Warsaw Insider March 2017 #247

• The Eastern Wall • Women of Warsaw • Travel: Wrocław

Warsaw The Capital’s Original City Magazine Since 1996

MARCH 2017

247 03/2017

INDEKS 334901 ISSN:1643-1723

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Moving? zł.10

(VAT 8% included)

ALEXANDRE VAUTHIER ALEXANDRE BIRMAN ANYA HINDMARCH AQUAZZURA BALMAIN BUSCEMI CASADEI CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN FRANCESCO RUSSO GIANVITO ROSSI HERVE LEGER ISABEL MARANT KENZO KOTUR MAISON MICHEL ONE TEASPOON SELF – PORTRAIT TOD’S TORY BURCH VALENTINO VICTORIA BECKHAM YVES SALOMON

Moliera 2 tel.: 228277099, www.Moliera2.com

MARCH 2017 Editor-in-chief Alex Webber

insider@warsawinsider.pl Art Director Kevin Demaria insider@warsawinsider.pl Publisher Morten Lindholm mlindholm@valkea.com

Dickens, is the month in which “the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Though I doubt he ever rolled into Warsaw in a pimped-up stagecoach, those words pretty much nail everything you can expect over the coming few weeks: while a revolving wardrobe isn’t essential, it’s certainly quite helpful. What is vital, however, is your March copy of the Insider. Aside from offering the most comprehensive and impartial listings available in the capital, this issue we take a closer look at the largely unknown story of the monstrosity that is ‘the Eastern Wall’, celebrate the women of Warsaw, and delve into Wrocław’s nascent arts district: yep, that’s me contributing to it right there in the picture. Hope you enjoy it, and see you next month – same time, same place.

INFRONT

Opener 9 News 10 Architecture 12 City 14

FEATURES

The Eastern Wall 16 Women of Warsaw 24 Travel: Wrocław’s Art District 30

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Alex Webber insider@warsawinsider.pl

REVIEWS

Oh, My Pho! 35 Kieliszki Na Hożej 36 Pańksa 85 38 Drugie Dno 40 Cyderia 40

PARTNER NEWS

The Latest Marketpalce News From The Warsaw Insider’s Friends and Advertisers 42

Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

LISTINGS

Restaurants 44 Cafes & Wine Bars 74 Nightlife 77 Shopping 82 Family 84 Health & Beauty 89 In the City 91

INBACK

Map 94 Looking Back 96

Advertising Manager Jowita Malich jmalich@valkea.com Business Development Manager A. Julita Pryzmont jpryzmont@valkea.com ey Account Manager K Agata Sicińska asicinska@valkea.com Distribution Manager Krzysztof Wiliński kwilinski@valkea.com Subscription 12 editions of the Insider zł. 99 (inc. VAT) in Poland.

Orders can be placed through: insider@warsawinsider.pl Printed by Zakład Poligraficzny TECHGRAF Tel. (17) 225-28-69 VALKEA MEDIA S.A., ul. Elbląska 15/17, Warszawa, Poland; tel. (48 22) 639 8567; fax (48 22) 639 8569; e-mail: insider@warsawinsider.pl Information is accurate as of press time. We apologise for any errors, but cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies.

All information ©2017 Warsaw Insider.

on the cover When it was built, the Eastern Wall neighborhood was designed to catapult Warsaw into the future. Did it work out?

See p. 16.

(Illustration by Michał Miszkurka)

PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WIGHT

March, in the words of Charles

Contributors: Stuart Dowell Maria Mileńko Michał Miszkurka Ed Wight

CASADEI CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN MEN FAY GIANVITO ROSSI MEN KENZO MONCLER ONE TEASPOON RALPH LAUREN TOD’S TORY BURCH VALENTINO VICTORIA BECKHAM BURBERRY CHILDREN DSQUARED2 KIDS KENZO KIDS MONCLER KIDS

this month...

Concert

Concert

3 March @ Stodoła, ul. Batorego 10 The founder of The Bluesbreakers is one of the enduring legends of the jazz and blues circuit, with a CV that stretches back to the 60s when he used to perform with Eric Clapton. Success has followed him through his professional life, so expect a packed house for this performance.

21 March @ Towar, ul. Łazienkowska 6A Of his early performances Odell recalls they were “full of humiliation: dragging a keyboard round, turning up to find out I’d been taken off the bill, gangs of lads grabbing the mic off me and laughing.” Guess whose had the last laugh?

Named Songwriter of the Year at the 2014 edition of the Ivor Novello Awards, Odell’s star just keeps on rising.

John Mayall

Ticket info unknown at press time

Concert

Macy Gray 7 March @ Stodoła, ul. Batorego 10 One of very few contemporary singers who has managed to combine commercial success with constant development as an artist. The R’n’B and jazz great will be performing in Warsaw as part of a wider tour promoting her latest album, Stripped.

Ticket info unknown at press time

Concert

Tom Odell

Tickets from zł. 120 @ eventim.pl

Concert

Anastacia 24 March @ Towar, ul. Łazienkowska 6A With hits that include Paid My Dues and I’m Outta’ Love, this pint-sized American pop princess requires zero introduction.

Her trip to Poland is part of her Ultimate Collection Tour, a grand undertaking that will ultimately see the star perform at over 70 venues in Europe.

Tickets from zł. 125 @ eventim.pl

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Concert

8 March @ Progresja, ul. Fort Wola 22 Best known for seismic hits such as Groovejet and Murder on the Dancefloor, the iconic British singer arrives to Poland on the back of the highly successful release of her sixth studio album, Familia.

27 March @ Towar, ul. Łazienkowska 6A Sting returns to Poland as part of a tour to raise awareness of his new solo album, 57th and 9th. It’s a safe bet that his greatest hits will also get an outing.

Tickets from zł. 105 @ eventim.pl

Sting

Tickets from zł. 349 @ livenation.pl

Polish Cinema for Beginners Organized for the first time ever, Przestrzeń Filmowa and Kino Muranów have joined forces with the aim of familiarizing the English-speaking foreigners of Warsaw with the nuances of Polish film. Spanning March and April, five films – each connected with one particular Polish city – will be screened at Kino Muranów with English subtitles. Meetings and discussions are also planned and they too will be staged with English-speakers in mind. Tickets: zł. 16, for info, see: kinomuranow.pl

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

11 minutes dir. Jerzy Skolimowski, 2015, 81 minutes March 2, 8 p.m. @ Kino Muranów, ul. Andersa 5

Noose dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1957, 96 minutes March 30, 8 p.m. @ Kino Muranów, ul. Andersa 5

Carte Blanche dir. Jacek Lusiński, 2015, 101 minutes March 16, 8 p.m. @ Kino Muranów, ul. Andersa 5

Influenz dir. Łukasz Barczyk, 2014, 110 minutes April 13, 8 p.m. @ Kino Muranów, ul. Andersa 5

in

What’s hot, what’s not: the faces and stories trending around town

ILLUSTRATION BY DAWID MAJGAT, PHOTOS LEFT TO RIGHT WIKICOMMONS, PRESS MATERIAL, SHUTTERSTOCK

RE-DRAWING THE MAP

In what’s been interpreted as little more than a cynical power grab the ruling PiS party have caused controversy after declaring their intention to redraw Warsaw’s city limits. The plan would see 32 municipalities sucked into the capital’s sphere of influence and the city’s total land area expanded by 900 square miles.

By extending the metropolitan area, PiS claim that their scheme would give people in outlying areas better access to central resources. However, most leading analysts agree that this would only serve to deepen social divides with the rest of the country and create greater inequality. With the overwhelming majority of neighboring municipalities supporting PiS, political commentators have been left in no doubt that the real reasoning behind the PiS proposal is their desire to gain control of the capital. Up until now the city – which is ruled by the liberal opposition – has been a constant thorn in the side of the ultra-conservative PiS. A citywide referendum has been called for March 26th.

WIN, WIN, WIN

From a cultural perspective February proved quite a month for Poland. Composer Krzysztof Penderecki scooped the fifth Grammy of his distinguished career, this time for Best Choral Performance, while director Agnieszka Holland was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for her film Pokot. Elsewhere, Warsaw’s Katyń Museum has made it to the final stage of the EU’s Prize for Contemporary Architecture. www.warsawinsider.pl

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inFront

news

TOTALLY STUMPED

The PiS party have infuriated residents of the city center after ten otherwise healthy trees were felled on ul. Nowogrodzka.

A new resolution passed by PiS allows trees with a diameter of less than 100 centimeters to be cut down without the city’s permission if they stand on private property. Locals, however, have been left fuming and claim that many of the destroyed trees exceeded the 100 centimeter rule. The news comes at a time when environmental campaigners are growing increasingly frustrated with the direction Warsaw is facing. Recently released reports suggest that a total of 157,523 trees were felled in the city between 2009 and 2015, with only around 30% of this number being replaced.

DRESSED FOR THE JOB

ZTM, Warsaw’s public transport authority, have announced that from mid-March ticket inspection duties will be handled by a private firm called Cursor. Having won a tender to supply their services, Cursor have pledged to recruit 105 inspectors to patrol trams and buses, and 93 to work on the regional trains. Representing a significant improvement on the brutish ticket collectors currently hired by ZTM, Cursor have stated that their employees will be proficient in a second language (either Russian or English) and will be trained to handle fiery situations. As part of the image revamp, all ticket collectors will also be required to wear a uniform.

Fans of Legia Warszawa were once again in the headlines after thugs affiliated to the club stormed a bar in which followers of Ajax Amsterdam were drinking. Though heavily damaged in the ensuing battle, a campaign to raise money to repair Chmury surpassed its target within days of its launch.

