in your
REFRIGERATOR Properly stocked with Italian deli essentials like Guanciale, Prosciutto Cotto, Prosciutto San Michele, Salame Napoli and Speck, these taste all the better on locally-sourced bread from Il Panificio. Either take it home to make your own or let Alessandro add on extras for a small price. Also, check the glass deli counter – custom-made by a
friend, it’s home to three trays of homemade Italian goodies which, on our visit, included the kind of meat lasagna that will rock your world. If he doesn’t have it in stock next time we turn up, there’ll certainly be trouble. INSIDER SECRET Take your time and chat with Alessandro – a warm and friendly guy, if there’s no-one else in the store then allow him to amuse you with the back story behind the one-of-a-kind artwork he proudly displays. warsawinsider.pl
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Eat! listings adriatic MUNJA
Positioned in the heart of Warsaw’s flourishing new business quarter, both locations have been styled accordingly to slot into their swank surroundings: floor-to-ceiling windows lead into slick interiors that feel high on gloss and polish. But there is warmth as well with light woods and tan leather the dominant colors. Proclaiming themselves to be Poland’s first Adriatic restaurant (their words not ours), Munja’s menu is a joyful assembly of meat and fish cooked over flames – for our chosen highlight, order the lamb cevapi or Dinarko mussels. ul. Grzybowska 43 & Grzybowska 60 (Browary Warszawskie)
author’s cuisine ALE WINO
You could eat in Ale Wino a hundred times – and we know some people that have – and still never be bored. That alone says much for the consistency and creativity of a kitchen that has come to be admired as the source of some of the best cooking in the city. Regularly adjusted to utilize the best items the season has to offer, the menu is a triumph of expertly balanced tastes. Rounding out the experience is an intimate, labyrinthine design that’s ideal for when it’s cold and grim, and a shaded courtyard terrace that’s perfect for when it’s not. ul.
Mokotowska 48
BIBENDA
Preserving the prewar heritage of the building, the warm, busy
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interiors of Bibenda feel ripe for a pint: and yes, thanks to a rotating roster of craft beers, a good pint is what you can expect. Catching the ambience perfectly, the menu is an interesting work that specializes in spotting unlikely combinations that actually work: for instance, ‘cilantro funky pork sausages’ with pickled carrots, brussels sprouts and fried peanuts. Established as one of Warsaw’s favorite haunts for a casual but quality dinner, queues outside the door are not unknown.
ul. Nowogrodzka 10
BROWAR WARSZAWSKI
Breeze blocks, exposed metal girders, hovering steel lights and concrete surfaces inject a strong industrial aesthetic into the visuals, but these are softened by a proliferation of warming touches such as lavishly upholstered seats, leather banquettes and tiny antique details. This place is beautiful. But while most visit for the beer, the food is a winner as well. Of the highlights, find a range of steaks that include thwunking big Tomahawks to Wagyu beef, not to mention the best fish’n’chips we’ve had outside of England. ul. Haberbuscha i Schielego 2
DYLETANCI
Entered into the Michelin Guide for the first time in 2018, Dyletanci’s inclusion in the foodie’s bible was further evidence of the trajectory its taken in the three years it’s been open. The epitome of the neo-bistro style, find an attractive space that’s been seamlessly designed to feature a wine store, kitchen and dining room(s) that somehow feel organically joined. The atmosphere is lifted by faultless cooking that combines a little bit of Polish with a little bit of eclectic: it’s a combination that works and often magnificently
well. ul. Rozbrat 44A
KLONN
Attractively located in a lush expanse of leafy parkland, Klonn finds itself planted inside a low-level building just a whisper from Ujazdowski Castle. Dark and slick on the inside, the reverse is true of an exterior dedicated to expressions of street art. Yet while a big deal has been made of the visual creativity, it’s the food that leaves the real impact. A harmony of flavors, the hybrid cuisine includes luxury pizzas, hearty beef fillets and sophisticated desserts: it’s all a fantasy of skill. ul. Jazdów 1B
MOD
An incubator for the unorthodox, this cool and kooky venture pushes the envelope when it comes to being different. Devised by Trisno Hamid, a Singaporean chef with a classic French background, glories include ramen noodles in a steamy yuzu broth and Angus beef rump steak served with tahini mashed potatoes and a big thump of chili and fig relish. Adding to the sense of being somewhere current, find a seriously cool vibe inside an interior featuring a retro mirrored wall, upside down plants and busy tables filled with the kind of people that you’d mistake for rising fashion photographers. ul.
Oleandrów 8
RESTAURACJA WARSZAWSKA
Humongous in size, the vast spaces and lack of natural light never feel an issue. Loaded with slick finishes and polished raw materials, find this subterranean venue unraveling amid the giant original foundations that support this pre-war skyscraper. Divided into ‘snacks’, ‘plates’, ‘sides’ and ‘desserts’, big shouts go to a golden schnitzel the size of a tricycle wheel as well as the spicy
Eat! listings pork dumplings served in a vibrant essence of paprika. It’s exceptional. Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 9 (Hotel Warszawa)
ROZBRAT 20
This busy neo-bistro fuses upmarket, casual styling with an exciting wine list, interactive service and the kind of atmosphere you can’t get enough of. Under chef Bartosz Szymczak’s leadership, Rozbrat’s grown to become one of the blogospheres favorite write-ups. Never the same, if there’s a consistent thread to visits then it’s the playful inventiveness that has come to define Szymczak’s cooking. ul. Rozbrat 20
chinese PAŃSKA 85
Despite the over-the-top luxury trimmings Pańska looks good without ever losing its dignity. With their kitchen staff headhunted from across China, the food sets a standard that has yet to be seen in any Chinese restaurant in Warsaw: there’s delicate salmon rolls wrapped in mango; dim sum that are pouches of pure goodness; and Sichuan-style pork that’s a blaze of sizzle and spice. The Beijing Duck, carved and served table-side, is the highlight. ul. Pańska 85
REGINA BAR
Taking their inspiration from New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown, the menu at Regina is the very definition of ethnic comfort food: won-ton dumplings, ribs in sticky hoisin sauce and the best-selling General Tso chicken – famed for its healing properties, it’s one of the best hangover remedies around. On the Italian front, leopard-spotted pizzas land are presented with wheel-blad-
ed knives in a kooky, retro interior featuring a dangling chandelier and the tallest mirror in Poland (possibly). ul. Koszykowa 1
comfort food BURGER BAR
Warsaw has come full-circle: years after burgers briefly starred as the national food, it’s the original burger joint that still bosses the field. ul. Puławska 974/80 (enter from Olkuska) & ul. Krucza 41/43
FAZIR KEBAB
Just outside of Warsaw, find Fazir sitting diagonally across the road from Michalin train station. Set in a wooden shed-like structure, its unpromising look belies the quality. Order a traditional coffee brewed in pans of sand before waiting for kebabs cooked over flame and charcoal. The XXL is the size of a baseball bat and absolutely the best kebab we’ve yet tasted in Poland! ul. Piłsudskiego 40 (Józefów)
KUR & WINO
Formerly demonized for its brutally dehumanizing architecture and Orwellian atmosphere, Andersa street has evolved to become something of micro scene rich in hip haunts: in this renaissance, Kur & Wino have more than played their part. Cooked rotisserie-style, the big points go to chicken from Podlasie and guineafowl from Wielkopolska served with a medley of creative sauces. The cool, funky backdrop adds to the buzz, as does a terrace crowded with crates and palms. ul. Andersa 21
POGROMCY MEATÓW
Dude food doesn’t get much better. Specializing in slow-cooked meats,
find artisan buns stuffed with ribs, beef tongue, pastrami and the like before being given extra oomph with locally grown greens, homemade kimchi or house pickles. A savage, primal pleasure of dripping sauce and juicy meat, the homespun quality of Pogromcy Meatów catapults it above the competition. ul. Koszykowa 1
desserts AM’OR EKLERY I WINO
You want to covet the eclairs from each possible angle, recording the results on your phone before sending the pics out to all of your contacts. Featuring embellishments such as a swirly rainbow-colored unicorn mane, these are elegant creations filled with cream that’s so light you suspect it might float away. Looking dashing in its shades of pastel pink and gold trim, the place looks the part as well. ul. Kurcza 23/31
KUKUŁKA
This is arguably Warsaw’s most adored dessert stop, and though cream puffs are the specialty, they know a thing or two about eclairs as well. Using seasonal ingredients, recent winners have included a barnstorming blueberry concoction. ul. Mokotowska 52
MISS MELLOW
Mixing sophisticated desserts with those that fall more on the filthy food porn side of thigs, Miss Mellow have hit the bull’s eye by offering something for everyone that enjoys the sweeter things in life. Lauded even by Vogue, find a wicked rundown of toasts, brioches, financiers, brownies, cookies and cakes. Eschewing chemical nasties, it’s a place in which the owners’
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Eat! listings commitment towards quality resonates throughout. ul. Wilcza 62
MOD DONUTS
Shoebox in its size, it’s here you’ll find a steady queue lining up for their award-winning NYC-style donuts – featuring toppings like hibiscus; mango; salted caramel; matcha; and lemon and poppy, they’re a fab deviation from the standard Polish pączek. ul. Paryska 27
SŁODKI BEZ
Cake: good. Sugar: bad. We all know that. But what you might not know of is the existence of Słodki Bez, a small little store specializing in sugar-free desserts. And it’s not just sugar they’ve dispensed of altogether, but also white flour, gluten, lactose and all the other synthetic nasties that we’re meant to dislike. Using natural substitutes, find a rich array of cakes and sweets such as vegan banoffee pie, chocolate nut cake, chickpea brownies, macarons, tarts and pralines. ul. Hoża 54, slodkibez.pl
f&b hubs BROWARY WARSZAWSKIE
Vying for the title of the year’s most exciting opening, find Browary in a revamped 19th century brewery once operated by Haberbusch and Schiele. Along with the sensitive retention and refit of original properties and elements such as the Villa Schiele, the Browary area has blossomed anew with features such as the vaulted brick cellars turned over to house a food hall. Awash with food and drink options that include, among others, a sports bar and restaurant owned by Robert Lewandowski, as well as a three-floor flagship brewpub, it’s a place that’s as ambitious as it is
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aspirational. Of its numerous food and entertainment attractions, props also go to a cabaret-style ‘show restaurant’ and the marvelous Japonka restaurant and store. ul. Grzybowska
weekends, Gwardii has become a well-loved addition to Warsaw’s gastro scene, with its farmers’ market working well with the food booths on the other side of this historic hall. Pl. Żelaznej Bramy 1
CENTRUM PRASKIE KONESER
HALA KOSZYKI
60, browarywarszawskie.com.pl
Set in the revitalized space of a 19th century vodka factory, Koneser has seamlessly blended modernity with post-industrial scenery to create an energetic dynamic reflected by its rich cultural and artistic offer, niche boutiques, local stores and impressive food and drink offer. An island of prosperity in the otherwise largely gritty Praga suburb, props go to the Koneser Grill and Bombaj Masala. With the pandemic still lurking in the background, Koneser’s wide open plaza acts in its favor. Pl.
Konesera
ELEKTROWNIA POWIŚLE
A magnificent reinvention of a historic power plant that once kept the city fed with electricity today, it’s feeding Warsaw something a helluva’ lot more tastier. Comfortingly stringent in their hygiene practices, you swing in for a food court that’s dazzling in both its offer and visual impact: neon is king! Cocktail bars, a craft beer point and an exhaustive selection of street food units (e.g. Philly cheese steak!) give cause to visit, but beyond these quite copious attractions, it is the retention of its historic character contrasted against the newly inserted elements that makes it such a visually enticing, standout hub. ul. Dobra 42
HALA GWARDII
Designed to complement, rather than compete, with the market outside, find a natural gravity effect that works to benefit both Gwardii and Hala Mirowska. Operating only
Introducing the absolutely bleeding obvious, Hala Koszyki changed Warsaw’s mindset when it first opened in 2016. Gathering dozens of niche venues under the wrought iron ceiling of a historic market place, it transformed the way Warsaw eats, meets, drinks and plays. Still highly influential, it remains one of the places in which to be seen. ul.
