Fine Dining & Author’s Cuisine

When second best just won’t do, hit up these big guns for a meal to remember… to watch and not just due to a stunning design: think tan, beige and white colors embellished with moon-shaped mirrors, gleaming lights and statement art. Priced between PLN 22 and 41, diners are encouraged to fill up on four to five a’la carte courses that appear like miniaturized works of art – think of each course as a micro bomb of sophisticated goodness. The veal was our highlight when we visited in May, just shading the icy strawberry-themed dessert.

Muzealna

Jerozolimskie 3

Design figures highly. Minimalistic at first sight, this sun-kissed chamber in the nether regions of the National Museum is sprinkled generously with works attributed to some of Poland’s top design pioneers. On the food front, Przemysław Suska, a rising star with the world at his feet, has modernized Polish classics whilst giving international dishes a Polonized spin: step forward the beetroot wellington. What lies in store this December is guesswork, but you can bet it will hit the spot.

Nolita

Wilcza 46

Ale Wino

Mokotowska 48

Regularly adjusted to utilize the best items the season has to offer, the menu is a triumph of expertly balanced tastes and is admired for some of the most interesting cooking in the city – think elegant with a localized twist. Rounding out the experience is an intimate, labyrinthine design that’s ideal for when it’s cold and grim. All of a sudden, you don’t mind so much that the shaded courtyard terrace is closed for the season.

Dyletanci

Rozbrat 44A

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.

HUB.PRAGA

Jagiellońska 22

Heading the kitchen is Witek Iwański, a chef whose past accolades include our very own ‘Top Talent’ title in our Best of Warsaw issue last month. And wow, this newbie is also one

Winning our award last year for ‘Outstanding Achievement’, chef Jacek Grochowina’s enclave of class looks dashing with its monochrome colors and muted gunmetal shades, but it’s the food that has made it the place Warsaw heads to live the life of the 1%. Treasuring detail and finesse, our October visit peaked with a razor thin cuts of venison loin served in the style of a mille-feuille, as well as a star turn by a grilled octopus coated with wasabi mayo and served with a surprising, adventurous hit of chili with the accompanying creamy potato.

Nuta

Pl. Trzech Krzyży 10/14

Extraordinary in every respect, Nuta is a place where the impossible happens – no surprise given that

Andrea Camastra is cooking. Rated among Le Liste’s Top 100 chefs in the world, his cooking is a world class experience that involves dizzying takes on Polish classics as well as a couple of favorites from his previous restaurant, the Michelin starred Senses. Highlights are too numerous to mention, suffice to say this is the best restaurant in Warsaw – and most likely Poland. Enjoy it in an interior that feels sophisticated but never ceremonial. Bookings mandatory.

Restauracja Warszawska

Powstańców Warszawy 9

(Hotel Warszawa)

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 pork dumplings served in a vibrant essence of paprika. It’s exceptional.

Rozbrat 20

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.

Signature

Poznańska 15

Flirting with fine dining – yet at 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.

Sz Stka

Powstańców Warszawy 9 (Hotel Warszawa)

Found on the sixth floor of a 1930s tower that was, for a time, ranked Europe’s second tallest building, Szóstka’s fan base is all thanks to Dariusz Barański, a highly skilled chef fond of presenting such dishes as crab meat toast with lime and mango.

Tuna

Elektryczna 2

Resembling the scales of a fish, Tuna’s core decorative element are 18,000 tuna cans that sheathe the walls. Smartly appointed in dark metallic colors, punches of wood add warmth to the aesthetic. Specializing in ‘doing the unexpected’ with fish, chef and co-owner Martin Gimenez Castro has created an exhilarating menu that includes salmon jerky, tuna sausages, an elaborately reconstructed dorada tail and the best-selling chili con tuna. Tuna succeeds in reimagining everything you thought you knew about eating fish..

VALENTINE'S HIGHLIGHT Epoka

Ossolińskich 3

Preserved 19th century cornices and baroque-style drapes lend an enveloping sense of luxury to this A-Class space. 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. At the start of the year, this was one of two resaurants (the other being Nolita) ranked by La Liste in the world’s Top 100 Restaurants.

An Ochota apartment hides a world of rare, rescued finds…

Second-hand does not have to mean second best, and that’s abundantly clear in Pogodne, a place that could vie for the title of Warsaw’s best-kept secret were it not for the fact that the secret first escaped when they opened two-years back.

Extraordinary in every aspect, just reaching it is an adventure. Found in a modernist era residential block on a sedate side street in Old Ochota, huff your way to the top floor before being ushered inside to view the treasures that lie within. Creaking over prewar parquet floors, an eclectic world awaits, one filled with re-loved finds accrued by the owner, Maria.

Rummaging is a joy, and doing such – occasionally over a coffee – will reveal a rich array of random finds: 1960s Polish fashion mags; a Charles & Di wedding mug; porcelain pets; and Moomin lamps. Amid those, sift, thumb and admire the commemorative plates from Poland’s PRL period, yellowing books, antique Russkie cameras or strings of jewels that scream “Gatsby theme night”.

Often classically flamboyant, the garments and shoes that fill this haven of clutter are the very definition of vintage couture – from shiny, almost fetishistic macs to elegant cocktail dresses via Carnaby Street-style fashions and big statement broaches. Coming together in a stupendous riot of color, think of this as the ultimate time capsule: a place that puts Warsaw on pause in quite scintillating style.