Denizens of Bielsko-Biała have clubbed together to buy Hollywood legend Tom Hanks a Fiat 126p. Having spotted a jokey Instagram post that showed the Oscarwinning actor trying to climb into a ‘Maluch’, Bielsko native Monika Jaskólska launched a crowdfunding drive to purchase just such a model for Hanks. “When I saw him pictured next to a Maluch,” says Jaskólska, “I decided to acquaint him with the history of the car (ed note: which was produced in Bielsko-Biała), the stories of the people who manufactured it and the town where it was produced.” Having successfully raised the required amount of cash, a turquoisecolored Fiat is currently being repaired and will be flown to L.A. gratis by LOT. In response, Hanks has promised to donate cash to the Bielsko-Biała children’s hospital.

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: SHUTTERSTOCK (2), PRESS MATERIAL

HANKS FOR SHARING

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inFront

architecture

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Warsaw’s ambition to be viewed as one of Europe’s key financial players has been given a boost with news that the city is set to become home to the EU’s tallest building. Titled Varso Tower, construction on the 53-story project commenced in late January and is expected to run until 2020. Designed by the prestigious architectural firm Foster + Partners, features will include one of the largest co-working spaces in Europe, as well as the latest energy efficient technology. Beyond the corporate babble, the developer, HB Reavis, have announced that the skyscraper will also include a 230-meter-high observation deck, and a split-level restaurant spanning the 46th and 47th floors. Topping out at 310-meters, the tower promises to be one meter taller than The Shard in London, and will surpass the Palace of Culture – Warsaw’s current highest building – by over 70 meters.

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

The recently opened restaurant and bar Mokotowska 69 is a perfect place for those who enjoy refined food and excellent wine.

The restaurant offers classic Polish dishes with a modern twist, delicious steaks and a wide range of wine from all over the world.

Mokotowska 69 was designed for those who enjoy Polish cuisine and those who would like to try classic Polish dishes with a modern twist, such as Mazurian crayfish in rowan brandy cream sauce, roasted catfish with pearl barley and beets or roasted duck with pears and blackcurrant. The restaurant also specialises in steaks made from American Black Angus (certified prime grade by the USDA), Scottish Aberdeen Angus and the highest quality Japanese Tajima-gyu cattle, “Kobe-style”: class 5, marbling 9+. ul. Mokotowska 69, tel. (+48 22) 628 73 84 / (+48 22) 627 20 33, www.mokotowska69.pl

The restaurant and wine store Merliniego 5, located vis-à- vis the main entrance to the Warszawianka Aqua Park, is the ideal place for those who love good food and fantastic wines. Merliniego 5 specialises in seafood dishes and steaks made of American Black Angus (prime beef USDA certified), especially selected from the New York-based OTTOMANELLI & SONS butchery. The restaurant also serves steaks made of the Aberdeen Angus and top quality Japanese beef from Tajima cattle, “Kobe style” (grade 5A/BMS 9+). Further, menu offers seasonal and traditional Polish cuisine dishes. At the end of 2011, the readers of Gazeta Stołeczna granted us the prestigious title of Knajpa Roku 2011 (Eating Establishment of the Year 2011). Since 2013 we have also been listed in the Michelin Guide. ul. Merliniego 5, tel. (+48 22) 646 08 10 / (+48 22) 646 08 49, www.merliniego5.pl

inFront

city

If in doubt, you know winter’s over with the first seasonal sighting of a Veturilo. Launched in 2012, the city’s bike share program has proved a runaway success, even being named by USA Today as one of the top 16 bicycle rental systems in the world. Set to return to the streets on March 1st, both the bikes and their docking stations have undergone a substantial re-haul since going into hibernation last November. Now, users can look forward to over 4,500 new bikes – including more models, tandems and kids bikes – as well as a total of 316 terminals, all of which will be equipped with the technological capacity to warn registered pedal-philes if bikes aren’t in full working order. Other innovations include the introduction of QR codes that will enable easier bike loans that will bypass the need to fiddle about at the stations. For more details, and to sign up as a Veturilo user, see: en.veturilo.waw.pl

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

PRESS MATERIAL

PEDAL POWER

NEIGHBORHOOD PROWL THE EASTERN WALL

The

Beast-ern

WALL Once a symbol of a Brave New World, the Ściana Wschodnia (Eastern Wall) running down Marszałkowska is more than just a 60s throwback...

WORDS BY ALEX WEBBER

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

www.warsawinsider.pl

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NEIGHBORHOOD PROWL THE EASTERN WALL

A

lthough the war left much of Marszałkowska mangled and mauled, it is a misconception to think that the buildings of old were beyond repair. Despite this, the new regime saw little mileage in restoring them. Seen as too bourgeois and impractical for the post-war order, surviving tenements were bulldozed to make way for a new socialist realist city that would rise from the ashes.

However, Stalin died before this objective could be fully realized and with Big Brother no longer watching Poland swiftly adopted new architectural strategies. Left with a gaping big void to fill between what is now Świętokrzyska and Jerozolimskie, a competition was set in motion to find a suitable design.

Won by Zbigniew Karpiński, his blueprint imagined a futuristic development that would counter-balance the looming hulk of the Palace of Culture. “This must be the Warsaw of the future,” wrote Architektura magazine, “a place full of cars, helicopters, scooters and fast living” Though delayed by shortages of labor and materials, Karpiński’s project gradually rose between 1960 and 1970. Despite cosmetic changes both great and small, it survives to this day caught in a rare limbo between the past, the present and the future...

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

FORUM HOTEL Completed five years after the rest of the Eastern Wall, the Forum Hotel represented the final element of this visionary project. With the Poles lacking the required technology and know-how to build such, Warsaw’s first ‘Western-inspired’ tower was actually designed by a Swede. Standing 96-meters high, its tobacco-colored facade left critics unimpressed: the author Jerzy Waldorff was so outraged he declared it to be Sweden’s revenge for their 17th century defeat at The Battle of Częstochowa. Regarded at the time as one of the country’s most luxurious hotels, its finest hour came in 1976 when ABBA checked into town causing the center to grind to a standstill. Since then the Forum has been rebranded as the Novotel Warszawa Centrum, and its garish exterior panels replaced by a glistening, silver skin. The underpass linking the Forum Hotel to the rest of the Eastern Wall was the first such subway in the country.

ROTUNDA Nicknamed ‘the General’s Hat’ on account of its appearance, the Rotunda has for years been an iconic

PHOTOGRAPHS PAP

This must be the Warsaw of the future,” wrote Architektura magazine, “a place full of cars, helicopters, scooters and fast living...

public rendez vous point for Varsovians too anxious to be seen waiting alone in a cafe or bar. Currently being renovated, a Kraków-based architectural studio has been handed the task of humanizing the area and has set about turning the Rotunda into what they say will become ‘a modern urban lounge’. Due to be completed in 2019, plans envisage a first floor gallery, cafe and visitors’ center, as well as an open, airy style far removed from the fortress-like darkness of the old Rotunda. This is not, though, the first time the structure has welcomed the workmen.

On February 15th, 1975, an explosion tore through the structure leaving 49 people dead – at the time, this ranked as Poland’s biggest post-war disaster. While the police blamed the blast on a gas leak, gossiping locals speculated that a bomb had been set off by embezzling bank officials looking to cover their tracks. Others theorized that the incident had been the doing of anti communist saboteurs. The building was reopened in 1979, this time with the addition of tinted windows and a memorial to those that died. Despite promises to the contrary, this has now been temporarily removed while work to revive the Rotunda takes place.

UNIVERSAL That big pile of asbestos-riddled rubble behind the Rotunda marks what was, until just months ago, the Universal building. Monstrously ugly, this shoeboxstyle carbuncle was once home to the communist era monopoly that handled foreign exports. In more recent years, attempts to mask the quite hideous facade saw it used as giant billboard (at the time, the largest in the world), a move that backfired with locals and visitors alike left aghast by the sight of giant Bieber’s and Beckham’s endorsing underwear and aftershave.

Purchased and subsequently demolished by the Austrian firm S+B Gruppe, the coming years will see a 95-meter glass block rise in its place.

PASAŻ ŚRÓDMIEJSKI Viewed as revolutionary at the time, the passage running behind the Eastern Wall was the first pedestrian precinct the nation had seen. Apparently modeled on the Lijnbaan shopping center in Rotterdam, it was originally lined with busy shops touting goods not just imported from the country’s commie friends, but also places such as Italy and Spain. Selfwww.warsawinsider.pl

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service canteens such as Zodiak enjoyed a roaring trade, and the thoroughfare also became known as a center of nightlife with jewel in the crown being the achingly fashionable Amorfa wine bar. Redeveloped in 2006, many of the original features (overhead walkways and canopies, benches and flowerbeds) were removed, replaced instead by dodgy modern art, tall, winged lampposts and a dismal attempt at a Hollywood-style Walk of Fame.

WARS, SAWA & JUNIOR Despite their current popularity with developers, mixed use projects are by no means a modern invention.

Combining elements of residential, retail and office space, the Eastern Wall provided something of a prototype template to admire. Dealing with the retail arm of this were the Wars, Sawa and Junior department stores. Opened between 1969 and 1970, they elicited the kind of commercial lunacy you associate with modern day mega malls. Wars and Sawa were the first to launch and were promptly overrun by over 20,000 shoppers on opening day. Unable to cope with the strain of such crowds, faults immediately became

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apparent: toilets overflowed and the ventilation failed.

Nonetheless, consumers went wild. These scenes were repeated the following year when Junior opened its doors. The principal attraction here was the top floor Hoffland, a fashion emporium run by the glamorous Barbara Hoff. “Such was the pandemonium,” the fashion designer later recalled, “shop assistants wept and despaired.” A free-for-all broke out and with the surging crowds openly thieving from the displays order was only restored when squads of police bowled up.

Poland’ s economic woes of the 1980s spelled an end to the glory years, and with empty shelves now the norm, queues would spontaneously break out the moment it was rumored that new goods were arriving. “It didn’t matter if it was toilet seats or slippers,” remembers one Insider associate, “we were trapped in a barter economy, so if word leaked that there was a truck of stock landing people would descend en masse hoping to get their hands on anything that they could later use to trade with their colleagues and neighbors.”