Koszykowa 63
FORT MOKOTÓW
If you’ve not visited Fort Mokotów before, shame on you. Like entering a secret world, a potholed lane flanked by scraggly bushes opens up to reveal a former Tsarist era military complex whose battered brick fortifications have since been turned over to house ad agencies, art studios and assorted creative think tanks. Food and drink also play a role here, with the lead taken by Żywa Kuchnia, an eatery that promises to regenerate the mind and body with their “bio-active, healing foods”. Schodki, meanwhile, is just about the most atmospheric gem you’ll ever wish to find: a place of battered brick, creaking wood and tangled vines, it’s a sublime setting for a bottle or three. ul. Racławicka 99
FORT 8
The penchant for reviving historical addresses and filling them with food and drink concepts has become a nationwide fixation, and Fort 8 stands as an example to all. Set at the point where Ursynów, Mokotów and Wilanów all meet,
Eat! listings this 19th century Tsarist barracks has been buffed up spectacularly and its vaulted units infilled with workshops, stores and restaurants. Smashed sideways by the pandemic, the return of this upmarket bastion is good news for those that appreciated the charms of Dziruka od Klucza, Fort Bistro and Wine Corner. ul. Fort Służew 1B
NORBLIN FOOD TOWN
Behold, Warsaw’s newest food hub! Set in the sympathetically restored Norblin Factory, you’re right to expect a banging atmosphere – food-wise, Tex-Mex, Israeli, Uzbek, Thai and Indian tastes are just some to look forward to. And next door, find the celebrated Bio Bazar We’re bringing you the full lowdown next issue, so watch this space. Żelazna 51/53
fine dining EPOKA
Preserved 19th century cornices and baroque-style drapes lend an enveloping sense of luxury inside this A-Class space. Scene of the Insider’s most impressive dining moment of 2019, Epoka’s menu is based on Polish cookbooks from different epochs (hence the name, dummy!), with the dishes reconstructed in a way that’s innovative, unexpected and a roller coaster of thrills. Oh gosh moments include jellied apple compote; a sweet and boozy pumpkin pottage; razor thin chestnut with marinated celeriac; and bigos like no other. You want to pause the evening for at least forever. ul. Ossolińskich 3
EUROPEJSKI GRILL
Decked out in tan and vanilla shades, hexagonal lighting installations, glinting mirrors and bold, blue ceramics,
there’s a character that bridges the classic with the contemporary to magnificent effect. Basque chef Beñat Alonso has used the lockdown to simplify his menu, a work which gives regional suppliers an all-star role. But ‘simple’ is a relative term. The Europejski Grill has not lost its sophistication, as proved by a summer visit that saw us bowled over by a as a hazelnut soup with fig leaves and wild rocket and an artichoke confit served with a lightly grilled shallot cured for six weeks. ul.
prices a notch below – the menu is a succession of highs that are a tribute to the sophisticated palate of chef Wojciech Kilian. Adding to the sense of being somewhere special is a setting inside the former inter-war Soviet Embassy. Adorned with original, auction-bought photos of Marilyn, pretty pink colors and luxury fittings, Signature washes over you in waves of bliss. ul. Poznańska 15
NOBU
RUSIKO
Krakowskie Przedmieście 13
Famously founded by Meir Teper, Nobu Matsuhisa and some aspiring actor by the name of Robert De Niro, it’s a space that promises simplicity, elegance and minimalism, not to mention a harmonious sense of modern, zen-like luxury. On the menu, meanwhile, expect their signature squid ‘pasta’; new-style sashimi; and black cod miso as well as killer cocktails such as lychee & elderflower martini. ul. Wilcza 73
NOLITA
For many diners, there is no bigger night out than one that begins and ends in this enclave of class. Dashing in its monochrome colors and muted gunmetal shades, Nolita is where Warsaw heads to live the life of the 1%. Lacking the magic tricks of some, the ‘show factor’ might be subdued but the tastes definitely aren’t. Who to credit? Two words: Jacek Grochowina. Cooking with poise and focus, his menu is a marriage of the classic and creative, with core ingredients given unexpected lifts with cunning turns and inspired little twists. ul. Wilcza 46
SIGNATURE
Flirting with fine dining – yet at
georgian To the uninitiated, Georgian food is representative of the heart, spirit and passion of its people; it’s a cuisine that values the concept of the feast: wine, laughter and song find themselves elevated to roles of primary importance. A food of life, spice and whole-hearted tastes, consider Rusiko as the best ambassador there is for this surprisingly diverse kitchen, and award-winning chef Davit Turkestanishvili the string-pulling master. There’s nowhere else in Poland that does Georgian better. Al.
Ujazdowskie 22
german FRANK
Decorated with gleaming golds and rich, dark shades of forest green, Frank has a quite sense of luxury. But having adjusted to the shine and gloss, one sees it for what it is: a place of good mood and food. For the latter, thank Aleksander Baron, a chef that’s reimagined German cuisine in an almost tapas-like form. Hits include Bavarian cheese Spätzle, superb sausages and Flammkuchen (a.k.a. German pizza). ul. Grzybowska 43A
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Eat! listings greek & turkish MR. GREEK SOUVLAKI
With its smart navy blue exterior festooned with pot plants, this tiny townhouse seduces all who pass – but if the front terrace is a gem, then enter to find a place that simply bubbles with warmth and the engaging air of gentle chaos. While there’s no frills or fancy with the food, there really doesn’t need to be: you dine on pillowy pittas and skewers of meat while enjoying carafes of wine brought to you by Takis, an enthusiastic owner that wears his heart on his sleeve. By the time the evening closes, you feel like one of the family – and that, surely, is the essence of hospitality. ul. Londyńska 16
MYKONOS
You’re struck first by the sheer size of Mykonos – it’s simply immense. Though undeniably slick, never does the cosmopolitan style lose the fundamental casual effervescence one naturally associates with the jewel of the Aegean. The food scores highly as well. It’s not rocket science – Greek cuisine rarely is – but it is everything you remember from your holiday by the sea: unfailingly delicious. ul.
Grzybowska 62
SANTORINI
Santorini looks scuffed and tired but there’s a bonhomie present that instantly engages. The kitchen attaches no value to things like presentation, preferring instead to simply treat diners to piles of grilled and skewered food that consistently tastes right – enjoying it is easy. ul. Egipska 7
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indian BOLLYWOOD LOUNGE
Known for their raucous dusk-tilldawn parties, there is another less hedonistic roll filled by Bollywood: that of a restaurant. The menu is an uncomplicated, classic affair that’s an ideal primer for the party ahead. ul. Nowy Świat 58
BOMBAJ MASALA PRAGA
Looks-wise it’s a feast for the eyes with 1,760 copper pipes hanging from the ceiling to generate a warming glow that mixes naturally with the brick finishes and spirited works of art. Differing from their mothership on JPII, the menu here involves street food-style tapas such as flat-fried Kachori dumplings and crispy cauliflower pakoras to outstanding tandoori dishes like marinated zander with garlic chili sauce. ul. Ząbkowska 29 (Centrum Praskie Koneser)
CURRY HOUSE
Ask for something extra hot in Curry House and by Suresh that’s what you’ll get. Yet at Curry House there is more to sing about than just Poland’s highest voltage vindaloo. The curries are rich and sumptuous and consistently cited as among the best in the city. If in doubt, the chicken tikka masala is a fail-safe request. ul. Żeromskiego 81 & ul. Hoża 54
GURU
The menu is a union of local, seasonal ingredients (organic this, farmyard that) and imported spices, coming together to blast the competition out of the water. From the openers, the chili chicken fry stands out as a dish that’s all snap and crackle, while of the mains the tikka masala is exceptional in taste. And when you
want to take the nuclear option, sign the disclaimer before being flattened by the phaal – it’s Poland’s hottest curry! ul. Widok 8
INDIA GATE
Deviating from the more standard Indian menus (if you’ve seen one you’ve seen ’em all), order here for self-proclaimed “immunity boosting” dishes such as prawn garlic curry; lamb and spinach deewani; or chicken in a rich mango sauce. Specializing in delicious southern Indian dishes, find also a number of non-standard curries and starters including fluffy lentil pancakes and dosa stuffed with cheese. If there’s a complaint, then it’s the chef’s reticence to go completely psychotic when it comes to assaulting us with spice. Al. Jerozolimskie 87
KARMA
With an entrance half-hidden behind a little cabin, find it set within a hulking Socialist Realist block inside a unit that once ticked by selling wedding dresses. Now, this address sells something a lot more valuable: curry. Though a little drab inside, the curry is a contender for the Insider’s favorite of 2021. Outside the more generic items, Southern Indian cuisine is a specialty, and that’s affirmed by golden donut-shaped wada snacks, idli lentil rolls, fluffy uttapam pancakes and the altogether thinner dosa. ul. Nowolipki 14 (enter from Jana Pawła II)
italian ALTRO LOCALE
Presented by chef / owner Andrea Carillo, authentic, homespun tastes vie for your attention inside a charming space that’s chic and modern but never spartan. Passionate in its
Eat! listings approach to modern Italian cuisine, Locale never misses a step. ul.
Willowa 9
DZIURKA OD KLUCZA
Having upped sticks from their spiritual home in Powiśle, the DoK team magically teleported themselves to Fort 8 where they’ve carried on much as before: that is, knocking out beautiful homemade pasta and other Italian staples to appreciative audience that’s followed them for years. And it looks pretty fine as well – immerse yourself in an intimate and engaging interior decked out with door frames and hanging plants. Fort Służew 1B
FOCACCIA
The big surprise at Focaccia is that there’s no Italian in the kitchen – it appears they don’t need one. Looking splendid in its crystal white colors, this dining room has plaudits aplenty for its selection of pizzas and more sophisticated mains: order the duck breast with marsala sauce for a failsafe choice. ul. Senatorska 13/15, focaccia.pl
rosemary, and a creamy mushroom pappardelle. Then, adding to the sense of being somewhere young, fun and a little bit hip, is an edgy design featuring a wall of kitchen implements, hanging ropes and exposed concrete. ul. Hoża 43/49
japanese JAPONKA
Omakase refers to the Japanese tradition of putting your life in the hands of the chef in front. Given carte blanche by the punter, it falls to head chef Dawid Uszyński to create magic based on intuition and product availability – this he does inside a vibey interior featuring a magenta neon, terrazzo floors and an intricate cat’s cradle of bold red shelving. This place lives in ‘the now’! ul. Grzybowska 56
MOYA MATCHA
Set in a minimalistic, meditative space, visit for a wondrously chilledout journey into the world of matcha.
Specializing in organic matcha and leaf teas, there’s also a range of organic products and ceramics to buy, as well as wonderful miso cookies to nibble while engaging in the whole matcha ritual. ul. Oleandrów 6
NOBU
Famously co-created by Robert DeNiro, producer Meir Teper, and chef Nobu Matsuhisa, it’s little wonder that this hotel was one of the much-hyped openings of 2020. The on-site restaurant, an exercise in zen-like luxury if ever there was, has also proved a pull with offerings such as wagyu beef tacos, king crab tempura, kushiyaki skewers, not to mention house signatures like black cod with miso and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno. ul. Wilcza 73
UKI UKI
How much do locals appreciate Warsaw’s original udon bar? Enough to queue outside the door? That’s right. Dining is a close quarters experience here, but is done so without complaint: that electric pasta
LE BRACI
Evoking images of starry nights, the lighting casts a pleasing glow on a dining area whose statement piece is a beautifully backlit bar. You’ll love the interior, but the food even more. For us, in September, that meant small starter plates that introduced nibbly bits of Italy followed by a creamy, thick porcini risotto with chestnuts and a beef fillet with raisins, pine nuts and shallots. ul. Górnośląska 24
POSYPANE
A casual restaurant with handmade pasta made fresh on the day and a choice that includes ravioli with chorizo and shrimp, bucatini Bolognese with seasoned beef and
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Eat! listings maker turns out noodles of such chewy goodness that everyone leaves beaming. ul. Krucza 23/31
korean THE COOL CAT
Refusing to take themselves too seriously, the angle is fun and forward-thinking, something that’s evidenced by way of an occasionally wacky menu of Americanized Asian food (the matcha ice cream donut is insane in both idea and taste!). The cocktails are equally eccentric yet also reveal some devastating talent: the Kimchi Mary is pungent, punchy and above all potent! ul. Solec 38 (also on Marszałkowska 8)
K-BAR
Co-owner Czesio has injected his life, soul (or is that Seoul?) and personal artistic journey into K-Bar, not least via his DJing background – no matter when you may visit, there’s something of a party feeling. Like being buzzed into an artist’s loft apartment, its packed with neon, flea market finds and Korean groceries. The KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) will satisfy desires for something sweet, spicy and fried. For a healthier option, K-Bar’s Vegan Bibimbab are nothing short of bliss. ul. Piękna 28/34
latin & spanish CEVICHE BAR
With chef Martin Gimenez Castro injecting his passion and personality into the venue, this is an address that punches through the greyness of everyday Warsaw. Ceviche is the default order with the Atun one of the best sellers: chunks of tuna
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given a rich zing with the addition of chili, lime and roasted coriander. The Japanese influence on South America’s dining habits isn’t forgotten either, with must-haves including the salmon tiraditos. Served with teriyaki and sweet potato mash, it’s a joy of satisfying sensations: sweet, dreamy, spicy, creamy. ul. Twarda 4
mexican BLUE CACTUS
Old timers will already know the name: revolutionizing 90s Warsaw, the Cactus became just about the first Western-standard eatery (and drinkery) in the city. Famed for its margaritas, burritos and raucous atmosphere, it was inside the Cactus that many Poles received their first wild taste of Tex-Mex-style freedom! Now, it’s back – or at least it will be some time in the very near future. Launching in both Norblin and Elektrownia, the revised version will focus in on artisanal produce whilst reviving their legendary orders of old. Aimed also towards the new generation, it’s already looking like one of the most anticipated launches for years!
EL POPO
Age hasn’t wearied El Popo one iota. Old it might be, but that hasn’t been to the detriment of the atmosphere. A place of happiness, the full color of the Mexican kitchen is brought to life via the full-fisted flavors of chef Angel Aceves. ul.
