Restaurants to spend time in our opinion. With plenty of atmosphere thanks to earthy colours, menorah candlelight, and loads of antiques, Sarah is reminiscent of the cafes found in Kraków’s old Jewish district and teams with Mleczarnia to create one of the best seasonal beer gardens in the city.QD‑6, ul. Włodkowica 5, tel. (+48) 609 99 01 97, www.sarah. wroclaw.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00. €€. U6W
MEXICAN PANCZO Mexican and Tex-Mex in Poland can be terrible microwave-thawed sludge guacamole and flavourless gringo quesadillas are the norm most places you go. Luckily, now and then you’ll find an establishment more interested in flavour and quality (and, dare we say, creativity) than in drawing a crowd familiar exclusively with movietheatre nachos. This is one of those places. Endearingly unorthodox, their “big-ass burritos” (more Tex than Mex, obviously) feature ingredients like mango salsa, pineapple marinated with passion fruit, and pulled beef neck, which sounds like something a veterinarian would deal with. The end result blew our socks off, and there’s more to try on the menu: pulled-chicken quesadillas, decked-out baked potatoes, tacos, and - since moving out of the 4Hops bar to a place of their own - a selection of colourful margaritas, cheladas, sangrias, and shots. Provecho!QD‑5, ul. Św. Antoniego 35/1A, tel. (+48) 884 00 97 37. Open 12:00 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00. €. U6W
PASTA BARS UMAMI DUMPLING & PASTA BAR Not the Japanese establishment you’d expect from the name: instead, Umami explores the ‘fifth taste’ (which, if you need a reminder, is ‘savoury,’‘meaty,’ or ‘brothy,’ and was first proposed by chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908) in a variety of world cuisines. The owners’ other culinary love is humble flour, and as such the menu focuses largely on dumplings and noodles, such as ravioli, pierogi, wontons, ramen, pad thai, tagliatelle, and more. Bright, airy, and located right on the main square, Umami also appears to be exceptionally child-friendly, judging from the number of cherub-cheeked customers babbling away in high chairs (and yes, there is a kids’ menu!). If you’re thirsty for more, Umami also has an intriguing selection of cocktails, including ‘smoked sesame,’ ‘spicy tomato,’ and ‘roasted tea.’QE/F‑5, Rynek 60, tel. (+48) 602 66 00 38, www.umami.wroclaw.pl. Open 10:30 - 22:00, Fri 09:30 - 23:00, Sat 09:00 - 23:00, Sun 09:00 - 21:30. €€. TU6W
POLISH CHATKA PRZY JATKACH This small, popular Polish eatery, across from the ul. Jatka gallery stalls, achieves the trick of appearing like a rustic village cottage if you don’t notice the ceiling ductwork. Enhancing the illusion is the genuine Bolesławiec folkware on the tables (begging to leap into someone’s handbag), stout wooden tables, timber fittings and a thatched iyp.me/polandblog
September – December 2018
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