The department stores recovered their mojo following the political changes of 1989, though for male expats leftover from the wild 90s Wars will forever be

PHOTOGRAPHS PAP, OPPOSITE PAGE KEVIN DEMARIA

NEIGHBORHOOD PROWL THE EASTERN WALL

best remembered as the home of the sleazy Arena strip club. Speaking to the Insider on the condition of anonymity, one Brit recalls it as a place of bonding, brawling and business: “You never really knew what would happen next. There were times you’d see guns just left out on the tables, but we went there regardless: I sealed so many deals during their Wednesday mudwrestling nights!” All this is a far cry from today. Having received a face lift approximately ten years back, Wars, Sawa and Junior have settled down as sanitized safe havens for big brands such as H&M and Zara.

THE TOWERS The trio of residential towers that anchor the Eastern Wall had originally been intended to serve as hotels.

Containing 200 living units each, features such as ground level concierge points were regarded as grand innovations. With stunning views below and the latest cosmopolitan gizmos at hand, those scoring an apartment here were roundly envied. However, not all were quite so thrilled with their accommodation. In one of the more bizarre correspondences saved over from the PRL years, one woman wrote to the director of the

I live in the Eastern Wall,” wrote the lady in question, “and every night I have strong erotic experiences as a result of radiation from the Palace’s spire...

Palace of Culture with a particularly curious complaint.

“Dear Director,” wrote the lady in question, “I live in the Eastern Wall complex opposite the Palace. Every night I have strong erotic experiences as a result of radiation from the television aerial on the Palace’s spire. This is extremely exhausting for me, so I hereby ask that the technological department conceals this aerial.” The woman signed off, quite forcefully, by threatening to “take action in person” if her grievance wasn’t dealt with. Perhaps alarmed by this threat, the building’s management invited the woman to the terrace directly www.warsawinsider.pl

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NEIGHBORHOOD PROWL THE EASTERN WALL

SEZAM Sezam was the final retail component to the Eastern Wall – and also the biggest. Employing 300 people, it set a new benchmark for shoppers in PRL Poland.

KINO RELAX Later, a glass extension was added and would serve as With its name democratically chosen via a newspaPoland’s original McDonald’s. “It sounds daft now,” says per poll, Kino Relax was primarily known as the first one Insider, “but when McDonald’s opened in 1992 I was cinema in Poland with the capacity to show movies shot proud and excited – it felt as if Poland had at last joined on 70mm film. Super advanced for its time, it opened the west.” The importance of their entry on the Polish to much fanfare on October 24th, 1970, with the first market is by no means exaggerated. Thousands attendfilm shown being a Soviet war drama titled Wyzwolenia. ed the opening, some dressed in suits especially for For decades it was revered as the top cinema in the city the occasion, others bearing flowers to give to the staff. and was consistently picked to host national premiers Such was the clamor for zł. 25,000 hamburgers, a total of blockbusters like Star Wars. Though it was given a of 13,300 transactions were recorded on the first day, a thorough update in 1998, Poland’s multiplex revolution world record at the time. Neither was it just the natives was just round the corner: Relax never stood a chance. that went loopy. “When I first came to Poland to work For years it gamely plodded on, before closing for good at the Bristol Hotel,” says restaurateur Ray Bridgeford, in 2006. Empty ever since, the building was purchased “I was picked up from the airport by the Austrian head

by Alma Market who proposed building a 185-meter chef. For the whole journey he wouldn’t stop rattling on skyscraper on the plot. The scheme was rejected by about the new restaurant in town – turned out he was City Hall, and with Alma Market filing for bankruptcy referring to McDonald’s!” Finally flattened in 2015, work last year it looks like the Relax building is doomed to is now underway to revive the space as a state-of-thesuffer in eternal purgatory. art office / retail development slated to open in 2018. below the offending aerial and told her that the equipment had now been removed. Seemingly satisfied by this, the complainant left and was never heard of again.

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Warsaw Insider | MARCH 2017

JUST OPENED

PASSION, INSPIRATION, INNOVATION

Ul. Pańska 85 tel. 512 671 756, 22 253 30 30 panska85.com.pl

INTERVIEW MAGDA PONAGAJBO

BY DESIGN

A partner at the acclaimed Mamastudio design firm, and one of the co-creators of the cult Autor Rooms, Magda Ponagajbo speaks about her Warsaw...

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WI: Mamastudio is one of the best known graphic design studios in Warsaw – where did it begin?

Magda Ponagajbo: It all started in a garage back in 2001.

We were basically three friends who wanted to transform the visual side of Warsaw and Poland in general – everything from the logos to the materials that you saw being used. From this idealistic vision we became one of the first design studios in the country: prior to that you only really had individual freelancers working on those kind of things.

As time has gone on our clients have got bigger and we’ve become far more brand oriented.

As a side project Mamastudio also operate the Autor Rooms boutique hotel...

We were offered a space close to our office but thought, there’s no point in moving our studio a couple of blocks, so why not do something else with the area instead. After talking about it we figured that what Warsaw really lacked was a place to stay for the more demanding individual: what we wanted was to present a very personal perspective of the city and share that with people from abroad.

Chain hotels are ‘dead space’, so we sought to create an atmosphere, a place where you’d feel at home and meet real people. Keeping it all as Polish as possible was also important, so we spent a great deal of time working with fresh, local brands and designers: we’d show them the architectural idea and graphic identity that we had in mind, and they’d then come up with ideas to slot in with that concept. It was great fun.

Is Warsaw a creative city?

Definitely more so! While countries like France and Britain have developed over time, in Poland everything changed in a matter of years. People have started to get original and believe in their own abilities, and we’ve also seen more money than ever being invested in new businesses and projects. Also helping has been the fact that we now have a whole new generation that thinks of itself as European.

In the past it was rare for Poles to study abroad, now it feels like everyone in higher education has been on an Erasmus program. All of these circumstances have given the city a platform to grow creatively.

Given the chance, how would you change Warsaw?

I’d work on creating an image for Warsaw. PR is not the city’s strong point: foreigners visiting for the first time don’t know what to expect so it’s only really the more adventurous people who choose a weekend in Warsaw over a weekend in Berlin or Paris. The majority of visitors are here not out of choice but because of business or friends and family, so we really need to communicate the Warsaw is a fun, vibrant city. We don’t need to promote the Old Town, Kraków has one and does that side better. Instead we should be promoting the other sides that make Warsaw so special. Our City Hall has done a lot of good work, but they don’t communicate their message coherently.

What’s the city doing wrong?

It’s not doing enough to protect small, independent businesses and that means the center is in real danger of losing a lot of its charm. Neither do we have a proper master plan. I’d love to see a situation where rent levels are graded: for instance, if a bank wanted to open on a

From top: The shared common space in Autor Rooms; Warszawa Warsaw, one of the projects by Mamastudio.

street then it would be charged X amount, but if a small hairdresser or gallery wanted to open in the same space then the price would be lower.

Are you one of those people whose ‘Warsaw for life’?

I’ve had fantasies of living somewhere like New York City, but Warsaw is my home and I’ve got a deep emotional connection to it. I love how the city is big enough to feel like a major European capital, yet at the same time small enough to feel homey: I can’t go shopping without bumping into friends or family. And I love how busy the city feels: people are so involved here, they’ve always got new projects on the go. Whether its new galleries, restaurants, markets, etc., it feels like Warsaw is really happening right now.

What’s the future of Warsaw?

It can go either way – the worst case scenario will see traffic, smog and general pollution get even worse. We really need to act: people will not want to live or visit a city that’s that polluted. On the other hand, the Warsaw I see will have cleaner streets, a better environmental plan, and even more ideas being exchanged with Western Europe.

To see the city grow even more international would be a fantastic result.

For more on Magda’s work check: mamastudio.pl and autorrooms.pl www.warsawinsider.pl

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INTERVIEW MARTA KOŁAKOWSKA

State of the Art

Marta Kołakowska, founder and owner of the Leto Gallery, talks about Warsaw and its art scene...

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WI: What’s Leto’s mission?

Marta Kołakowska: I wanted to enable young artists from outside the capital to break into the Warsaw art scene, to expose and introduce them to the environment and the people involved in the institutions. As such, many big names had their first exhibitions in Leto, people like Alex Urban, Bianka Rolando, Radek Szlaga, Wojciech Bąkowski, Konrad Smoleński, Honza Zamojski and Wojciech Puś.

Could you describe the relationship between a gallery owner and an artist...

I’m fascinated by the artists I work with. I’m impressed and intrigued by their determination and consistency when it comes to creating art. I’ve worked with many of them for years and years, so it’s been interesting to see how they’ve changed and matured over the course of time. It hasn’t always been a smooth path, but they have the courage to make mistakes and that makes success sweeter: they’ve demonstrated the importance of staying faithful to your ideas. It’s no bed of roses: there are bad times, disappointments and arguments.

The atmosphere can get fraught and intense when you don’t always agree with someone but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Our art scene is becoming far more stronger and visible outside Poland

Leto is celebrating its tenth birthday this year – do you ever imagine what the next ten years will hold?

Just as I could never have foreseen how Leto would develop when we opened, neither can I predict what the next decade will bring. While I suppose there should be a plan, I wouldn’t want to make the future so schematic and routine. All I want to do at this current time is to focus on the ‘here’ and ‘now’.

The ‘here’ is especially important: Warsaw has become an increasingly valued city on Europe’s artistic map, and our art scene is becoming far more stronger and visible outside Poland. We saw an initial wave of foreign interest when we joined the EU, now, however, the time is right for the next wave – and one that doesn’t occur just because people are curious about this European newcomer.

If you were given superpowers for a day how would you change the art scene?

Oh, if only... The first thing would be to

give galleries permanent and prominent premises. Galleries should be a city’s calling card, not pharmacies and banks. As it is you’ll find most galleries hiding in courtyards or basements, and while we do our best to turn the situation to our advantage that’s only because we have no other choice – we simply can’t afford commercial rents. The city owns so much property, surely they can sacrifice twenty prime units to use for exhibitions: that wouldn’t just improve the image of the buildings themselves, but also the city itself. As things stand, galleries pay a high price for independence.