Senatorska 27
LA SIRENA
Inspired by the ultra-violent films of Danny Trejo, the hardcore interior heaves with machetes, holy shrines, skulls and wire mesh; but if La Sirena looks fab, it tastes even
better. Introducing a new dimension to Warsaw’s parched Mexican landscape, highlights inc. poblano peppers stuffed with pork/beef, peach, apple and apricots, as well as a ‘near death’ salsa that’s finally living up to its name. ul. Piękna 54
SENOR LUCAS
Submerged down one of those cramped, little walk-down units on ul. Poznańska, its tiny proportions (one table and a counter to lean on) and basic aesthetics (a blackboard and some crates) belie a standard that sits there with the best – actually, it’s become our favorite Mex in town! Based around handmade tortillas, find a small menu of burritos and rolled quesadillas stuffed with marinaded meats and ringing with peppy salsas and big flavor contrasts. ul. Hoża 41 (enter
from Poznańska 16)
middle eastern JOEL SHARING CONCEPT
Joel Sharing Concept seeks to channel the atmosphere and tastes typically found in the food markets and bazaars of contemporary Tel Aviv. As such, find yourself ordering from a small galaxy of bites that range from pittas stuffed with beef and lamb kofta to mezze dishes such as baked beetroot served with stewed tomatoes, cranberries and cumin. ul. Koszykowa 1
LE CEDRE
With the decadent dazzle of a bedouin tent, nights in Le Cedre are best celebrated with blasts on a sheesha and their Friday night belly dancer. Otherwise, just settle for the best Lebanese food in CEE; of particular note, the charcoal-grilled lamb chops. Al. Solidarności 61
Eat! listings polish (modern) BEZ GWIAZDEK
Focusing each month on a different region of the country, Robert Trzópek’s tasting menu takes diners to the very heart of the Polish soul and does so via tastes that betray his fine dining background: delicate and precise, it’s the polar opposite of the mundane Polski feast. For many, it’s the best restaurant in the city! ul. Wiślana 8
KIELISZKI NA PRÓŻNEJ
You’ll find Kieliszki na Próżnej, the latest restaurant to mark the rehabilitation of Próżna, so named after the 1,116 wineglasses that hang tantalizingly over the bar. As an anchor feature the suspended glassware is arresting and equaled only by a long stretch of wall art doodled by Mariusz Tarkawian. The food matches up to the interiors, with a modern Polish menu that – on our visit – involved a thick, brilliantly spreadable foie gras pate, a thick slab of brawn and a delicate piece of moist Baltic cod. ul. Próżna 12
POLANA SMAKÓW
Compact and woodsy, Polana Smaków has lost none of its copious charm since trading a no-man’s land location for city center Warsaw. Few chefs do a better job than Andrzej Polan when it comes to making herring sexy, with his interpretation arriving with a homemade bagel and blobs of orange pumpkin. It’s sophisticated yet reassuringly simple. ul. E. Plater 14
THE EATERY
Terrazzo surfaces, orb-like lights and a clear white color palette give The Eatery a comfortable
look that’s well-suited to a modern Polish menu delivered by chef Bartłomiej Trojanowski. Highlights from our visit – and there were many – included panko-crusted potato with creamy cottage cheese and pinches of charlock; art-like Ruskie pierogi; and a mushroom soup the like of which we haven’t tried before. Quite simply, think of The Eatery as the most unexpected pleasure you’ll discover all year. ul. Ostrobramska 73E
THE FARM
Preaching a message of farm-tofork, this ambitious eatery takes its produce seriously – to the extent they have their own farm in the lake district to the north. Adjusted with the seasons, the menu on our visited included a roe deer stewed in Ukiel beer and served in a pan under a light puff pastry. Using chunky woods, copper light fittings and black and white floor tiles, the interior finishing leaves no doubt you’re somewhere upmarket, but the overriding sensation is of being somewhere welcoming and warm.
WELCOME TO GREECE! For authentic Greek food & hospitality, look no further than Mr. Greek Souvlaki! ul. Londyńska 16 (Saska Kępa)
ul. Mokotowska 8
ŹRÓDŁO
The place looks great – hip but in tune with its retro address. Hardwood floors, exposed pipes and a flurry of plants equip an open area decorated with blasts of contemporary art, recycled furnishings, and other Boho bits and bobs – it’s casual, quirky and full of personality. Being here is a buzz. The seasonal menu is likewise a pleasure, and on our trip in December included pierogi with rich mushroom stock and smoked cottage cheese and a thick slab of herring served on a brioche with smoked plum jam. With mains around the mid-30s, it’s outstanding value as well. ul.
BEST of WA R S AW 2020
Insider Approved: Best of Warsaw WINNER 2020!
Targowa 81
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Eat! listings polish (classic) PYZY, FLAKI GORĄCE PODWALE 5
Polish pizza!? You gottit’. While it won’t provide competition for any of the new wave Neapolitan pizzerias around town, they’re still very decent and come with a focus on Polish-style toppings like beets, salmon and chanterelles. But the real deal here is the homemade Polish fare. Natutrally, pyzy are the highlight, and you should enjoy them with a nip of vodka to deal with any post-meal bloat. Though basic and mundane, the atmosphere is great. ul. Podwale 5
STARY DOM
A classic restaurant in style and history: back in the day it was a favorite haunt of jockeys and race goers from the horse track nearby. Pre-war recipes form the basis of the menu, with the team using seasonal produce and the latest technology to bring out its best. ul. Puławska 104/106
steak houses BUTCHERY & WINE
When Butchery opened in 2011 it completely transformed the way Poland viewed its steak. The first ‘new wave’ meat joint in the country, it’s launch lit the fuse for a steak revolution. Now an institution in its own right, this cosmopolitan spot remains one of the most sought out bookings in the capital. ul. Żurawia 22
HOŻA
Wine and steak: it sounds simple, but Hoża have taken two simple pleasures to another level. It’s an
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ebullient space with service right out of charm school, and a kitchen team with a real knowledge of cows. A red-blooded affair, the menu is a steak sensation and well paired with a handpicked wine list. ul. Hoża 25A
a deep, joyous sauce of rowan berry and brandy. ul. Mokotowska 69
KONESER GRILL
BASIL & LIME
Brought to you from the same stable as Rozbrat 20 and Butchery & Wine, the Ferment Group’s latest opening ticks just about every box going. Amid smooth lighting, blond woods, metal fixtures and outbreaks of rich teal colors, visit for a menu based around the concept of ‘fire’. Yes, that means meat. But beyond that, do also anticipate unexpected glories such as quail Scotch eggs and grilled Fine de Claire oysters. It’s all stonkingly brilliant. ul. Ząbkowska 29
(Centrum Praskie Koneser)
MIĘSNY
Already firmly embedded in the hearts of the surrounding community (and beyond), this local champion has long been hailed by foodies for a menu that offers an atavistic joyride through primal, caveman pleasures: if there’s a better chateaubriand being served in Poland then we’ve yet to find it. Set inside a monochrome-floored, white-tiled interior adorned with an azure-colored neon and graphic illustrative wall art depicting tasty farmyard animals, it does more than simply serve our favorite meaty cuts; it makes the neighborhood feel complete. ul.
Walecznych 64
MOKOTOWSKA 69
Set inside a rotunda at the tail end of the street, it’s a place that exudes elegance and class. Most of all, however, it’s a restaurant to be enjoyed. On our last visit, the Insider enjoyed a volley of greats – creamy breaded calf brains, sophisticated smoked eel, and Mazurian crayfish served in
thai One of only a handful of Thai restaurants in Poland to be certified by the international Thai Select organization, Basil & Lime are back after being forced to close their original Mokotow venue. Complete with a beautifully shaded pavement terrace, you can’t help but suspect the move has worked in their favor. Opening themselves to an entirely new audience in the center, this cult venue looks set to last on account of the skilled cooking of Thanawat Na Nagara. More on this soon! ul.
Oboźna 9
THAI THAI
A visual feast of ink black colors and shimmering deities this is by far the most formal of Warsaw’s Thai options – and also the best. Peaks include a grilled beef salad full of citrusy twists, lively flavors and vibrant colors, and sundried pork neck that’s all manly crunch and nose-clearing sauce. And then there’s the tuna tartar, a dish zinging with fresh hits of coriander, mint, lime and chili. There’s no point in complimenting the chef, he’s heard it all before. Pl. Teatralny 3
specialty food BIANCA
Run by Puglia-raised Francesco and his Polish partner Kaja, hit up Bianca for mozzarella that has won the heart of Warsaw. Pairing recipes gleaned from their time in Italy with the best Polish milk they could find,
Eat! listings the results have floored the foodie public. fb.com/biancacheese
vegan EDAMAME VEGAN SUSHI
Sushi without its star ingredient sounds ridiculous, but this vegan sushi joint manages to out-maneuver its traditional competitors by replacing below-par fish with fresh, vegetarian produce: pak choy, shiso, avocado, eggplant, oyster mushrooms, asparagus, etc. In HappyCow’s rankings, it scores the highest of the lot. ul. Wilcza 11
KUCHNIA KONFLIKTU
First founded to provide work for refugees fleeing conflict zones, this social project has won acclaim not just for social initiative, but also for its food. With employees hailing from the likes of Iran, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Iraq, prepare to dive deep into the exotic. ul. Wilcza 60
LEONARDO VERDE
Geometric patterns, plant arrangements and the large format illustrative artwork of Dominique A. Faryno decorate Leonardo Verde, an upmarket – but inexpensive – Italian joint. Pizza is the forte, and you’ll see why after ordering the ‘hot romantic’. ul. Poznańska 13
ÓSMA KOLONIA
Having been established in 2014, this gem of vegetarian/vegan restaurant opened long before the plant-based new wave landed in Warsaw. A place of distressed concrete and dangling bare bulbs, design isn’t so much minimal as it is non-existent, but that fits in with the underlying spirit of natural cool. Sourcing veg from grocer extraordinaire Pan Żiołko and the dairy from
the cult Mlezcna Droga, find the quality ingredients magicked up into dishes like eggplant meatballs, with fresh mint, pine nuts, parmesan and ricotta. ul. Słowackiego 15/19
PEACHES GASTRO GIRLS
Not only is their kitchen all female, they’ve now sourced some international talent from Peru and India. Ignoring proteins like tempeh, soy or seitan, instead these kitchen heroes conjure magic from seasonal veggies whilst whipping out some Beyond Meat to give oomph to their wontons. The menu changes with the seasons, but for certain we’re hoping their tacos stay for good – substituting meat with oyster mushrooms, their carnitas taste as authentic as they come. ul. Mokotowska 58
TEL AVIV
A major icebreaker in terms of Poland’s vegan revolution, Tel Aviv woo with a super-funky, design that evokes the spirit of the Israeli capital through its raw finishes and street art motif. The food is a bonanza of Middle Eastern tastes and has, in the past, been wolfed down by passing members of Depeche Mode. ul. Poznanska 11
VEGAN RAMEN SHOP
Nothing short of a phenomenon, that they’ve continued to expand in the face of a pandemic illustrates the demand. Now found in Saska Kępa (a cool venue decorated with ‘levitating shelves’), Mokotów (wall art, bamboo and a giant cat), and Muranów (Street Fighter arcade game and a pink surfboard), their fans head here for what many have described as ‘the best noodles in the world!’ Order the spicy miso ramen and you too will become a convert. ul Finlandzka 12 a, ul. Kazimierzowska 43 & Al. Jana Pawła II 52/54
VEG DELI
An entrance beset with candles, plant pots and seasonal veg charms people in, and they tend to stay on to dine on creative vegetarian options that absolutely always hit the spot. Set on leafy Radna street, the summer terrace is a joy. ul. Radna 14
UKI GREEN
Brought to you by Taira Matsuki, the owner of the outrageously successful Uki Uki, the menu includes alternatives such as kimchi-cheese gyoza dumplings, spiced soy meat and ‘vegan eel’. The real plaudits, however, are reserved for the ramen. Tag yourself up in an interior that’s big on Japanese wood joints and concrete finishes. ul. Koszykowa 49A
YOUMIKO VEGAN SUSHI
Exceptional in every respect, Youmiko’s tasting menu is one of the undisputed highlights of what’s become known as the vegan square mile. “Our aim,” declares their manifesto, “is to mix traditional Japanese approaches with Polish creativity and surprise you with new textures and flavors.” Mission accomplished. ul. Hoża 62
vietnamese MISS BANH MI
A former model by profession, Nina’s traditional tofu and homemade bread (baked fresh each day!) combine in the form of memorable banh mi. Glowing warmly from the outside, step inside this small, steamy unit to pick from five choices, among them meatballs with fermented egg yolk. Salty and tender, they taste even better when paired with a local craft beer or a Vietnamese coffee. ul. Lwowska 9
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MOYA MATCHA JAPANESE GREEN TEA
ul. Oleandrów 6, moyamatcha.com / fb.com/moyamatchaoleandrow
Drink!