What does Warsaw mean to you?

I moved to Warsaw several years back: it’s the city where both my children and my gallery were born. Although I’m an out-of-towner, a so-called ‘słoik’, I believe the city needs people like me – the energy we’ve brought has had a big impact on the development of the city. I’m not an outsider, I feel like I’ve found my place here. That said, where the city is concerned, there’s a lot of work to be done. The political situation has hit everyone in the art world: cultural institutions, the private sector, the non-profit segment, etc.

Art, and the artists creating it, need support. It’s a mistake to think that the art community can sustain itself. We are just galley slaves in the existence of the artistic eco-system, and there’s still much that needs to be done.

What’s the city’s greatest glory?

Its people. They’ve shown time and time again that if you have belief and determination you can realize your dreams. It’s a city where success rewards hard work.

From top: Radek Szlaga, Puritan 7, 160 x 195 cm, oil on canvas, 2016; Wojciech Puś, Endless (Party), 2016, photo. Kuba Ceran; Aleksandra Waliszewska, Untitled, 35 x 25 cm, mixed media on carton

How does Warsaw inspire you?

Through its eclecticism. Just look at the architecture – on the one hand it’s almost scary, but on the other it’s an authentic record of history. Both the extent and lack of a significant city center is fascinating, and so too the diversity of each district: you’re as likely to find something interesting going on in Praga or Wola as you are in the center. And of the course there’s the two faces of the Wisła river: wild and untamed on one side, neat and ordered on the other.

Leto Gallery ul. Dzielna 5, leto.pl www.warsawinsider.pl

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INTERVIEW MALKA KAFKA

Street Smarts

PORTRAIT BY KEVIN DEMARIA, FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARCIN GILOWSKI

As the creator of Tel Aviv, Malka Kafka inadvertently kick-started the development of what has become Warsaw’s liveliest street...

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Prior to opening Tel Aviv you were part of the corporate rat race – what happened?

Malka Kafka Myself and my husband at the time came to the realization that a day would come when we we’d be too old to work for someone else. “Maybe,” we said, “we should try employing our own people.” With Tel Aviv I started out by writing out a business plan and then heading abroad to check out what was happening. I didn’t want to look at current concepts in Poland because I knew those trends would pass, and while I didn’t find anything interesting in Paris I saw lots of things in London and Brussels: what really caught my attention were all these vegan hangouts that had the mentality of modern bistros.

And it snowballed from there...

There used to be a cafe on the site of Tel Aviv and I remember sitting there with a friend, looking around and saying how I’d love to one day own a place just like it. A year later I was the owner of the exact place! There were some people who told me I wouldn’t last twelve months here, but we were lucky in the support we got. I didn’t spend a single groszy on marketing, yet in that first year journalists and TV crews became a fixture. We got so much publicity it was amazing. That’s not to say I didn’t make mistakes. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect us to be so successful. It was a double-edged sword because while this success was welcomed, I just wasn’t ready for it. But I learned my lessons and it eventually all came together.

Poznańska didn’t have much to shout about then...

This was still pretty much the Red Light District, so our first guests every morning would be women looking for a cup of coffee after their night shift. We don’t get them anymore which is a sign of how Poznańska has changed.

I remember being nervous when Beirut opened across the road but I took a deep breath and realized there’s enough light in the world for everyone. As it turned out, the customers they attracted also visited us. Now, every time something new opens on Poznańska we see an influx of new people to the area. It’s a special street because when you look around you see that, by in large, the bar and restaurant owners are real freaks who put their heart and soul into their projects.

How do you see Poznańska evolving?

I’d love to see the business owners unite more, and that’s something I’m working on. The dream would be for the street to become pedestrianized, though in the shorter term the goal is to introduce a Sunday street market selling local produce. I’ve even spoken to the people who do the Christmas lights on Nowy Świat: it would be great to

see Poznańska lit up like that at Christmas time, though obviously in a way that’s far less commercial. It’s also important we continue to have dialogue with the people who actually live here. There was a time when our relationship with them was a little difficult, but we’ve really made progress. I remember once dealing with an angry neighbor who was complaining about the smell of fried liver coming from Tel Aviv: he wouldn’t listen to reason until I explained that, in fact, we were a vegan restaurant! Things have improved a lot now though. For instance, work on one of the courtyard’s is nearing completion so we’ll be organizing a party for the residents: food, drink, maybe even an orchestra. We can all live and work side-by-side, but there needs to be good will and understanding on both sides.

Some people are calling Warsaw ‘the vegan capital of Europe’: this is just another Warsaw fad, right?

Vegan is the future of the world, it’s not a temporary fashion. I’m a businesswoman, I researched this thoroughly before opening and all market surveys point towards the world embracing a plant-based diet. While I’m vegan for ethical reasons, this global change is more connected to ecological issues and the fact that meat is so expensive.

Silicon Valley is now becoming Food Valley with food tech firms producing artificial meat and creating plant proteins that have the same structure as meat.

At Tel Aviv you’ve moved into ‘vegan fine dining’...

Market research shows that the more affluent you are, the more likely you are to be either vegan or more flexible in your eating habits. These people need somewhere that suits their needs, not just a place aimed at teenagers and students. They shouldn’t be excluded from enjoying high standards just because they’ve chosen the vegan lifestyle.

As a qualified psychologist, how would you evaluate Warsaw’s character?

There are different archetypes we use to describe a brand personality, and I think you can apply a few of these to Warsaw. It’s definitely a searcher, in that it’s a city still trying to find its meaning. It’s also a creator: there’s a strong element of creativity present – people don’t wait around for others to do something for them, they go ahead and do it themselves. Finally, it’s a warrior, and I don’t just mean historically. Even now the city is an island of resistance against the government. It’s the only city in Poland offering any real opposition. People here care about what happens to the country.

Tel Aviv ul. Poznańska 11, restauracjatelaviv.pl

www.warsawinsider.pl

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TRAVEL WROCŁAW

The Surreal Deal

Wrocław’s Art Quarter Away from the tourists of Old Town, an artistic revolution is brewing in the neighborhood of Nadodrze...

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A sight for sore eyes: the Minotaur Room at the Hart Hostel

www.warsawinsider.pl

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V

TRAVEL WROCŁAW Vivid, thrilling and disturbing. A classic of the counter-culture era, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas is arguably one of the most extraordinary books of the last half century. Having ingested an epic array of ‘heinous chemicals’, the author’s journey into the dark heart of the American Dream is uncompromising in what the sleeve notes describe as ‘hallucinatory humor and nightmare terror’.

At one stage, staggering to his hotel suite, Thompson’s altered state of mind becomes so skewed that he mistakes people for giant reptiles and carpets for blood-soaked sponge. Waking up in Wrocław’s Hart Hostel, I understand what he went through. Though my narcotic intake has been a little more mundane – limited to the kind of Coke you buy in a can not a bag – the results have been every bit as daunting. I am in the Minotaur Room, a place where ultraviolet lights reveal a series of wall paintings depicting mythological beasts and dreamlike patterns. Who needs LSD? In my backpacking heyday, hostels were all about grotty toilets and humping Australians, the Hart though shows how far they’ve evolved. Decorated by local artists, it’s more akin to staying inside a living installation with each nook and corner heralding a new piece of madness. Yet as weird as it is, it’s not all that unexpected. Nestled inside the Nadodrze neighborhood just north of the Old Town, the district has emerged at the forefront of the city’s cultural rebirth.

Poland has seen the formation of artistic areas before, just none quite like this. Warsaw’s Praga, with its angry sense of isolation, gave it a go before seemingly losing its enthusiasm.

Kazimierz in Kraków also promised much before deciding it’d be easier to whore itself out as a dollar-driven gimmick. Nadodrze, by comparison, is the real deal. Enticed by subsidized cut-price rents (at one stage, as low as zł.

4 per sq/m) and a local government-led regeneration scheme, it’s become a hub for galleries, NGOs, design studios and other creative practices. In the process, a decaying part of town has been granted a new lease of life.

The transformation is by no means anywhere near complete: there is, after all, no magic wand for decades of neglect. Past sooty walls studded with scars leftover from the Red Army’s siege in 1945, old men shuffle by with tins of

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lager bulging from their pockets; signs of Nadodrze’s history of deprivation are never far from sight. This remains a working class area, and proudly so, the difference being it’s one that welcomes outsiders – or at the least tolerates them.

The arrival of our guide for the day is a case in point. An English voiceover artist by profession, our contact appears on an electric scooter with a wolverine creature cantering by his side. From his pair of portable speakers the works of Vivaldi carry for miles. The locals, to their credit, don’t bat an eyelid.

But our chaperon also has his uses. Under his direction we are ushered around the various murals of Nadodrze, the best of which are found in the courtyards of ul. Roosvelta; next, the CRK squat, a self-confessed ‘asylum for alternative actions’; and then, Krzywy Komin, a contemporary gallery open around-the-clock. Passing an unanticipated outdoor display of Shrek sculptures, we conclude the day in Rozrusznik, a diminutive cafe in which a bearded DJ spins the classics of Miles Davis. The energy of the district crackles through the damp February gloom.

That Wrocław boasts one of Central Europe’s mightiest old towns isn’t for discussion, and the temptation to never look beyond it is powerful and strong. The thing is, visit it in five years and it’ll still be the same. Nadodrze, on the other hand, won’t: the natural order dictates that where there are artists gentrification will follow. A true diamond in the rough, it’s a part of the city that demands your attention – before it’s too late...

The energy of the district crackles through the damp February gloom...

www.warsawinsider.pl

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TRAVEL WROCŁAW

Bema Cafe

Tacos Locos

ESSENTIAL NADODRZE Just minutes away from the soaring steeples and cobbled alleys of the historic center, reach Nadodrze by crossing the University bridge due north of Old Town. From there, a bonanza of cafes, galleries and hangouts await exploration...

BEMA CAFE ul. Drobnera 38 Some say the first hints of gentrification can be seen in Bema, but that misses the point: cool and cosmopolitan, it’s a convenient meeting point with beer supplied from the not-so-far Stu Mostów brewery.

BISTRO NAROŻNIK ul. Rydgiera 30 Somewhere in here lurks the heart of Nadodrze. Low-key lighting, some original artwork and cool music establish the kind of ambiance that draws local creatives like moths to a flame.

CRK ul. Jagiellończyka 10C/D When you want to listen to bands called Icon of Evil or Meth Drinker you head to CRK, a Berlin-style squat project that also hosts

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capoiera classes, graphic workshops, and bike laboratries that will transform your two-wheeler into looking like something from Mad Max. HART HOSTEL & ART ul. Rydgiera 25A Not all the rooms are as trippy as the Minotaur, but they’re definitely as original: in one, for example, find a floor filled with sea pebbles, in another, lights made from junk. Nothing makes sense...

HEX ul. Dubois 33-35 Clack and clatter galore inside Wrocław’s premier games pub.

Good, geeky fun, though the pub snacks aren’t far removed from diabolical.

KRZYWY KOMIN ul. Dubois 33-35 A cultured community center with a gallery, art workshops, computer rooms, conference facilities and a zany security guard who can’t wait to tell visitors about his days in the States. ŁOKIETKA 5 ul. Łokietka 5 Despite the dearth of English-language material, the keen staff at Nadodrze’s info point know the area

inside out and will answer every question.

MACONDO ul. Pomorska 19 ,In the front, a cramped store selling Latin-looking handicrafts and trinkets plus the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Out back, a super snug cafe decorated with a secret mezzanine and local art.

NADODRZE CAFE RESTO BAR ul. Drobnera 26AYou’d think the star attraction would be the swing seats in the window. Actually, it’s the food: waxed whiskers and hip fashions abound inside a hangout space that excels in transferring local produce from farm-to-table.

CAFE ROZRUSZNIK ul. Cybulskiego 15 A small coffee stop / bar with good vibes and bar staff who – when they’re not brewing coffee – like to get behind the decks to muck around with the vinyl collection.

TACOS LOCOS ul. Cybulskiego 3 Highly passable burritos inside an informal interior dominated by a mural of a tangerine-colored wrestling mask.

REVIEWS RESTAURANTS 44 CAFES & WINE BARS 74 NIGHTLIFE 77 SHOPPING 82 FAMILY 84 HEALTH & BEAUTY 89 IN THE CITY 91

PHOTOGRAPH KEVIN DEMARIA

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!

Despite its substantial Vietnamese population, Warsaw’s relationship with the food of Vietnam hasn’t always been easy. But the worm is turning, and that’s thanks to places like this. A busy, family-run joint, OMP’s specific claim to fame is what many are terming the best and most authentic pho in the ward. Steamy and aromatic, this is pho as it should be: full of big herby thwacks, ribboning noodles, and soft strips of meat in a clear, restorative stock. Often cited as being the ‘soul of the nation’, just a few noisy slurps are all that’s needed to corroborate the life-affirming goodness of this beautiful broth... However, this isn’t the only string to their bow: showcasing the varying disciplines of this complex cuisine, Oh My Pho take you on a tour of Vietnam with dishes that include crispy dumplings, the full gamut of noodle dishes, zippy spring rolls and a host of mains that fully reveal the colorful tastes of this Asian bulwark.

Oh, My Pho! ul. Wilcza 32, fb.com/ohmyphowilcza www.warsawinsider.pl

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PHOTOGRAPHS KEVIN DEMARIA

REVIEWS NOTES FROM THE FRONT LINE

The Place

Often, Warsaw’s pre-war title as ‘the Paris of the East’ is impossible to comprehend. Then you see the corner of Hoża and Poznańska: elegant and ornate, it’s something straight from the 6th arrondissement. Through the door, and diners are met head-on by a seductive space that’s dark, intimate and full of gleaming glass. The chef ’s table, seating about ten on high stools, is up the stairs on the right. Here, you’re in the thick of the action, an arm’s length from the kitchen’s pass.

Background

Though set-up to complement their trendsetting sister, Kieliszki Na Próżnej, do not think of these two establishments as being twins. There are enough nuances to both the menu and design to grant each their own separate identity: if there’s a common thread, then that’s the general hum and buzz that’s unique to the neo-bistro style.

Wine

The onus is on small-scale producers, primarily those of Italy.

‘Rare and endemic’ wines are a forte, though in truth sommelier Paweł Demianiuk has scored a wide range of tipples to suit all occasions. In all, find 170 wines, all of which are available by the glass. Those with a nose should rise to the challenge and ask for a glass of ‘mystery wine’: a free bottle awaits those who correctly identify it.

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Chef

The only Polish graduate of the Alain Ducasse academy in Paris, Dawid Balana’s varied culinary path saw him begin his career in a Wisconsin branch of Hooters (“I was basically there to learn English,” he says, “but it was great – all the staff shared the same dressing room!”), before truly finding his calling in Norway: “with so few local ingredients at your disposal,” says the chef, “it really pushed you to get creative.”

Now back in Poland, Balana has combined everything he’s learned along the way to fashion a menu that’s high on local ingredients but cooked with a classic French twist.

Tasting Notes

For the Insider, dinner at the chef ’s table encompasses a light, creamy egg with beetroot and mayonnaise; next, a sumptuous serving of onions stuffed with pork, buckwheat and mushrooms; and then, pan-fried seasonal veg presented in a swirl of avocado mousse, leek puree, garlic confit, and smoked paprika oil. The tastes are precise and well-balanced, but also varied enough to give a seemingly simple dish several interesting sub-plots. The feather in the cap is a skrei, its meat lean and glistening, and a side of pickled rutubaga served with spicy pork sausage and crunchy pork crackling.

Drawing a line under the evening is dessert, a chocolate cheesecake with white chocolate ice cream, dabs of cherry emulsion and a sprinkle of nuts.

The tastes are precise and well-balanced, but also varied enough to give a seemingly simple dish several interesting sub-plots Final Thoughts

No other street captures the zeitgeist quite like Poznańska: lately, not a week has passed without the area developing in some way or other. But even with so much happening around it, the spotlight falls on Kieliszki Na Hożej. You can feel the passion invested in it, the heart, the thought, the soul and the work. Leaving, it’s with the impression of having experienced something quite special.

Kieliszki Na Hożej

ul. Hoża 41, kieliszkinahozej.pl www.warsawinsider.pl

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REVIEWS The Great Thrall Of China

PHOTOGRAPHS KEVIN DEMARIA

First class Chinese arrives in Warsaw...

I

f there’s one cuisine guaranteed to fill me with nostalgia, it’s Chinese. Growing up in early 90s Bristol, nothing screamed Friday night more than a furtive evening of underage spending in the pub followed by a late night Chinese. Left to our own devices, I’m certain that the food would have been calamitous, but under the guidance of my best mate, a lad who dubbed himself The Wong, my friends and I dined like little emperors in shady backrooms filled with lively Chinese chatter and twangy oriental tunes. With the ordering left to him, we’d gulp our lagers while subservient waiters delivered plate after plate of enigmatic offerings that were all dazzle and fire. Bearing in mind most of us thought of Pizza Hut as the apex of Italian dining, an evening in the local Chinese represented the very height of exotic good living.

My love affair with this cuisine continued well into my early twenties, only to be abruptly cut short when I made the switch to Poland. All of a sudden I found the strange, wonderful dishes I’d become accustomed to swapped for frozen bits of cartilage congealed under luminous, thick ooze. There were, of course,

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some decent experiences, but these were minor triumphs on a battlefield of hate. The magic had passed.

My apologies for this introductory waffle, but I say all this for a reason, that being my sentiments are in no way unique. Of all the ethnic cuisines that have been transplanted to Poland, it is that of China that has probably been most prominent in its failings. That is until now...

Opened a month back, Pańska 85 have rewritten local culinary history with their treatment of Chinese. What you need to know, is this is like nothing Warsaw has seen before. This is apparent even before you get near the food. As a venue, it instantly elicits awe: ample in size, the interiors speak of money well spent. This is especially true because despite the luxury trimmings (e.g., Veuve Clicquot cushions, a grand spanking piano and top dollar bottles), Pańska looks good without ever losing its dignity. More importantly, it’s a massive step forward compared to the Chinese restaurants of yore – remember them, with their red and black lanterns and needless glitter? Actually, you don’t even have to flex the memory, for even today most

Chinese restaurants out here look like a relic from the age of Bruce Lee. Through its interior alone, Pańska represents change. In fairness though, anyone with a decent budget and a good team can get the design right. Harder to do is the food itself but Pańska tick that box as well. With their kitchen staff headhunted from across China, the food sets a new standard that has yet to be seen in any Chinese restaurant in Warsaw. Having perused the iPad menu, dishes soon arrive wave after wave: for starters there are delicate salmon rolls wrapped in mango; an elaborate stack of apple and celery salad that pings with clean, fresh tastes; and a spiraling tower of thinly sliced beef cheeks. Even the simple sounding steamed vegetables are a victory, served as they are with an addictive peanut sauce.

The real fanfare, however, is saved for the mains – Beijing Duck, carved and served tableside, comes with skin lacquered and shining. Wrapped in paper thin pancakes, the assembly process – which is left to diners – is in itself an extra bit of sticky fun. Between greedy bites of duck, chopsticks click and clash

over bamboo baskets of dim sum: perfect in every respect, these pouches of goodness are attacked and devoured. But the banquet, for that’s what this is, is by no means over: the Sichuan-style pork is a blaze of sizzle and spice, while the wild boar in cumin an unlikely star. Ordered as something of an afterthought, it’s a dish of depth and strong wallops of flavor. Even dessert, something the Chinese aren’t necessarily celebrated for, is a success: sweet mung bean cakes; a trio of rainbow colored sorbets; and a fruit filled mochi with a fluffy marshmallow-style chew.