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
BRUSHING UP Merging the functions of a barber shop with that of a cocktail bar, Brush 2.0 looks set to ignite Nowogrodzka with its non-standard outlook on nightlife…
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Brush 2.0 ul. Nowogrodzka 6A, brush.xxx
O
nce darkness falls this on-trend barber shop transforms into a high-energy cocktail den populated by whiskered local scenesters and off-duty models. Mingle alongside them inside an industrial, masculine interior that’s heavy on raw brickwork, exposed steel and all the fixtures and fittings you’d expect in a barber’s: from revolving, stripy poles to cabinets full of razors. Incongruous as the overall concept sounds, everything comes together in seamless fashion. Aiding that is a cocktail choice that’s admirable in both ambition and execution.
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True, if you are familiar with their original concept in Łódź, then the Warsaw branch is definitely a little less outrageous – out west, previous orders have arrived fastened to helium balloons, served in lightbulbs or buried inside flower pots. By contrast, the mixes here are far more conservative but, it must be said, no lower in quality. In this regard, top marks go to the Freaky Mango, a glorious mix of Bacardi Carta Blanca, green tea, jasmine, water and mango. We liked it so much we ordered seven more. Utilizing premium ingredients and employing some of the top bar talents in Poland, no inch is
given in the quest for perfection. Split on two levels, it captures the essence of Nowogrodzka, a street that has become one of the top nightlife hubs in the city. The opening of Brush 2.0 serves only to highlight its expanding credentials as one of the places to be seen.
Reviews 12 BARS THAT MAKE YOU GO… WOAH! Forget the bog standard, escape the generic by ticking off these twelve utterly unique drinkeries… CYBERMACHINA WARSZAWA
Cybermachina
ul. Nowy Świat 54/56 This gaming bar is strange in every respect: among other decorations discover glass cabinets filled with helmets and rubber masks and a toilet evoking Game of Thrones. Best of all is a side room that’s been designed to mimic a 90s-style Polish living room. Featuring wood paneled walls and parquet flooring, the highlight is a wall unit whose shelves house treasures such as a vintage boombox, a groovy KK-628 calculator watch, the works of Terry Pratchett, a Pegasus gaming machine and vases of plastic flowers. It’s a living museum!
PHOTOGRAPH THIS PAGE TOP BY KEVIN DEMARIA, BOTTOM BY ED WIGHT
FOTON
ul. Wilcza 9A You know it’s been an epic weekend when you wake up on Monday knowing that Foton was involved. Conversation with strangers is natural after a few of Foton’s cocktails, but it makes this list for a super cool design that’s involves plenty of raw materials and a vast green fleet of tumbling plants – keeping them alive is a quite brilliant irrigational contraption set around the steel frames that support it all. It sure is a quite a sight.
PALOMA INN
Foton
ul. Poznańska 21 Inspired by The Jetsons, the moon landings and the atom, the Paloma Inn is a childlike joy of lunar lines, pea green colors and furnishings and fittings that are retro-futuristic. Adorned with plants and a curvaceously bizarre ceiling light, your eyes dart all over the place before settling onto a sweepy bar that’s as snaky as the letter ‘s’. Complementing it all, find groovy warsawinsider.pl
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Reviews ales. If you can’t find something that suits your tastes, you should maybe think about giving up drinking for the rest of your life.
LANE’S GIN BAR
Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44 (Bristol Hotel) Featuring no shortage of brass, glass, stone and satin, the floaty, peachy-pink ambience is lent further oomph by what we reckon to be the best lux cocktails in the city. Perfectly proportioned, Lane’s is intimate enough to feel like a private members club, and that sense of personalization peaks when you discreetly enquire about their little black book. Within this secret tome lie recipes scrawled down by the regulars: taking pride of place, none other than an entry by the best-selling author Szczepan Twardoch.
VHS BAR
muzak, fondue sets, weird cocktails and a toilet that stops you in your tracks with its bold mandarin colors.
PINBALL STATION
ul. Kolejowa 8A Unexpectedly announcing itself in a kaleidoscope of retro noise and color, the split-floor Pinball Station is home to dozens twinkling pinball machines, not to mention a number of arcade classics such as Pac-Man and Mortal Kombat. But these machines are not just there to covet from afar. For a flat fee you can play for as long as you want before hitting up their bar for a breaktime pint.
PIW PAW
ul. Foksal 16 Marketing themselves not as a multi-tap but a hyper-tap, Piw Paw walk the walk with a stretch of 76 taps. Say that slowly: seventy-six taps. Featuring some of the wackiest members of Poland’s craft movement, they also deserve a hat-tip for finding space for more understandable sips such as Czech lagers and Belgian
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WOREK KOŚCI
ul. Bagatela 10 There is nothing ordinary about Worek Kości and it could as easily earn a place on this list for its décor (over 400 replica skulls) as it could its burlesque entertainment program. Instead though, those amusements are edged out by their regular roster of lectures on criminal profiling, forensics, serial killers and execution methods. A passionate celebration of the beautiful and bizarre, this bar has no equal.
WARSZAWA POWIŚLE
ul. Kruczkowskiego 3B Over a decade ago Warszawa Powiśle was the cradle of Warsaw’s hipster revolution. Since reinvented as an upmarket cocktail bar, its current swanky guise is all the more surprising given the history of this address. Built in the 1960s, this rotunda was for several decades a ticket booth
PHOTOGRAPH THIS SPREAD BY KEVIN DEMARIA
VHS Bar
Poznańska 7 VHS packs a helluva’ lot of fun inside its tiny little footprint. Themed around the 80s, this pint-sized cellar is embellished with pink neons and super-fun cocktails fixed by laugh-loving staff in zany shirts. But the toilet is the clincher! Inside, you’ll be squeezing in next to a chunky phone, a portable hi-fi, a pair of plastic flamingos and pictures of Mr. T, Mitch Buchanan and other heroes of the era. It’s abso-LOO-utely bonkers.
Reviews serving the needs of travelers using the train station above (which in itself was inspired by the Soviet Union’s forays into space). Today, surviving original features include power boxes and a PRL era neon crowning the building.
W OPARACH ABSURDU
Ząbkowska 6 Somewhere, buried deep beneath the creaking antiques and moth-eaten Persian rugs, you might be lucky to find a wood-carved bar. With craft beer balanced in one hand, and six vodkas on a saucer in the other, you then need all the luck in the world to bulldoze through the scrum that has gathered to listen to Balkan rockers, Afro-Latin bands and the spectacularly named Bum Bum Orchestra. Delve deeper still to discover the ace in the sleeve: a cramped smoking room that will linger long in both your memory and hair. Around a circular table, you sit with Praga’s most colorful characters in an atmosphere redolent of a pre-war gambling den.
WARMUT
Piw Paw
ul. Marszałkowska 45/49 Seeing the city hanging upside down no longer requires a strong dose of hallucinogens, but rather a side trip to Warmut. Popular with off-duty DJs, influencers, K-Mag journos, street artists and heavily tattooed barbers, the cool factor at Warmut is often too high to compute. But that’s not why you should visit: do so to perv over the scale models of Warsaw’s modernist landmarks that hang from the ceiling. As an interior detail, it’s absolutely extraordinary.
PIOTRUŚ
Nowy Świat 18/20 If ever a bar could be described as an anthropological study, then Piotruś would be that place. A remarkable time capsule, this jolly little boozer opened in 1958 and has been stewarded by Irena Dankowska since 1985. Cloaked in shadowy shades of scarlet, join vodka guzzling old timers inside a pint-sized space filled with ramshackle extras accumulated over the decades. A living history lesson, it’s a classic commie leftover – brilliantly, they have bowed to modern times to serve a couple of craft beers.
Lane's GinBar
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Wine Tasting
A TASTE OF THE CLASSICS
A
n exclusive off-shoot of the popular dobrewina. pl chain, an ambitious new project aims to showcase the world of fine wine to the Poland-based drinker and make it more accessible than ever before. Co-founded by Peter Pulawski, a Danish citizen of Swedish-Polish background, and his brother, Jan, classicwines.pl was seen as a logical step forward given the health of the market. BACKGROUND Having left the Danish wine business in 1990, Peter Pulawski founded his first
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Warsaw store in 2001 – over two decades on, six stores now operate under the dobrewina. pl banner, as well as an online shop delivering around the country (and beyond). “Very much though the original idea was based on my experiences selling in Denmark,” says Pulawski, “so it was a less exclusive approach to wine consumption – you could definitely describe it as a Scandinavian approach that was more downto-earth and practical, one that would avoid complex wine talk if required.” Though thriving, the brothers were encouraged by trends that emerged as a result of the pandemic. “The average price
of wine went up, so too did salaries,” says Pulawski. “People became more assertive in their consumption habits.” Buoyed by this, the brothers saw a niche that demanded further exploration. “Generally-speaking, in Poland we understand fine wines as wines costing above zł. 100 and as having better-known origins such as hailing from Chablis, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Piemonte and so on. With the pandemic in its full thrust, we noticed more Poles were asking for classic wines. We’ve seen more money on the market and, likewise, more willingness to pay more for wine. Be they Poles or expats, my brother
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
Aimed at the classic wine fan, a new initiative finds itself launched in a sign of the times…
Classic Wines ul. Wyczółki 46, dobrewina.pl / classicwines.pl
and I decided to cater for that segment.” CLASSIC WINES “Until Brexit many people were ordering from England; now they’ve switched to German, French and Swiss e-commerce platforms,” says Pulawski. “What we’ve done is to give them another option, one that sources wines as directly as possible from wine districts in France, and some in Italy, and then create a place where we could present them in an optimal way and combine that with sommelier workshops and wine evenings.” TWINS! Inherently sharing the same DNA, classicwines.pl and dobrewina.pl bear many similarities – and also differences. Though different in their choices and options, both share the same basket for online purchases and, via their system of different price bands and configurations, allow for considerable savings to be made. “We’ve got a four-tier pricing structure with different prices applying for purchases of one bottle, six, thirty and sixty,” says Pulawski. “But the way we’ve structured that enables people buying more moderate bottles from dobrewina.pl to top up with an expensive bottle from classicwines.pl and make a saving.” With classicwines.pl, the target is two-fold continues Pulawski: those who are already buying fine wine but doing so using options based outside of Poland, as well as the growing number of passionate wine enthusiasts who are looking for
the occasional treat. “Quite often they’ve enjoyed a great wine in Italy or France, and they’re looking to enjoy this superior taste experience a few times a year when they’ve returned back to Poland.” THE EXPERIENCE Sure, you can order the wines to pick-up or to be delivered, but doing though should not be at the cost of overlooking Pulawski’s other angle. To be enjoyed at the HQ of classicwines. pl, wine tasting evenings have been designed to feature a personal touch, expert guidance and, of course, no shortage of wine. “Such tastings or sommelier workshops are ideal for special occasions, birthday gifts or for company events such as management integrations or to host key clients,” says Pulawski, “and though right now this is a private offer, we do plan on introducing group tastings that individuals can sign-up for.” Customized to suit client preferences, these evenings take place inside a comfortable room seating eleven (or around 20 standing), and are conducted using hand-blown Zandel glasses in prime conditions: “Lighting conditions are important when tasting wine, so here we’ve installed LED panels with a high degree of lumen – with a temperature of 4,000 Kelvin, you’ve basically got conditions that resemble the afternoon sun in the Mediterranean,” says Pulawski. “There’s also a special lamp with three different temperatures of light so you can assess the colors.” Moreover, with Coravin wine preservation gadgets on hand, drinkers have the chance to
experience the best wines around without shelling out for the entire bottle. Complete with nibbles, it’s an evening that’s educational and illuminating whilst never losing its engaging sense of fun.
TASTING NOTES 2019 Chablis Grand cru, Les Preuses, Domaine Ventoura A ripe and creamy wine that perfectly reflects the richness of the vintage. Full notes of sweet, yellow fruit complemented with delicate floral accents, slowly give way to the flavors of almond and grapefruit before stepping into a long mineral finish that builds the appetite for more.
2017 Meursalut-Charmes 1er cru, Bouzereau-Gruere
Rich, elegant and well-balanced on the palate, the ending is long and very pleasant. It was created from clusters of the Chardonnay grape growing on two plots with a total area of 0.6 hectares on clay-calcareous soil.
2014 Cheateau Leoville Poyferre, Saint Julien
Delighting with its ruby color, in the nose, apart from ripe fruit such as plums, blackberries or blueberries, you can also feel violets, licorice and wood notes. In the mouth it is well-built, fleshy, but also elegant and subtly fruity. Characterized by spicy tannins and pleasant acidity, the finish does not disappear quickly. “I’d call this among the best 20-25 Medoc wines,” says Pulawski.