Pańska 85 is a sign of the times: where once mediocrity was enough to satisfy both locals and expats, today tastes have matured – palettes have developed and expectations increased.

Good ingredients, authenticity and well-defined flavors have become key: with their sophisticated slant on Chinese food, Pańska 85 deliver all three. (AW) Pańska 85

ul. Pańska 85, panska85.com www.warsawinsider.pl

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REVIEWS

BAR - SZAWA

o

An Apple A Day

riginally scheduled to open two years back, Cyderia is living proof that there are some things in the world that really are worth the wait.

Conceived by the management of Plan B, this bar comes with an immaculate, moody interior designed by the acclaimed Projekt Praga: find coal black crates suspended from the ceiling and a zinc-topped bar made from slabs of oak. Looking cool and current, its a venue that slots in seamlessly with Poznańska’s new swagger. Yet it’s not just the aesthetic touches and cosmetic kisses that make Cyderia special. The real cause for visiting is a choice of seven or so ciders, mainly sourced from small Polish farmsteads and artisan producers. Pushed to name a highlight, then that would be the Jabłko Adama, a medium-dry cider with a refreshing crisp finish. Beyond the potent, apple-based beverages, peruse a succinct selection of ‘Polish tapas’ and regional tipples.

Vibrant and energetic, this is a bar that broadens the immediate horizon.

Cyderia ul. Poznańska 16

One (More) For The Road

Drugie Dno ul. Nowogrodzka 4

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PHOTOGRAPHS ED WIGHT

t

o 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. Though it’s a design that’s already been exploited with much frequency, Drugie Dno somehow feels bold and original. And the ingenuity extends to the way they store their beer: inside a walled-in glass unit filled with bottles, barrels, pipes and valves. And what beer indeed: though the offer is largely Polish and patriotic, there’s enough cult international guests to keep it intriguing. Laid back and hyper casual, it’s a venue that perfectly fits the area’s jigsaw of bars.

Partner News The latest marketplace news from the Warsaw Insider’s friends and advertisers…

Tastes of the Rising Sun

Whether you’re a fan of traditional Japanese cuisine or simply chasing new, exceptional tastes, at Wasabi we promise a variety of memorable sensations. Located in the hear t of Warsaw, and in close proximity to the Old Town and principal shopping districts, we look forward to demonstrating the cutting edge of Japanese cuisine.

Wasabi Pl. Piłsudskiego 2, restauracjawasabi.pl

Gonna’ Be Huge! Gonna Be Granda!

Brought to you by Grupa Warszawa, the owners of such places as Weles and Zorza, Granda combines everything we love the most: great music and quality liquor. It’s a place where bartenders shake up craft cocktails for a crowd that dances on the tables! Open from Tuesday till Saturday, we’re proud to present some of the best known vocalists and DJs in Warsaw...

Granda ul. Krucza 24/26

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Anything But Chardonnay Fast, but not furious dining right in the city center

I

t’s fast. It never stops. It’s just around the corner. Usually in the city center in a flashy skyscraper. Intimate and yet easy to find, it serves specials, surprises you each week and keeps you coming back for more! This fast paced New York-style vibe is now yours to sample inside the Blue Tower on Pl. Bankowy.

Entered from ul. Corazziego, Tusz Tusz Bistro is becoming ever more popular among business people who need to be served fast, efficiently and yet have enough space for a comfortable business meeting. The contemporary setup includes eye-catching art from upcoming Polish contemporary artists which is also available to buy onsite.

With Warsaw now eating more breakfast than ever, Tusz Tusz also offer a range of sexy morning courses created by their young, talented chef. Later in the day try onion

crème on white wine, shakshouka with fresh coriander or a sweet omelette with peanut butter and pears. And in the after office hours try the NYC-style selection of craft beers, the selection of vino de la casa or an aromatic drink before hopping on the nearby metro.

Once you’ve danced the night away, weekends are for those who love to entertain their senses. Brunch is a real New York thing, and here you’ll get it with individually roasted specialty coffee made to suit your style. Of course, it goes without saying that the ingredients are from local eco farmers and suppliers – after all, that’s one of the signatures of Tusz Tusz.

Tusz Tusz Pl. Bankowy 2, fb.com/tusztuszbistro, tel. 574 207 799, email: kontakt@tusztuszbistro.pl

www.warsawinsider.pl

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restaurants KEY

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

$ zł. 30 (per main) $$ zł. 30-55 $$$ over zł. 55 New listings are in RED 2016 Best of Warsaw Award Winner BEST OF WARSAW 2016 KEY WINNERS Fine Dining Nolita Casual Dining MOD Upscale Casual Dyletanci & Rozbrat20 Modern Polish Mała Polana Smaków

KAGO SUSHI (ul. Koszykowa 63 (Hala Koszyki), kagosushi.pl) A place of such merit that it’s worth bludgeoning your way through the surging crowds of off-duty lawyers and second rate ’slebs. A side project from the team behind Izumi, portioning here is strict and skimpy, but the precision, attention to detail and flavors are second to none. The sushi – and for that matter, everything else – is pretty hard to fault. Bills creep up fast as you opt for ‘just one more nigiri’, but such is the brilliance that complaints are unheard of.

MOJO PICON (ul. Prosta 53, mojopicon.pl) Opened last year on Poznańska, the mouse hole size of their operation made it impossible for Picon to realize their ambition. A move to Szpitalna beckoned, but that too didn’t work out.

Third time lucky and things appear to have finally clicked for them on Prosta: smart and atmospheric yet still pleasingly casual, the early feedback has been healthy. Specializing in Hispanic cuisine, especially that of the Canary Islands, specific strengths include a broad selection of Spanish wines, artfully composed tapas and a paella for the purists.

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african american balkan & russian british burgers & street food chinese cuban fine dining french georgian greek & turkish hungarian indian indonesian international italian japanese & sushi jewish korean latin & spanish mexican middle eastern polish scandinavian seafood steak houses thai vegan & wholefood vietnamese

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listings / restaurants african Café Baobab (H4) ul. Francuska 31, tel. 22 617 4057, cafebaobab.pl The work of former basketball player Aziz Seck, Baobab brings the tastes of Senegal to Saska Kępa. The mafe yap – beef stewed in peanut sauce – is as interesting as it sounds, and best enjoyed during their bi-monthly Saturday night concerts. $

american Brooklyn Restaurant & Bar (C4) Al. Jana Pawła II 18 (Rondo ONZ), tel. 22 114 3434, brooklynbw.eu Gone are the fancy pants culinary creations once found in the basement, ousted in favor of a menu of pimped-up soul and street food, salads and steaks. This means fresh tacos not to mention the best-selling ‘Mito’s Beef Ribs’.

The ground floor burger bar is more prosaic, offering a standard line-up of burgers and wings. $$

Champions Sports Bar (D5) Al. Jerozolimskie 65/79 (Marriott Hotel), tel.

22 630 5119, champions.pl While the concept and style look dated, there’s no faulting the attention to detail – with TVs positioned all over the place you won’t miss a kick. The heavy décor brings to mind the trans-Atlantic sports bars of the 90s, with glinting trophies, whirring machines, clacking pool tables and a cacophony of commentaries. Hell, there’s even a boxing ring. But you can’t criticize their consistency: the food is always on-point, the staff are pro, while the generous floor plan makes it suitable for unwieldy groups of large and loud lads. $$ Hard Rock Café (C4) ul. Złota 59 (Złote Tarasy), tel. 22 222 0700, hardrockcafe.pl Instantly recognizable by the giant neon guitar outside, Hard Rock has a pierced staff of skater boys and rock girls and a menu that is, if nothing else, completely reliable. Peruse rock’n’roll swag that includes Joplin’s blouse, Prince’s guitar and Shakira’s pants. $$

balkan Ba Adriatico (B2) Al. Jana Pawła II 50/52, ba-adriatico.pl As a starter, then the grilled peppers stuffed with creamy, regional cheese are irresistible. But then so too the octopus salad. Mains are a victory of simplicity, with dishes like skewered minced beef served with a bitey sauce and a soft, pillowy Lepinja bread. Yet ignore Thursday seafood night at your peril. Croatian-run, this neighborhood spot has an unassuming air that belies the general quality. $$ Banja Luka (E8) ul. Szkolna 2/4, tel. 22 828 1060, banjaluka. pl Lots of clunky timber and imported ceramics set the scene at this eatery, a Balkan stalwart that’s known for its economical pricing structure and bulky portions. Grilled meats are prominent and the food largely reliable. $$ Yugo (B4) ul. Sienna 83 (enter from Żelazna), tel. 694

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listings / restaurants 109 379 You feel alive just being here: big on Colgate white colors, vintage tourist agency posters and bright stickers, Yugo is just about the cheeriest eatery you’ll come across on a dour Warsaw day. Presenting the food of the former Yugoslavia, this Balkan bolt hole specializes in meaty dishes served in traditional bread. $

british Created by Jarosław Voitiuk, our menu is influenced by seasonal produce and it is mostly based on fresh fish and seafood delivered daily from Spain. Find a classic cuisine with a modern twist and a beautiful game of colours and form matched with award-winning wines and unique cocktails

Ę Rybę (E4) Al. Jana Pawła II 18, erybe.pl A couple of places have tried to emulate the taste of the British seaside, but this is the de facto codfather. Here’s a spot where the chips are golden, the fish fresh and the batter crisp and light. Now also serving British breakfast, albeit at a time when most normal people will have already eaten. $$

burgers & street food Barn Burger (D4) ul. Złota 9. tel. 512 157 567, barnburger. pl Retaining a loyal crowd ever since their 2012 entry on the burger circuit, Barn Burger offer a loud and lively atmosphere and much celebrated burgers with goofy names like Heart Attack and Muppet. The list by the door notes the results of their Americanstyle eating competitions / greed-fests. $ Beef’N’Roll (D4) ul. Nowy Świat 36, tel. 531 707 070, beefnroll.pl If the wheels have fallen off the burger craze then no-one told Beef’N’Roll.

Originating as a food truck, their success has been such that a fixed venue was required.

Everything about the food and drink suggests quality is the main consideration. $ Burger Bar ul. Puławska 974/80 (enter from Olkuska) & ul. Krucza 41/43, burgerbar.waw.pl 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. Krucza 16/22, tel. 516 995 690, www.zmianaklimatu.pl

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Pogromcy Meatów (E6) ul. Koszykowa 1, tel. 505 703 508 Yearn no more for the elusive flavor of the backyard BBQ. Specializing in grilled meat, find exactly just that loaded into artisan buns

alongside locally grown greens. The sense of homespun quality makes this the kind of comfort food that Warsaw has been missing for years. $ SAS Duck & Chicken (D5) ul. Piękna 54, fb.com/sasduckandchicken Although SAS Duck & Chicken feels reminiscent of the ‘hipster pop-up’ we first saw three or four years back, they’ve taken a tried and tested format and hit refresh. A small and simple space it might be, but this kitchen crew have won hearts and minds with an understandable menu that presents comfort food at its glorious best: BBQ hot wings, duck confit burgers, chicken skewers and turkey in a big, buttery brioche. These are simple pleasures refined for a picky palette. $ Warburger (E9) ul. Dąbrowskiego 1, warburger.pl While Warsaw has lost its appetite for burgers, you wouldn’t necessarily tell by popping in WarBurger. Set inside a diminutive cabin, join the scrum for jazzed-up burgers that use slow-food ingredients. If not the best, they’re most certainly up there. $

chinese Pańska 85 (B4) ul. Pańska 85, panska85.com The heavy investment has paid off by way of spectacular Chinese food that has set a new benchmark. The Beijing Duck is the ultimate treat for two. For full review, see p. 38.

Pełną Parą (B4) ul. Sienna 76, pelnapara.pl The Thai soup with lemongrass and chicken is fragrant, deep and nourishing, but it’s the Chinese dim sum they’re famous for mind, with eight variations thereof. Find yourself knocked sideways by these beautiful pouches of meaty goodness: the duck, orange and Sichuan pepper is a particular favorite.

Impossible to get tired of, these are of a standard that bring to mind London’s Chinatown. $ Pełną Parą na Nowo (D6) ul. Nowowiejska 10, pelnapara.pl A good gauge of Pełną Parą’s swoon-worthy offerings is the Dim Sum Mix: find a duo

listings / restaurants of Chinese dumplings (pork/shitake & bamboo/shrimp) plus a spicy kimchi-style cucumber salad topped off with some fried wontons and spring rolls. Appetites, however, may suffer if you sit too close to the manager, a person who sees nothing wrong with barking orders at the staff in the manner of a bulldog. $ Regina Bar (E6) ul. Koszykowa 1, fb.com/Reginabar Stepping past a pair of flowing red drapes at the entrance, guests are ushered in to discover an eclectic world that marries the tastes of New York’s Little Italy to Chinatown next door. This is done excellently with the menu presenting the very essence of ethnic comfort food: General Tso’s chicken, Cantonese roast duck and light, leopard-spotted pizzas. Brought to you by the makers of MOD, it’s therefore natural that the original style extends to kooky interiors tinged with a trace of retro: a tall mirrored wall and the kind of sparkling chandelier last seen in Boogie Nights.

cuban El Caribe ul. Mickiewicza 9, tel. 22 400 0994, el-caribe.pl Start with a round of daiquiris before ordering frijoles negroes (black beans). But everyone agrees, it’s the flan that gets you doing the cha cha. With the cooking left to a Cuban exile, this bubbly spot is worth the trip north to Żoliborz. $$

fine dining Amber Room at the Sobański Palace (E6) Al. Ujazdowskie 13, tel. 22 523 6664, amberroom.pl The Amber Room is, indeed, a bit of a treasure. You know all the chefs we bang on about in this mag? Bottom line, the good ones came through via this kitchen.

But this is more than a training ground for future stars, it’s a place that remains on the cutting edge in spite of its seemingly straight look. Positioned inside a majestic villa, the food is pure contemporary Poland, and well deserving of its Michelin nod. For that, thank chef Robert Skubisz. $$$ Atelier Amaro (E6) ul. Agrykola 1, tel. 22 628 5747, atelieramaro. pl The recipient of Poland’s first Michelin star, Atelier promotes pedigree Polish produce enhanced by modern techniques,

with courses interspersed by occasionally bizarre interludes (leaves, flowers, twigs, etc). It’s an extraordinary dining experience, and one which confirms the growing cult of Wojciech Amaro. In the hours you’re here the world stops and you leave feeling like James Bond. Reservations are mandatory, but this is a restaurant that tops the foodie bucket list. $$$

Belvedere Łazienki Królewskie ul. Agrykoli 1, tel. 22 558 6701, belvedere. com.pl Set in a spectacular glass orangery in the heart of Łazienki Park, Belvedere is an address that impresses – where else will you find peacocks poking their chests out right outside the window? There are a la carte options, but to see how the scope of chef Marcin Przybysz’s talents check the tasting menu (zł. 260-290). This is Polish cuisine at its innovative peak. $$$ La Rotisserie (C1) ul. Kościelna 12 (Le Régina Hotel), tel.

22 531 6070, leregina.com It began with duck foie gras and finished with a caramel Valrhona chocolate parfait. In between came a scallop salad with plums, almonds and tarragon tempura; a grilled tuna; and a seared Barbary duck with blackberry ginger sauce and the kind of parsnips you never knew existed. The Insider’s visit at the end of 2016 was nothing if not a reassertion of chef Paweł Oszczyk’s ample skill. Enjoy one of Warsaw’s top dining experiences inside a gloriously seductive dining room that’s been recently updated. $$$ L’enfant Terrible (D8) ul. Sandomierska 13 (enter from Rejtana), tel. 22 119 5705, eterrible.pl Looking like he’s just swaggered in from a rock concert, the unconventional style of Michał Bryś goes beyond surface detail alone. Promising maximum excitement, his imaginative menu isn’t short on daring twists and rollercoaster highs. Maverick in every sense of the word, this is a chef that pushes boundaries in a way few others would dare. Though the menu changes often, keep an eye on recurring classics such as ‘tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes’, a kickass course that presents the humble tomato in about ten different forms!

More informal than the other top bracket restaurants, the brainwashed loyalty of Enfant’s fans says much for it. $$$ www.warsawinsider.pl

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listings / restaurants N31 (D5) ul. Nowogrodzka 31, n31restaurant.pl One of the original pioneers of modern Polish cooking returns with renewed vigor. That’s Robert Sowa, and his N31 restaurant has already made a massive splash with an upmarket, showbizzy crowd enjoying complex cooking amid a luxurious interior of pristine linen and glinting tableware. $$$

Nolita (D5) ul. Wilcza 46, tel. 22 292 0424, nolita. pl The deluxe dining scene is filling out in Warsaw, and there’s now a few restaurants that can present an equitable claim for the No. 1 spot. However, it’s Nolita that perch at the top, with a menu that sees largely classical recipes through a sharp, modern prism – chef Jacek Grochowina has created a place that’s coherent and understandable without sacrificing values of innovation. Looking chic and high end, the tastes and sensations in this restaurant are thrilling: diners are left speechless by the tuna tartar, while the aged beef fillet is an BEST WAWA 2016 Insider mainstay. $$$ “Fine Dining” Platter by Karol Okrasa (C4) ul. Emilii Plater 49 (Hotel InterContinental Warsaw), warsaw.intercontinental.com It’s a fact that Okrasa’s appearances in the kitchen are fleeting and rare, but that’s done nothing

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to hurt this restaurant’s prestige. Head chef Łukasz Pielak has proved to be a lethal assassin, executing the ideas of his mentor with accuracy and passion. The cooking is detailed, balanced and elegant, with the highlight of our visit being deer in plum sauce. A thing of imperial, velvety richness it’s a dish that turns up the volume on a memorable experience. $$$

Salto (D5) ul. Wilcza 73 (enter from Emilii Plater), tel.

22 584 8771, saltorestauracja.pl Fine dining gets a South American makeover thanks to Martin Gimenez Castro, an Argentinean who has emerged as one of the most influential chefs in Poland. While some critics grumble that Warsaw’s top end scene has flat-lined, Salto push the envelope in terms of breaking boundaries and probing new ground. Light, fresh and full of zing, the ceviche is a must, as is a delve around the Sunday steak menu.

Desserts, meanwhile, are among the most inventive in town: a brilliant demonstration of Castro’s passion and personality, order the ‘Childhood / Irresponsible / Fantasy / Fun’ and you’ll understand what we mean. $$$ Senses (C2) ul. Bielańska 12, tel. 22 331 9697, sensesrestaurant.pl A spectacular experience from start to finish: begin by walking through a

flame-lit tunnel, and then conclude the night with an edible cigar: a grand tobacco flavored pastry infused with whisky and cinnamon. In between our night includes beetroot bread with a teat pipette of apple essence; a beef rib that’s a big blast of smoke and crunch; and a shellfish goulash that’s rich and rough and rolling in flavor. Perfectly paced, expertly portioned and bristling with invention, their newly acquired Michelin star makes bookings recommended. $$$ Signature (D5) ul. Poznańska 15, tel. 22 55 38755, signaturerestaurant.pl You feel a millionaire just being here: we’ve heard the interiors described as a ‘Monegasque state of mind’, and that’s not a bad way to surmise a décor that’s all about friezes and reliefs dated from the time this was the Soviet Embassy, lavish 1950s Oswald chairs, lighting by Serge Mouille and original Marilyn photos shot by the acclaimed Milton Greene. Food-wise the restaurant makes a massive splash with a menu that’s clever, creative and pretty. Count on Signature’s seasonally changing desserts providing a happy ending. $$ Tamka 43 (E3) ul. Tamka 43, tel. 22 441 6234, tamka.43.pl Ground floor: upmarket cafe serving Chopin fans. Upstairs: a fine dining restaurant in which the seasonal menu sets the natural flavors of Poland against the culinary know-how of tomorrow. It’s easy to drop serious money here, but you’ll still feel it’s worthwhile. $$$

listings / restaurants french

georgian

Bistro la Cocotte (D6) ul. Mokotowska 12, tel. 664 906 000 With access through a shadowy courtyard, the sensation you’re stepping inside a little secret is a pleasure in itself. Presenting itself in a riot of red and white gingham Cocotte feels warm and intimate, a factor aided by a small open kitchen and the atmosphere of home. The menu, chalked up on the blackboard, is a flexible affair that makes use of the ingredients at hand, and is divided into a smattering of light bites, desserts and plat du jour.