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Drink! listings after work classics CENTRAL BAR
The natural focal point of Hala Koszyki is the Central Bar, a long, long space serving microbrews and classic cocktails under a spectacular wrought iron ceiling. Not many places feel as international, and four years after opening it remains one of Warsaw’s top check-ins. Talent spotting doesn’t get any better. ul. Koszykowa 63 (Hala Koszyki)
DZIEŃ I NOC
Looking insta friendly with its interior of brickwork, succulents and marble-topped tables, Dzień I Noc have earned a cult following since opening at the height of the pandemic. Offering authors cocktails and mainstream beers, it offers the promise of a solid night out in these paranoid times. Pl. Mirowski 1
ELEKTROWNIA POWISŁE
The indoor food hall indoors opens out into a sea of neon signs and a sleek, professional crowd posing for selfies over cocktails. And yes, drinks are every bit as important here as the food. Choose between a craft beer vending station or the two principle bars that bookend the complex: Centrala Bar at one end or the more cocktail-driven Kandela at the other. (E3) ul. Dobra 42, elektrowniapowisle.com
LEGENDS
Run by Graham, an ex-embassy bod and devout Everton fan (well, someone has to be), this Brit pub has become the de facto choice when the football is on. Or the rugby. Or the cricket. Or just about any other sport that expats care to
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watch. Whether it’s the Champions League or Bristol City on a wet, Tuesday night, there’s just no better space for boozy banter while the match unfolds. ul. Emilii Plater 25,
legendsbar.pl
WOZOWNIA
Wozownia brings together a good-looking crowd inside a 200-year-old carriage house whose competent cocktails and cheapy Prosecco keep it busy. Accessed through a discreet pink-lit passage, and decked out with crates of herbs and flowering plants, the courtyard feels like a cool, private realm. Pl.
Trzech Krzyży 16
clubbing LUZTRO
Dark and generally grubby, Warsaw’s most (in)famous club only gets going around about three. As the hours click towards daybreak, the scenes of depravity are like something from Sodom and Gomorrah. Enjoyed by zombies that quite definitely don’t have to be up for work anytime in the next 48 hrs, it’s not just the full-on techno that will leave the brain rattling – it’s the craziest night in Poland! Al. Jerozolimskie 6
SEN
Entering this top-floor joint, visitors are hit by a tidal wave of gorgeousness: wall-to-wall with George Clooney lookalikes, off-duty celebrities and catwalk glamor pusses, the carefree hedonism is like something from a film – only tonight, you’re one of the stars. Sod the bank account, you think, bring me champagne: enjoy just that on a terrace deck slung with Edison bulbs, or indoors in an area festooned with deluxe
sofas and floor-to-ceiling windows that stare out onto the National Stadium opposite. ul. Wioślarska 6
SPATIF
Just a smashing night all round: from jazzy singers to funk and soul via a dose of Britpop, the ever likeable Spatif is what Warsaw needs – a place that’s not up its own arse! A labyrinth of pre-war chambers add atmosphere, as does the kind of basement smoking room that encourages obscure chat with indiscriminate strangers. Spatif’s main success lies in replicating the spontaneous feel of a house party that’s spiraled out of control Al.
Ujazdowskie 45
cocktails AURA
Nestled inside a small nook on Hoża, the mousehole dimensions of Aura are tempered by the tall ceilings and Moroccan-style design that’s so cool it found itself featured in Dezeen magazine. Promoting the heavy use of swivelly chrome stools and Persian rugs, the heavy hint of retro glam is balanced out by a crowd that, at times, strays into the head turning category. Find them lapping up a cocktail list firmly zoned around Aura’s collection of bourbons. ul. Hoża 27
BAR WIECZORNY
Fixed by some of the biggest names in Polish cocktail culture, the cocktails are a serious biz here and neatly complimented by a beautiful garden set with crates and little lights dangling from the trees. Mokotów doesn’t have the best reputation for nightlife, but in Wieczorny the area has a star of some legend. ul. Wiśniowa 46
Drink! listings CHARLIE & CHARLIE KINOTEKA
Occupying the first floor of a pre-war tenement, there’s a magic here that summons the age of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Karim Bibars, the man behind it all, is one Poland’s best-known cocktail kings, and his drinks are the personification of liquid elegance. Opened in Feb, now find Charlie’s little sister next to the Kinoteka in the Palace of Culture: espousing an air of cinematic cool, the new bar sets itself up for silver screen comparisons – with its high ceilings, bow-tied bartenders and heavy sense of drama, some will draw parallels to The Gold Room in the Overlook Hotel. ul. Mokotowska 39 & Pl. Defilad 1
EL KOKTEL
The pert and pretty are here, so too the well-groomed modern man, but there’s a balance to the crowd that prevents any whiff of snob. As a bar it feels open-minded, engaging and intelligent, and those are traits that rub off on those present. Drinks – such as the smoking Out Of The Box – are insanely good, and served in a small, high-ceilinged interior busy with framed vintage posters, cyan-colored wallpaper, baffling photos of Lynch-esque scenes and gleaming strainers and shakers. ul.
via a glorious spiral staircase, it’s from here you gaze down on the impeccable Saska crowd that gathers below to sip sparkly wines, house lemonades and author’s cocktails. ul. Francuska 2
signposted by a neon the color of bubblegum pink; here, amid bristling greenery and low-slung seating, join other cocktail hounds enjoying house sips such as the Loreta Cup.
LONG BAR
PIANO BAR
Posh doesn’t begin to cover it. Clad in smooth marble, natural oak, eye-catching art and soft tan leather, Long Bar imparts a sense of luxury that feels elegantly timeless yet never excessive nor ostentatious. This being part of the venerable Raffles chain, you’d be missing the mark if you ordered anything but their signature Slings – make a night of it by roaring through their ten different versions of this trademark drink. ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 13 (Raffles Europejski Hotel)
LORETA
Well who doesn’t love a rooftop bar? That’s the setting of Loreta, a bar that channels the spirit of this design-led hotel brand through its funky décor and eclectic art. The terrace, though, is the clincher. As night falls, retreat to a deck
ul. Widok 9 (Puro Hotel)
Crowned with a show-stealing 12-foot chandelier that dangles from the ceiling of this dual-level structure, it’s a venue that oozes with affluence and sophistication. Touting chessboard tiled floors and tie-wearing staff, the feeling is of entering Jay Gatsby’s ballroom. And for all the classy sense of maturity, there is much fun to be had, and in part that’s down to a busy program of concerts that are well-tuned to the space: funk and blues jams are a forte. ul. Żelazna 51/53 (Norblin Factory)
REGINABAR
Hip and happening, the concept at Reginabar is a wacky amalgam that mixes elements of New York’s Little Italy with China Town next door. The menu rocks, but find it augmented by a dynamic cocktail
Wojciecha Górskiego 9
FLAMING BISTRO
With its perfect white colors, the glass-fronted oblong form of this pearl of interwar modernism has an elegant sophistication to it that’s ravishing to look at. But it becomes even more so out the back. It’s here you’ll find a garden that’s been in-filled with well-spaced wooden decks hiding amid the vegetation and plant life. A garden in the truest sense of the word, the best view is from the balcony on top. Accessed
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Drink! listings list that reflects the crazy things happening in Warsaw’s world of drinks: that means, the regular sips aside, ‘magic cocktails’ with names such as Power Spells and Star Dust. Dazzly and mysterious, lap these up in an interior that joins the retro with the avant garde. ul. Koszykowa 1
THE ROOTS
Having recruited some of the top bartenders in Poland, The Roots have a serious artillery on which to rely. So committed is this haunt, its walls are graced by a vast collection of cocktail memorabilia: antique jiggers, shakers, coolers, not to mention an original signed copy of the world’s first cocktail handbook (published: 1862!). ul. Wierzbowa 11
craft beer BEER STATION CENTRUM
multi-floor emporium targets itself at a higher-end clientele than others, a point reflected by both its prices and design. There’s a strong industrial aesthetic, but this softened by a proliferation of warming touches such as lavishly upholstered seats and tiny antique details. It’s a beauty! ul.
BREWSKI
CRAFT BEER MURANÓW
With over 50 taps to choose from, and even more beers in the fridge(s), the choice at Brewski can really overwhelm – our tip, scope out the offer before turning up by looking at the ontap app. Once the home of the scuzzy, all-hours Piw Paw, Brewski have smartened up the interior (though not the toilet) to add a sense of class with an array of Chesterfield sofas. ul. Żurawia 32/34
BROWAR WARSZAWSKI
Proudly run by Belarussian exiles (that’s a pre-Lukashenko flag behind the bar), traipse down a plunging set of stairs to reach a cave-like space whose warm brick skin can
Online
just about be discerned amid the darkness. For booze, there’s twelve beers on tap and these include some excellent craft swigs along with more standard drinks. The choice is not revolutionary, but this place is loved by all those who like a wild night – the weekends do get messy! ul. Lwowska 17
When it comes to beer Browar Warszawski favor tradition over craziness – there’s 18 house beers on tap, and they do a grand job of broadly introducing Poland’s crafty direction. Feeling Feeling reassuringly cosmopolitan, this swanky
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Haberbuscha i Schielego 2
Humble and unpretentious, CBM’s rising stock has been reflected by their growing reputation as one of the finest tap bars with a suburban postcode. Split over two levels, as basic as the aesthetic is (screechy chairs and some murals that reference the brewing process), it’s an atmosphere that feels warm and clattery and like a local pub should. ul. Andersa 23
CUDA NA KIJU
It all began here! Opened in 2013, find Warsaw’s first legitimate tap bar slotted inside a glass prism hidden in the mega structure that once housed the Communist Party headquarters. Notable for its glass walls, sweeping spiral stairwell and pinball machines, 15 taps keep the guests amused. Though less experimental than many of Warsaw’s tap bars, Cuda is well-loved by all. And we mean all – in sunnier months, the front terrace and inner courtyard pack out with hundreds of drinkers. ul. Nowy Świat 6/12
CZEŚĆ
It’s hard to believe now, but Cześć started life as a café. What happened to that? Well, the locals preferred their beer. Now looking comfortably rugged and worn-in after nearly nine years of service, this box of a room was arguably the first ‘quali-tap’ in Warsaw. Quali-tap? Yeah, by that we mean small, little places with six or seven beers on
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Drink! listings the go. The rotation of new finds is balanced well with traditional faves from the likes of Artezan and Pinta. ul. Grzybowska 2 (through the side passage)
DRUGIE DNO
To plug into the pounding heart of Warsaw’s craft beer scene, look no further than Nowogrodzka. Joining the ranks of the street’s multi-tap bars is Drugie Dno, a three-level space that’s been themed to evoke the look of a disused power station. Sporting rugged brickwork and a scuffed style, the industrialized look has been amped up to the max through the use of steel girders, vintage voltage meters and toilets disguised as elevator shafts. ul. Nowogrodzka 4
GORACZKA ZLOTA
Get down with the regulars at Gorączka Złota, a steamy pub with a rowdy atmosphere. Touting the dimensions of a cabin boy’s quarters, this pungent, pokey den is one of the oldest bars in town. Despite carrying many epic beers from Poland’s rebel brewers, there’s nothing faddish about GZ and it’s this sense of normalcy that lends it its enduring appeal. With just five taps, this place is about quality not quantity. ul. Wilcza 29
HOPITO
Appealing to a far younger, more party-oriented crowd than the area’s other craft joints, find a sloshed audience weaving around a neon lit room decorated with black and
white doodles by some of Poland’s biggest street artists. The beer offer is highly commendable, and even includes a beer slushy machine! Specializing in the beers of Hopito (you’d never have guessed), the choice is unflinchingly fun and boosted by (usually) great pizzas from a Neapolitan wood-fired oven. ul. Żurawia 32/34
HOPPINESS
The compact, box-like dimensions of Hoppiness mean that it doesn’t take much of a crowd to generate a babbly atmosphere full of laughs and cackles. There’s not much on the design front, but such is the buzz details become lost in the ensuing blur of random conversation and clinking glasses. Tap-wise, there’s
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Drink! listings twelve to choose from. ul. Chmielma
27/31
JABEERWOCKY
Drowned in boisterous babble and general pub racket, the affable Jabbers is home to what most rate as the most adventurous choice of craft beer in the city: pioneering international breweries are well represented, but don’t overlook the sensational drinks produced by Jabeerwocky’s very own master brewer. ul. Nowogrodzka 12
KUFLE I KAPSLE
Opened during Poland’s initial wave of craft pubs, this first generation pub has nine-years of history behind it, and along with it that beautiful smell of good times and spillage. Respectful of the building’s pre-war heritage, the interiors feature a warming back room with low-slung armchairs, but the real action is out front where note-taking nerds and international pissheads join as one to clamor around a bar serving some of the best beer in Poland. For the real radical choices though, look down into the fridge. Excellent in all respects, they’ve also got two suburban bastions in Żoliborz and Powiśle. ul. Nowogrodzka 25
PINTA
Taking the space once occupied by the ill-fated Mikkeller Bar, Pinta’s flagship bears many of the hallmarks of the previous tenant: a pared down Scandi design set across two glass-fronted floors round the back of Chmielna. Featuring plenty of concrete and chunks of shipping containers, the sparsity of the design keeps your attention on the beer – and it’s brilliant. Pinta, if you don’t know, can be considered the founding fathers of Poland’s craft beer scene, and this bar gives their portfolio the attention it deserves. ul.
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Chmielna 7/9
RAJ PIWOSZA
For those living on the city’s right side, Raj Piwosza became a legend of the lockdown – an off-license and general lifeline selling an emphatic choice of craft beers, niche wines and other artisanal liquid somethings. Perhaps driven by the discovery of the area’s thirst for their offerings, they’ve gone another step by launching a bar with a similarly exhaustive selection of drinkies. Set in a newish residential development on the frontline of Grochów, Gocław, Saska Kępa, it’s a sure bet to become a neighborhood essential. ul. Bora-Komorowskiego 56A
SAME KRAFTY
Squashed into two narrow, rugged rooms decorated with benches and rough plaster walls, Same Krafty have rescued Old Town from big beer brands peddling piss. Offering artisan alternatives, this intimate bar lures daring tourists looking to explore the more subversive side of Polish brewing. Too busy? Head five meters opposite to Same Krafty Vis-à-vis. You will find tourists, but locals are often the majority, a telling indicator that says much for their approval rating. ul. Nowomiejska 10
of his own cross-border forays.
Tower 22A, Most Poniatowskiego, czeskabaszta.pl
MIEJSCE CHWILA
Surviving the move from their former digs is the giant mural of a weather-worn babcia, and it’s under her watery gaze that drinkers congregate to make the most of a decent fridge generously stocked with specialty beers from Poland’s more leftfield producers. Also successfully enduring the challenges of their cross-city move is the underlying spirit that made them so famous. Defiantly arty in its character, the creative mood that prevails manifests itself in a quirky design that involves retro accents, refurbed armchairs, a neon of Lennon and the compelling illustrations of Izabela Wójtowicz. ul. Żurawia 47
NOWY ŚWIAT ‘PAVILIONS’
dive bars
For the highest condensation of bars in the capital head to ‘the pavilions’, a collection of ramshackle drinking cabins, shot bars and sheesha lairs inside a tight grid of shadowy back alleys. Adding to the gentle sense of confusion comes the realization that so many bars look the same – accessed through clattery, barred doors, visitors walk into what can only be described as murk and chaos. Find them through
CZESKA BASZTA
OFFSIDE
Contained within a grotty bridge support, divey Czeska is permanently immersed in a foggy, yellow glow. Boisterous but extremely friendly, there’s a reason for all the man hugs and back slaps: everyone’s smashed! The frothy pints of lager are sourced from the owner’s favorite small town breweries, and the fridge kept stocked courtesy
the passageway at Nowy Świat 26.
Located opposite a mural of a giant goose and a gaudy statue of retro football star Kazimierz Deyna, this wreck announces its intention from the off with a piece of graffiti over the bar declaring that, “this is not a f***ing cocktail bar”. Despite the somewhat threatening slogan, it’s a place of amiable anarchy and warm camaraderie. The neo Berlin
Drink! listings aesthetic sits well with a crowd composed of maverick artists, local radicals and volunteers from Poland’s first ‘democratic’ football club, AKS ZŁY. ul. Brzeska 16
ŚWIETLICA
Long and narrow, dark and murky, it’s as raw as they come: toilets of grubby menace, a smoking room clad in spray can art, broken fittings and general gloom. Basically, it’s everything you demand from the last bar of the night – a place where you can slide into the shadows and watch the world spin around. (E7) ul. Marszałkowska 17
late night legends BAR PACYFIK
Seemingly based upon the kind of Tijuana dive bar you’d have happened upon during the Miami Vice era, Pacyfik is all candy floss pink and shades of teal: a raw-looking den that looks purposefully imperfect. Keeping the hip international crowd on the wrong side of drunk are kick-ass drinks such as their Clamado Michelada or Kimchi Bloody Mary – three sips and you think you’re Superman. ul. Hoża 61
BAR STUDIO
The dehumanizing scale of the Palace of Culture is diluted in warmer weather when Pl. Defilad turns into something of an outdoor party thanks to Bar Studio’s presence – and no worries if it rains, the epic colonnades were built as if to provide shelter from the storm. And with no nearby neighbors to ruin the party, it’s just about one of the only places in Warsaw where noise is never an issue – scream and no-one
cares. Pl. Defilad 1
BEIRUT & KRAKEN
Somewhere, amid all the junk relating to the Lebanese conflict (grenades, sandbags, ammo boxes, a rocket…), you’ll find the spirit of Poznańska contained within this long, skinny bar. As fashionable now as it was when it opened, forget not to finish the evening in their connecting venture, the Pirates of the Caribbean-style Kraken Rum Bar. Everybody else does at some stage or other, with evenings often dissolving into a wild, happy whirl of international voices. ul. Poznańska 12
GRAM
Up the stairs you go to enter Gram, a small room that invokes feelings of stepping inside a circus Big Top. Order up a craft beer from the fridge before making your way around the arcade games and pinball machines squeezed inside – come on, there’s not much to beat the feeling of outscoring your date on Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Between turns, count the number of monkey figures parachuting from the ceiling... ul.
Marszałkowska 45/49
THE SHAMROCK
The Shamrock is little more than a shabby bare room lit by a greenish Carlsberg sign. But the dearth of aesthetic thrills is compensated via its atmosphere. Find a melting pot of nationalities slopping beers over each other while shouting their orders to Curtis and his family behind the bar – high on noise and bellowed banter, the atmosphere cranks yet further whenever Curtis grabs his guitar to lead his audience in song. Paying more attention to craic than interior bric-a-brac, it’s a lively night and one enjoyed by an audience that’s largely under 30. ul. Zgoda 5
live entertainment HYDROZAGADKA / CHMURY
Set out in the wildlands of Praga, consider this pair of neighboring venues as the definition of unforced cool. Known for their alternative music scene, the low-ceilings and their tight, crowded confines generate an electrifying atmosphere where the audience and band become one. Walking a fine line between industrial and straight out decrepit, the ambiance is second to none: drinks flow, strangers meet and music smashes out – you can feel something special happening here. ul. 11 Listopada 22
KLUB POGŁOS
Scuzzy and a bit seamy, this alt. performance venue gives Warsaw an interesting, if not utterly random direction with an events schedule that involves spoken word performances, vegan BBQs, old skool rave nights and hardcore gigs from bands with names like Cancer Bats and Moscow Death Brigade. They’ve had bingo nights, as well – hosted by Charlotte Drag Queer. In a city that’s always felt a little lacking in the ‘live’ department, Pogłos punches past sensibility to present evenings that are raw, uncompromising and always high on action. ul. Burakowska 12
specialty coffee COFFEEDESK
Looking flawless in her pearl white colors, Coffeedesk is a place that does it right. Brewed by expert
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Drink! listings coffeeologists, the humble cup of Joe becomes an object of adoration. Populated round-the-clock by head-phoned freelancers and digital nomads tapping into their Macs, it’s a light, bright spot with a dynamic style and a keen sense of sexy. ul. Wilcza 42
COPHI
The phrase three’s a crowd could have been coined with Cophi in mind. Its super-snug dimensions are ideal for an afternoon spent curled up on an armchair watching the leaves tumble down on Hoża outside. A passion project whose small footprint is counterbalanced by the depth of its offer, the living room vibe mounts when the temperatures start dropping and the interiors act as a beacon to the public. ul. Hoża 58/60
FAT WHITE
Attached to one of the hippest, most Instagram-able barber shops in town, highlights of this adjoining cafe include a rocking cold brew, wickedly friendly staff and a halfmad collection of toy action figures (from Simpson models to a bad ass Al Pacino in full Scarface mode!). Tiny in its footprint, what it lacks in size it makes up for in heart: find a beauty of an interior that’s all swan white colors with walls graced by bookshelves and contemporary art that references Muranów’s past. ul.
Andersa 6
FORUM
Born with Instagram in mind, Forum has it all: super cool Afro-haired staff, a fashionably frayed interior, and a devoted client base that’s all about out-sized headphones and razor-thin laptops. Changing weekly, the big pull is a menu of specialty coffees from acclaimed roasters such as Five
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Elephant and The Coffee Collective fixed up by Poland’s AeroPress and Brewers Cup champion. ul.
Elektoralna 11
PO DRODZE
Set over two rooms inside a beautifully renewed tenement that leans over Bagatela, head to the back to discover the real soul of this cafe. Decorated in a soothingly Scandi-style, here it’s all concrete colors, raw timber, subtle splashes of art and lighting fixtures that are as captivating as the punters: headphone wearing digital nomads, exchange students flicking through their notepads, couples playing catch-up and influencers shooting videos for their next Tik Tok hit. ul.
Bagatela 11
STOR
Heaven for freelancers and people watchers, visitors bask in natural light amid outbreaks of greenery and quirky design touches: over some of the best specialty coffee in the city, time runs away here and before you know it hours have passed. Though it feels like a neighborhood warrior, it comes as no surprise that Stor’s patrons hail from all over Warsaw. ul.
Tamka 33
wine bars ALE WINO
Summers here are magical, with drinkers congregating on a courtyard deck shielded from the sun by a slanted white sail; but winters aren’t too shabby either – lose yourself within a warren of warmly-lit rooms that feel snug, intimate and even a little rustic. The choice of 250 plus wines is supported by some of the best cooking in the city. ul.
Mokotowska 48
CZARNE CZERWONE ZŁOTE
Deeply relaxing in its own quietly fashionable manner, the setting pairs well with a crowd that’s professional, sophisticated and impeccably turned-out. With the name referring to the colors of the German flag, you’d be right to expect a wine list that offers a deep dive into German wines. The menu, too, isn’t to be sniffed out – the wafer thin Flammkuchen are fab. ul. Koszykowa 49A
FRANK
First things first, it’s important to know that the name refers not to the owner, but Franconia, a region of Germany falling largely within Bavaria. This venue is a tribute to all that is good that comes from there – and in particular, that means wine. There’s 116 labels in all here, all of which are sourced from the wineries of the aforementioned region. Largely turning its shoulder on Riesling, instead its sip of choice is Silvaner, a palate-pleasing white traditionally kept in a bulb-shaped Bocksbeutel. Looking slick and sophisticated, the brilliant cooking of Aleksander Baron provides reason to hang around and make a night of it.
ul. Grzybowska 43A
RAUSZ NA WILCZEJ
Formerly a restaurant serving pre-war cuisine, Rausz na Wilczej used the pandemic to reposition themselves as a wine store / bar, building on their previous reputation for sourcing quirky labels you wouldn’t have necessarily heard of before. “In general,” says co-owner Izabela, “we want to present wines we drink ourselves from regions that are interesting and well worth knowing.” In addition to their Spanish, Italian and French collections, find excellent wines from less familiar destinations: Slovenia, Czech, Austria and Georgia. ul. Wilcza 27
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA
WHAT’S COOKING?
The latest exhibition at POLIN explores the diversity and back story of Jewish culinary culture…
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“S
how me your plate and I will tell you who you are: where you hail from, who your ancestors were, who your neighbors are and what lifestyle you lead.” It’s on this premise that POLIN’s latest exhibition is built, with the exposition seeking to acquaint visitors with the multi-layered story connected to Jewish culinary culture. Penetrating ever corner of the globe, it’s a cuisine steeped with symbolism; an underpinning element of Jewish identity, the exhibition leaves in no doubt the crucial role food has played in shaping Jewish ‘distinctiveness’. “Shaped over millennia in different locations all across the globe, it has remained very diverse until this very day,” say the organizers. “That is why the tale about Jewish food is simultaneously a tale about Jewish religion, culture and history.” Taking visitors across time and space, What’s Cooking demonstrates how certain dishes evolved as the result of numerous migrations from the Middle Ages to the great waves that occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries. “We will show the religious foundation which holds Jewish cuisine together – the rules of kashrut which inform the way certain dishes are prepared, as well as breaking away from that tradition today and rediscovering culinary roots,” continue the organizers. Along the way, guests will discover the links between potato pancakes and latkes, gołąbki with holishkes, cholent and adafina. Moreover, other
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questions stand to be answered such as why New Yorkers regard pickled gherkins and borscht as Jewish dishes. Additionally, you’ll find yourself learning about Fania Lewando, a pioneering Polish chef credited with writing the first-known Yiddish language vegetarian cookbook in Europe. As has come to be expected of POLIN’s exhibitions, be prepared to read hefty but illuminating texts that accompany the fascinating images; beautifully presented, the aesthetics are further bolstered by four sculptural installations devised by Anna Królikiewicz. Symbolizing ‘memories’, ‘diaspora’, ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’, it is perhaps the last that is arguably the most stunning. “Bringing to mind a metropolis dotted with skyscrapers or a café table with fanciful drinks, the dozen lamps are filled with colored, overflowing liquids,” says the organizers. “The metamorphoses taking place in them symbolically refer to the changes and new interpretations of Jewish culinary culture in the modern period.” Simply beautiful to admire, it says much for an exhibition that has been painstakingly put together.
“
That is why the tale about Jewish food is simultaneously a tale about Jewish religion, culture and history
POLIN ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl
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SPRING STYLE
PHOTOGRAPHER: PIOTR NAREWSKI STYLIST: AGATA KLEPACKA MODEL: GABI PAPIŃSKA
As life blooms anew, celebrate those crisp, clear days of early spring with a look that is as clean and fresh as the blue skies above. And where better to accessorize your wardrobe than at Designer Outlet Warszawa.
(clockwise from above left ) Liu Jo leather jacket (zł. 1,879 now zł. 940) Liu Jo dress (zł. 899 now zł. 450) Swarovski glasses (zł. 825 now zł. 577) Liu Jo shirt (zł. 589 now zł. 295) Liu Jo jeans (zł. 879 now zł. 440, MaxMara bag / Made in M (zł. 1,419 now zł. 989)
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Trussardi glasses (zł. 659 now zł. 339) Twinset sweater (zł. 1,021 now zł. 685) Swarovski ring zł. 1,300 now zł. 650) Tous watch zł. 1,090 now zł. 763) Hogl purse (zł. 549 now zł. 379)
Piaseczno | Puławska 42E designeroutletwarszawa.pl
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“
Checking out their website, the slew of options bring to mind the hipster dwellings of Insta’s biggest influencers...
For those looking to give their IKEA kitchen a spring spruce, Polish-firm njufront. have come to the rescue…
W
ho doesn't love Ikea? When Zlatan Ibrahimovic's wife announced she had found a house to move into, but complained that it wasn't furnished, The King is said to have responded with instructions to “just go to IKEA”. When their broker sniffed that “rich people don’t shop at IKEA,” Zlatan issued a response every bit as striking as one of his legendary finishes: “rich people may not shop at IKEA, but intelligent people do.”
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And not for the first time, Zlatan was on the ball. But what he didn’t add is that even cleverer people will also know to deal with IKEA’s longevity issues with smart solutions that result in less waste and further savings – it’s at this point njufront. enter the picture. WHO ARE THEY? Born in Warsaw in 2016, njufront. specialize in the creation of high-quality fronts that you can substitute for your knackered-old IKEA. Dead simple to use, hit up the ‘wizard’ on their website to
STYLE & FINISHING No, we’re not referring to Zlatan again, but rather the style and quality presented by njufront. Made using top-notch mdf fiberboards with a mat or semi-mat finish, njufront.’s kit comes in a choice of patterns and colors that reflect the most current trends. Checking out their website, the slew of options bring to mind the hipster dwellings of Insta’s biggest influencers – think herringbone and retro patterns; though featuring 18 colors in their palette, clients can order elements in any shade from the NCS and RAL Classic palette, thereby personalizing their
PHOTOGRAPH BY ZUZANNAPOPKO (IG_BLISKO.CHMUR)
IN WITH THE NEW
choose the front colors, sizes and patterns that suit you best before pushing order – arriving with pre-drilled holes for hinges and screws, they’re dead easy to assemble and will land on your doorstep within around six-weeks of ordering. And even though they are a Polish company, shipping is available to most EU countries.
Insider Notes
• ordered fronts arrive with drilled holes for hinges and screws, thanks to which their assembly is as easy as IKEA fronts • if you are not reworking an old system, but prefer the look of what njufront. has too offer to Ikea, then you can order your new Ikea kitchen without the fronts and njufront. will make them for you. • assistance is in English and orders take about sixweeks to be realized.
space yet further – be warned though, you might be inspired to redecorate your entire apartment around these colors. AND THERE’S MORE! Offering full support in English-language, njufront. are happy to entertain you in their Warsaw showroom to talk through their portfolio before any money is spent. Also proudly manufacturing all of their fronts and legs locally in Poland, their zero waste credentials play a sizeable role in the firm’s over-arching philosophy. Providing endless possibilities to revise and revive your kitchen, it’s little wonder to find their name whispered in recommendation by a growing number of Warsaw’s interior designers. But more than just a rescue option, consider njufront. as one of the ultimate lifestyle hacks you’ll discover for years. njufront.
ul. Dąbrowiecka 6B/2, njufront.com
TAKE IT SLOW
The slow revolution gathers pace with the launch of a toykobike outpost in Warsaw…
BACK STORY In much the same way mountain bikes were designed for the mountains, tokyobike was created with the streets of the Japanese capital in mind. Founded in 2002 in the Tokyo suburb of Yanaka, the brand quickly tapped into a wide fanbase looking for alternatives to their mamachari-style bikes. Big and clunky like suburban minivans, these traditional bicycles had began feeling a little like relics of the past, and this served as a catalyst for the birth of tokyobike. Seeking to introduce something a little more aesthetic than the old modes of transport, they’ve also been credited with being on warsawinsider.pl
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tokyobike ul. Mikołaja Kopernika 8/18, tokyobike.com.pl
the vanguard of the ‘Tokyo Slow’ philosophy, a transport revolution that has seen people turn to comfort over speed. THE WARSAW CONNECTION Ewelina Dziewiela fell in love with the tokyobike way of life having first come across their website and social media and ended up buying her bike in Berlin as it was the closest store. Having lost her job during the pandemic, she was motivated to strike out on her own and bring her love for tokyobike to
Poland, something that became a reality following a Zoom call with the company’s executives. Though hardly enamored by her idea, the top brass relented after being swayed Dziewiela’s enthusiasm for both their bikes and her city. THE BIKES Using far smaller wheels than usual (just 20 to 26 inches), the typical tokyobike weighs in between 10 to 12 kilos making it
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much easier to accelerate from a stooped position – the ride up from Powiśle will never be easier! You won’t be the fastest in the city by any means, but then tokyobike has always been more about enjoying the city pass around you, rather than getting from A to B in record time. Carrying numerous models, choices include the Classic Sport CS26), a simple, lightweight city bike with eight speeds, two versions of the step frame Bisou (seven speed and single speed), and the tokyobike
Sport – featuring nine speeds and a lightweight chromoly steel frame fitted with narrow front forks and 650C sports wheels, it’s the fastest of the range with its flat handlebars allowing for a more aggressive riding posture. The narrow cassette range, meanwhile, ensures quick and smooth gear changes. Lastly for the tots there is the Paddle which is a first bike without pedals, and the Little Toykobike which stands 95 to 115 cm in
height and comes with training wheels that can be removed. Linking them all up, black components, matte paint and clean lines serve to typify the tokyobike look. PERSONALIZE Baskets from RESTRAP, polished aluminum fenders and leather fittings from Brooks are available to all those wanting to hipster-ize their bike. These are ably abetted by other add-ons such as minimalist lamps from the Stockholm-based Bookman, and dapper raincoats from Danish fashion house Rains – find their cult coats in the colors of tokyobike. Safety isn’t overlooked either, with sustainable vintage retro helmets designed by Thousand. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM There’s footwear as well – born from a collab between tokyobike and the nostalgic MoonStar brand, find a range of shoes that have been designed to match the colors of the bike frames. Often compared to ‘pottery’, these shoes are fired much like ceramics in 120-degree kilns for 70-minutes. As each shoe goes through this exposure to extreme heat, the sulphur inside the raw rubber undergoes a chemical reaction leading to vulcanization, thereby improving the strength and flexibility of the rubber and creating durable shoes that are ready to weather any type of outdoor encounter. Ewelina also stocks another cult Japanese classic, Nishiguchi Kutsushita hemp socks that fill your shoes in such a way that you’ll never buy another brand again.
learning preschools AMERICAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW
Students aged 3-5 are encouraged to try new things, ask questions, and take risks in a nurturing environment in which they learn life skills alongside academics. Following the Primary Years Programme (PYP), our young students become caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. Contact
admissions@aswarsaw.org
BRITISH PRIMARY SCHOOL OF WILANOW
A values-driven school offering a world-class education based on the best of British Education. BSW is the first school in Poland to be accredited as Compliant by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). Based in a purpose built premises in Wilanow BSW is accepting applications from Nursery to Year 9. Please email admissions@ bswilanow.org to organise a visit.
THE BRITISH SCHOOL WARSAW EARLY YEARS CENTRE
The British School Warsaw provides EYFS classes from nursery to Year 1 (6 years old). Children develop quickly and their Early Years practitioners aim to do all they can to help your child have the best possible start in life and become a lifelong learner. ul. Dąbrowskiego
84 (Early Years Centre), tel. 22 646 7777, thebritishschool.pl
THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW PRESCHOOL
Welcoming students from the ages of 2.5 to 6 years old, currently 45% of their admissions are international students. The dedicated, IB-trained teachers deliver an innovative program (PYP) in English designed for modern world needs. The program offers a combination of Literacy, Maths, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, Music & Rhythmics, French and Polish classes. ul. Ignacego Krasickiego 53,
tel. 697 979 100, canadian-school.pl
CASA DEI BAMBINI & TODDLER SCHOOL
(multiple locations) Casa dei Bambini and Toddler School have three green and harmonious locations in Mokotów and Izabelin. The school in Izabelin is set in the quiet of the Kampinos Forest just outside the city. Teachers are fully trained in early-childhood education in English according to the Montessori philosophy. Registration open to children 12 months to 6 years of age. ul. Badowska 19, ul. Tatrzańska 5a (Mokotów), ul. Szkolna 16, (Izabelin), tel. 692 099 134, wmf.edu.pl
warsaw montessori family
Warsaw Montessori Schools
Accepting applications for our programs and locations: Infant & Toddler Tatrzańska 5a Badowska 19
Casa dei Bambini Badowska 19 Szkolna 16, Hornówek
Elementary Szwoleżerów 4
„Erdkinder” Middle School Tatrzańska 5a
Montessori High School THE INTERNATIONAL TRILINGUAL SCHOOL OF WARSAW
Pytlasińskiego 13a Contact Office: 692 099 134 office@warsawmontessori.edu.pl
Established in 1994, The Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary, and pre-school education
www.wmf.edu.pl
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with an international curriculum for children aged from one to 15. The full immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English, Polish, Spanish or Chinese, French or Japanese. Teachers are highly-qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain, China and Japan. ul. Nobla 16 (tel. 501 036 637),
ul. Karowa 14/16 (tel. 503 072 119), ul. Krolowej Aldony (tel. 533 321 084), office@3languages.pl, itsw.edu.pl
THE ENGLISH PLAYHOUSE
The English Playhouse functions in two green and quiet residential districts of Mokotów and Wilanów. The pre-school follows the English National Curriculum and
accepts children from 12 months up till six-years-old. For more info or to arrange a tour call Justyna Nowak on tel. 784 037 808 or email: jnowak@theenglishplayhouse.com
ul. Pływiańska 14a, tel. 22 843 9370, tep.edu.pl
Maple Tree Montessori is a family-run, international preschool that offers an authentic Montessori curriculum supported by a Music & Art program, with a natural playground and a strong focus on an ecological & healthy lifestyle. They have two classes: a toddler group (15 to 30 months) and a casa class (2.5 to 6
ADMISSIONS OPEN EARLY YEARS, PRIMARY, SECONDARY & IB admissions@thebritishschool.pl (0048) 22 842 32 81 ext. 125
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MAPLE TREE MONTESSORI
years). ul. Piechoty Łanowej 46A (entrance from Rotmistrzowska/ Petyhorska), tel. 531 599 444, mapletreemontessori.pl
MONTESSORI STEPPING STONES
An intimate, international, English-speaking preschool located in Powsin that follows the Montessori philosophy which emphasizes the individuality of each child. Children from the ages of 1.5-years-old to 6-years-old are welcome, with the school’s goals aimed at facilitating the individual development of the child, both physical and mental, through a system that is focused on
the spontaneous use of the human intellect. ul. Przyczółkowa 140, tel. 728
939 582, montessoristeppingstones.pl
schools
AKADEMEIA HIGH SCHOOL
Akademeia High School is an academically selective international school in Warsaw, offering iGCSEs and A Levels whilst preparing students for the best universities in the world. The staff body consists of alumni of the world’s best universities, whilst facilities at what has become Poland’s most prestigious school include an art studio, auditorium, sports hall and roof garden. ul.
Ledóchowskiej 2, akademeia.edu.pl
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW
With over 50 nationalities, ASW has been welcoming students from around the
world since 1953. As an IB Continuum school, our students follow the PYP, MYP and DP throughout their learner journey. These programmes develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. They are inspired by our highly qualified and international teaching staff. Students graduate with either the IB diploma or an American high school diploma. All programs are conducted in English, with integrated EAL support for non-native speakers. Contact:
admissions@aswarsaw.org or 22 702 85 00, ul. Warszawska 202 (Konstancin-Jeziorna), aswarsaw.org
BRITISH PRIMARY SCHOOL OF WILANOW
A values-driven school offering a world-class education based on the best of British Education. BSW is the first school in Poland to be accredited as Compliant by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). Based in a purpose built premises in Wilanow BSW is accepting applica-
tions from Nursery to Year 9. Please
email admissions@bswilanow.org to organise a visit
THE BRITISH SCHOOL WARSAW
Premium international school established in 1992 by Nord Anglia Education. The curriculum is designed to provide the highest academic quality of education. They follow the English National Curriculum, adapted to the needs of their international student community: from Primary through to the Secondary Key Stages to the IGCSE examinations and a well-established International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. ul. Limanowskiego 15, tel. 22 842 3281, thebritishschool.pl
THE ENGLISH PRIMARY
The English Primary is designed specifically for children in the primary education ages, just as
NEW NURSERY GROUPS Wilanów and Mokotów location Applications now open! www.tep.edu.pl
admissions@tep.edu.pl
696 904 687
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children experience in England but in an international community. Pupils are taken through the key learning stages so that they can achieve to the best of their ability through a fun learning experience. The Core Curriculum subjects include English, Phonics, Science, Mathematics, French, PE and Swimming, Music, Personal, Social and Health Education. ul. Rzodkiewki 18, tel. 784
037 808, tep.edu.pl
THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW INTERNATIONAL ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL
Located on two campuses in the Mokotów this is the only authorized IB School with PYP programs taught in English and Polish. French is taught as a third language. Offers a wide range of extra activities, a summer school, and employs a full time psychologist. Provision is made for additional Polish and English support. International staff, cultural events and challenging student initiatives create the perfect learning
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environment. ul. Bełska 7, tel. 692 411 573 / 885 420 044, secretary@ canadian-school.pl or secretary. olimpijska@canadian-school.pl
THE INTERNATIONAL TRILINGUAL SCHOOL OF WARSAW
Established in 1994, The Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary, and pre-school education with an international curriculum for children aged from one to 15. The full immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English, Polish, Spanish or Chinese, French or Japanese. Teachers are highly-qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain, China and Japan. ul. Nobla 16 (tel. 501 036 637),
ul. Karowa 14/16 (tel. 503 072 119), ul. Krolowej Aldony (tel. 533 321 084), office@3languages.pl, itsw.edu.pl
JOY PRIMARY SCHOOL Treating
pupils with mutual respect but not at the expense of being demanding, the methods used are hard on the problem but soft on the person. Taking into account what students think, feel, learn and want for themselves and their world, Joy Primary teaches important life skills as well as respect, care for others, problem solving and co-operation. Here, children are challenged to discover their abilities and competences, while encouraged to explore personal strength and autonomy. ul. Syta
131A, tel. 722 305 333, sekretariat@joyprimaryschool.pl
MONNET INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Located in Mokotów, the Monnett is the only school in Poland that implements the International Baccalaureate Program from kindergarten level all the way through to secondary school. The fully-qualified staff are committed to delivering only the highest standards of education. ul. Stępińska 13, tel. 22 852 06 08, maturamiedzynarodowa.pl
WARSAW MONTESSORI SCHOOL
A leader in the field of Montessori education, well-trained teachers guide students to independent and successful learning with both English and bilingual classroom provided. Located just steps from Łazienki Park the school resides in vibrant surroundings near to museums, embassies and natural settings which provide students with learning outside the classroom. ul. Szwoleżerów
4 (grades 0-4), tel. 608 488 420, wmf.edu.pl
WARSAW MONTESSORI MIDDLE SCHOOL Guided by trained specialists, students are responsible for managing their household, operating small businesses, caring for local flora and fauna
as well as domesticated animals, taking charge of the younger children and much more. “Adolescence Program” activities, integrated with academic studies, help students discover their inner strength to meet real life challenges. ul. Tatrzańska 5A
shopping experiences ARKADIA
(grades 5-8), tel. 604 137 826, wmf.edu.pl
Not many Polish malls do it better. Stores inc. Mango, Lacoste, Guess, Hilfiger and Peek & Cloppenburg.
WARSAW MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL
GALERIA MOKOTÓW
Warsaw Montessori High School aims to teach students the values which Maria Montessori outlined in her educational philosophy such as: responsibility for one’s own development, care for others, honesty, empathy, and service. The school continues to meet the principles of Maria Montessori through implementing the IB Diploma Program principles and practices. Warsaw Montessori High School is an authorized IB World School for the Diploma Programme – code 061201. ul.
Pytlasińskiego 13A, tel. 787 095 835, wmf.edu.pl
Al. Jana Pawła II 82, arkadia.com.pl
Stores inc. Calvin Klein, Hollister, Hugo Boss, New Balance, Royal Collection and Timberland. ul.
Wołoska 12, galeriamokotow.com.pl
KLIF HOUSE OF FASHION
Warsaw’s original luxury shopping center has a line-up of top boutiques that include Max Mara, Paul & Shark and Pinko. ul. Okopowa 58/72, klif.pl
ZŁOTE TARASY
Over 200 stores, restaurants and cafes, plus the Multikino cinema and the Pure Jatomi Health and Fitness Club. ul. Złota 59,
zlotetarasy.pl
Accepting applications for Nursery to Year 9 bsw.com.pl +48 221 110 062 ul. Hlonda 12, Warsaw admissions@bswilanow.org
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THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN!
Warsaw’s rich history and cultural significance has left it with no shortage of museums to visit. Offering a well-rounded view of the city’s past and present, these are the seven you just shouldn’t miss… FRYDERYK CHOPIN MUSEUM
The 18th century Ostrogski Palace is the perfect foil for the ultra-modern content of this multi-sensory space. The personal items are captivating (his death mask, gifts from his muse, etc.), but the big victory here is the museum’s ability to suck visitors right back into the times of Chopin through the use of interactive sights and sounds. ul. Okólnik 1, chopin.
museum
MUSEUM OF LIFE UNDER COMMUNISM
A deeply personal insight into the former system by allowing visitors to view what Communism meant to the everyday person. Here, rifle and
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rummage through a room mockedup to resemble a typical household apartment, watch propaganda films, peer inside a phone box, paw at vintage keep-fit gear or covet the ladies fashions of the time. Detailed in its captions, witty in its presentation and comprehensive in its content, it is a place where normal items such as aftershave bottles, postcards, clothing and crude household appliances are allowed to shine on a totem and tell their own story. A haven of trinkets and collectibles, its small size belies its utter magic. ul.
Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl
MUSEUM OF WARSAW
Reprised as a maze-like treasure filled trove glimmering with
curiosities, thousands of objects have been gathered here to detail the story of Warsaw in a non-linear style that can at times feel overwhelming. Peculiar souvenirs, scale models, old postcards and recovered works of art all combine with a mass of trivia to leave visitors boggled with knowledge. The vertiginous views of the Rynek below are worth the admission alone. Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42,
muzeumwarszawy.pl
NATIONAL MUSEUM
Famed for its collection of Dutch and Flemish masters, it’s also the final word in Polish art, with all the greats represented – inc. Matejko, Witkiewicz and other such stars.
That’s reason enough for many, but for others the museum’s ace card was revealed at the end of 2017 with the opening of the Gallery of Polish Design. Offering a full 360 view of Polish 20th century applied arts, it’s an aesthetic joy featuring everything from iconic PRL era wall units and tulip chairs to kitschy toys and gizmos. Frankly, it’s a stunning museum that just keeps getting better – though delayed by covid, the start of the year saw the world class Gallery of Ancient Art added to the mix. Featuring 1,800 ancient relics, papyrus scrolls, Iranian golden masks and even an Egyptian mummy! Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl
NEON MUSEUM
Playing a key role in the government’s attempts to fuse socialist ideology with consumerism, the campaign to ‘neon-ize’ Poland saw gloomy cities still bearing the scars of war boldly gleam once more under lights designed and produced by many of the leading
artisans of the time. Salvaged from the scrapheap (in many instances, literally), this museum was created by Ilona Karwinska and David Hill who inadvertently kickstarted a nationwide trend and reignited the country’s appetite for neon. Housing several dozen neons that once lit up Poland, these renovated signs make for Warsaw’s coolest attraction: Instagram them now! ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org
POLIN
Composed of eight galleries, this architectural marvel covers different stages of local Jewish history, from the middle ages to the present day. Highlights of this museum include a staggeringly beautiful replica of the ceiling of Gwoździec synagogue, and a ‘remake’ of a typical inter-war Jewish Warsaw street. That it was named the European Museum of the Year in 2016 such much for its ambitions to focus on more than the Holocaust alone. ul.
Anielewicza 6, polin.pl
THE WARSAW RISING MUSEUM
If the throngs and sheer informational overload can often be daunting, it remains the most important museum in the capital, and quite arguably the country. Points of interest are rife and include a life-size replica of a B-24 Liberator plane as well as a claustrophobic ‘sewage tunnel’ through which visitors squeeze to get an idea of the kind of conditions combatants once faced. But it’s not the A-list sights that make the biggest impact, rather the smaller, highly personal curios: a pair of wedding bands forged from bullets; an Omega watch, it’s hands frozen at the same moment a bomb killed its owner; and a lucky cuddly mascot made from a German overcoat. Of course, the aftermath is also covered in heartrending detail and concludes with a 3D film that takes viewers swooping over the smoldering ruins of the capital. ul. Grzybowska
79, 1944.pl
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4 9 km
Praga Zoo
10 ki aw
Powązki Cemetery
Andersa
St
7 Jewish Cemetery
6 Old Town
5
2 ska kow
szał Mar
ska bow
Grzy
2
4 a zysk tokr Swie
ta
Pros
skie
olim eroz
Palace of Culture & Science
Al. J
9
11
1
8
3
Łazienki Park
1 19 km
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3 4 km
7
MAP 5
6
shopping exeriences National Stadium
1
Designer Outlet Warszawa ul. Puławska 42E, designeroutletwarszawa.pl 2
Elektrownia Powiśle ul. Dobra 42, elektrowniapowisle.com 3
Galeria Mokotów ul. Wołoska 12, galeriamokotow.com.pl 4
Galeria Północna ul. Światowida 17, galeriapolnocna.pl 5
Klif House of Fashion ul. Okopowa 58/72, klif.pl 6
Koneser Pl. Konesera, koneser.eu
7
Plac Unii ul. Puławska 2, placunii.pl 8
Mysia 3 ul. Mysia 3, mysia3.pl
9
Vitkac ul. Bracka 9, likusconceptstore.pl 10
Westfield Arkadia Al. Jana Pawła II 82, pl.westfield.com/arkadia 11
Złote Tarasy ul. Złota 59, zlotetarasy.pl
museums 1
National Museum Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl.pl
2
The Warsaw Rising Museum ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl 3
Museum of Life Under Communism ul. Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl 4
Fryderyk Chopin Museum ul. Okólnik 1, chopin. museum 5
Neon Museum ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org 6
Museum of Warsaw Rynek Starego Miasta 2842, muzeumwarszawy.pl 7
POLIN ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl
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EVENTS Things to play with: Edward Manitius & his toy workshop
Until 10 April @ Muzeum Warszawskiej Pragi, ul. Targowa 50/52 Finding it hard to convince your children to visit a museum? Take them to see the toy exhibit in Warsaw’s regenerating Praga district. Focused on Edward Manitius (1902 – 1975), a designer and producer of educational toys whose workshop was located near the museum, this exhibit displays wooden toys, games and much more. Innovative for their time, the objects were presented in the Polish pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Closing on April 10th, this is one not to miss! For more: muzeumpragi.pl
Małgorzata Markiewicz: Pimoa Chthulu
Until 8 May @ Miejsce Projektów Zachęty, ul. Gałczyńskiego 3 Markiewicz draws a parallel between the interconnected structure of spider webs and the many faces of human interaction. Large-scale pieces have been hand-crocheted by retired women in search of jobs who responded to the artist’s Facebook call to action. Though very much contemporary, the exhibit references the longtime tradition of female textile weavers. For more: zacheta.art.pl
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Warsaw Insider | APRIL 2022
Plavalaguna
Until 14 April @ LETO, ul. Dzielna 5 With subject matter reserved only for adults, Plavalaguna is the current exhibit at Leto Gallery – one of Poland’s most important private contemporary art galleries. Known for presenting pieces by artists whose work has been described as ‘outsider’ art, this exhibit is definitely far from typical. For more: leto.pl
Sankt Anna
Until 7 May @ Gunia Nowik Gallery, ul. Bracka 18/62 Hidden in the courtyard of a large tenement building in the heart of Warsaw is the Gunia Nowik Gallery. Typically focusing on a single artist’s oeuvre, this exhibit is no different. Sankt Anna is a display of works by Polish artist Anna Orłowska. Orłowska reaches into her home archives and transfers selected photographs onto photographic objects, subjecting them at the same time to various operations. For more: gunianowikgallery.com
Chagall
23 April – 24 July @ Muzeum Narodowe, Al. Jerozolimskie 3 This is the first occasion to view a group of 14 works newly acquired by the museum, all by the famed French painter,
ART & FILM IN APRIL By Krystyna Spark
Marc Chagall. The works on display were created in the 1960s and 1970s, during a time when Chagall lent towards more energetic, intensive and lively tones. Combining techniques such as pastels, colored ink, pencil and gouache, this is one for lovers of Chagall as well as those new to his work!
For more: mnw.art.pl
Chopin Concerts
All of April @ Sala Koncertowa Fryderyk, ul. Podwale 15 Set in a 19th century courtyard in the heart of Old Town, the Fryderyk Concert Hall is the perfect setting to enjoy the compositions of Fryderyk Chopin. Performed by some of the best classical pianists from Poland and abroad, it’s the perfect idea at the end of a busy day full of exploring Warsaw’s historic quarter. For more: fryderyk.events
Archival Film Screenings
Year-round @ Kino Iluzjon, ul. Narbutta 50A Part of the National Film Institute, the Iluzjon Cinema is a destination for film buffs of all ages. With a program full of indie films, old classics, restored masterpieces and thematic cycles there is always something interesting to watch. For more: iluzjon.fn.org.pl