Chinkali (D4) ul. Zgoda 3 Signposted by a Georgianlanguage shingle, there’s a real sense of pleasure about this place. More modern than your typical folksy ethnic outpost, Chinkali’s draw is indeed its chinkali: dough purses packed with meaty broth. There’s a genuine homemade quality to these slurpy bundles of joy, meaning that while they’re authentic, consistency can vary. And don’t miss out on the red bean chachapuri washed down with a mouthwash-colored tarragon lemonade. $

L’Arc (E8) ul. Puławska 16, tel. 519 000 050, larc.pl Looking elegant with its black/white floors and subtle decorations bills at L’Arc can become big number affairs – especially if you hanker for seafood. No-one complains, however. Pick from numerous types of oysters, or delve into the fish tank for the lobster of your choosing. The catchment area extends beyond the borders of Mokotów, not just because of their ‘fresh from France’ seafood, but because of classic dishes such as Mulard duck and Burgundy snails. $$ La Cocotte Saska (H4) ul. Walecznych 68A Already well regarded on account of a highly successful venture just off Pl. Zbawiciela, La Cocotte have spread their wings to set up shop in scenic Saska. A typical French-style bistro / wine bar, the offer includes a brief but largely brilliant menu whose main strength is its mussels. The wine list is substantial and French-focused and enjoyed by a smart, upmarket audience. $$

Klukovka (B2) Al. Jana Pawła II 45A, klukovka.pl Jana Pawła’s pavilions are the unlikely location of this culinary beacon: amid the aggressive waft of its kebab shop neighbors, Klukova presents itself as a warming winter mouse hole filled with banter, babble and rich aromas. Specializing in the foods of ‘the east’, this means a menu inspired by the tastes of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and more. The mutton manty dumplings are great, and best appreciated with a bottle of unfiltered Lithuanian beer. That said, it’s never a surprise to find diners ordering up bottles of Georgian vodka before proceeding to share their way through the menu. $ Rusiko (E5) Al. Ujazdowskie 22, tel. 22 629 0628, rusiko. pl Explaining Georgian cuisine isn’t all that hard. To the uninitiated, it’s representative

of the heart, spirit and passion of its people, a cuisine the 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.

Live music lends the weekends a goodhumored twist. Note: closed Monday. $$

greek & turkish Santorini ul. Egipska 7, tel. 22 672 0525, kregliccy.pl/ 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 – and the milfei dessert is magic. $$ Sofra (C6) ul. Wilcza 71, tel. 731 847 731 A highly respected Turkish eatery with a wondrous beef mussaka and a wholly admirable lineup of other ethnic dishes: the lamb shashlik has never failed us. Pleasingly informal, this neighborhood redoubt feels cheerfully unforced, and it becomes an easy place to hang around in. $ Taverna Patris (G4) ul. Wał Miedzeszyński 407, tel 22 357 11 11, tawernapatris.pl This Greek restaurant

No Comment (F4) Al. 3 Maja 16/18A, fb.com/nocommentwarszawa Set inside one of those momentous towers that support Most Poniatowskiego, you don’t feel like you’re in a restaurant, you’ll feel like you’re in a film – something weird by Aronofsky or Lynch.

Seating is small and tight, set around glasstopped tables that favor form over function.

But there’s a reasoning behind this which soon becomes apparent. No Comment is all about intimacy, about bending over platters for surreptitious slurps of New Zealand oysters. It’s about decadence, about clinking glasses and toasting the moment. Most of all, it’s about authentic French style. $$

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listings / restaurants is not about sophistication and finesse, it’s about truth and taste. Likewise, the interiors have no airs and graces: there’s a rough and ready style that’s apt for noisy celebrations and familial occasions. Tawerna Patris is not about shallow details or surface appearances. Instead, it’s a place of depth, a place of integrity, a place of joy. $$

umadziara.pl U Madziara looks like it took two days to decorate. No-one goes here to marvel at the interiors though, they go in the knowledge that they’ll find great food at prices all bank cards can support. Chef Gabor’s signature goulash is one of life’s simple pleasures, though the service can come across as distracted and inattentive. $

hungarian

indian

U Madziara (B3) Salto Advert Feb 20.pdf ul. Chłodna 2/18, tel. 22 620 1423,

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Bollywood Lounge (D4) 20/02/17 15:08 ul. Nowy Świat 58, tel. 22 827 0283,

bollywoodlounge.pl Known for their raucous dusk-till-dawn 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. $$ Curry House ul. Żeromskiego 81 & ul. Hoża 54, curryhouse.pl Ask for something extra hot in Curry House and by Vishnu that’s what you’ll get.

Yet at Curry House there is more to sing about than just Poland’s highest voltage vindaloo.

While neither of their two locations (Bielany

listings / restaurants & city center) look too grand (the Bielany branch is a glorified hut), the curries are rich and sumptuous and in a league of their own.

If in doubt, the chicken tikka masala is a fail-safe request. $$ House of Curry ul. Patriotów 11 A, house-of-curry.pl Heat seekers can ‘enjoy’ a genuine death-by-fire experience at House of Curry, though far milder curries are available for more sensitive palettes – either way, the experience is fantastic, and good news for those stuck out in the depths of Józefów. $$ Karma (D5) ul. Żurawia 22, tel. 501 400 386 Fresh, contemporary interiors impart a chic, classy look that’s leagues ahead of Warsaw’s other Indian restaurants. The food is impressive, with fresh ingredients and an expansive menu: the vindaloo is a special standout, with big, punchy flavors that leave you tingling long after you leave. $$ Mr. India Al. KEN 47, tel. 22 213 0689, mrindia.pl Split on two levels the design is contemporary if a little characterless: leather banquettes that leave a sweaty bum print and wood paneling.

No problem though, if it looks bland then the food isn’t. That means an incredible butter chicken that’s deep and immensely satisfying. Then there’s the vindaloo, an experience that leaves some close to spontaneous combustion. Undoubtedly one of the best regarded Indian restaurants in this town. $$ Tandoor (D7) ul. Marszałkowska 21/25, tel. 22825 2375, tandoor.com.pl After nearly 20 years at the helm, owner Charanjit Walia has sold up and moved on, leaving a spiritual hole in his life-defining work. His parting shot has been a re-haul which has seen the interior modernized and brightened. Has the food suffered? Not a jot. The chicken tikka butter masala is as formidable as ever. It’s no longer the self-styled, ‘best Indian restaurant in Poland’, but it’s deservedly retained a loyal core of customers. $$

indonesian Warung Jakarta (D6) ul. Piękna 28/34 The menu has a street foodie edge and is divided into steps wherein diners first pick out their choice of protein,

then their rice, before concluding with any vegetables add-ons (e.g. pak choy, green beans or water spinach). While most Warsaw restaurants have a special lunch scheme going on, Warung’s is one that actually warrants a further look: find truly great off-menu dishes that are highly accessible to all levels of income. $

italian Ave Pizza (E3) ul. Topiel 12, tel. 22 828 8507, avepizza. pl The argument over who serves Warsaw’s best pizza goes right to the wire, but there’s no doubting that Ave Pizza are up there on the leaderboard. Set across a sparse, metropolitan area, this fashionable L-shaped joint comes endorsed by the capital’s notoriously picky Italian community. Order the pillowy calzone and you’ll soon learn why. $ The Blueberry’s (D6) Pl. Zbawiciela, fb.com/theblueberrys Strange times for Pl. Zbawiciela: it’s not long back people were burning down the rainbow installation (RIP!), calling it Pl. Hipsterka and writing about it in publications such as The New York Times. Though it might have stagnated a little since that heyday hopes are again high for the future, and The Blueberry’s is one reason. Specializing in the food of Piedmont, find an onus placed on authentic, home-style tastes. $$ Delizia (D5) ul. Hoża 58/60, tel. 22 622 6665, delizia. com.pl The sheer proliferation of Italian restaurants lends an element of chance to dining out: cut through the noise by visiting Delizia, a place that’s consistently topped polls ever since it launched in 2010.

Lorenzo’s cooking is upscale Italian with a contemporary twist, and comes presented by Luca, an ebullient ball of energy who patrols the floor with sparkling good humor. In the hands of these two an unforgettable night comes guaranteed. Top quality imported products, a dimly-lit romantic atmosphere, a tasteful design and faultless food: no wonder so many rate this as their favorite Italian. $$ Dziurka od Klucza (E3) ul. Radna 13, tel. 500 150 494, dziurkaodklucza.com.pl An inviting Italian restaurant in which curious doors sit embedded into the walls, as if waiting to be opened by the keys that hang on the tree outside. Striking a

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listings / restaurants lavender look, the magic of this restaurant is affirmed by its wonderful pasta and intimate style. $$

Enoteka (C1) Rynek Nowego Miasta 13/15, enotekapolska.pl This L-shaped space feels completely correct: tall ceilings, big windows, marble floors and an overwhelming sense of

light and sun. The mood is good. Food matches the serious wine list and includes a rich topinmabur soup, creamy Agnolloti pasta and a hearty steak. These are not attempts at a kitchen revolution, rather a concentrated focus on a menu that makes sense. $$ Focaccia (D2) ul. Senatorska 13/15, tel. 22 829 6969, focaccia.pl The Insider’s visit went something like this: wrist-thick octopus with an arc of yellow mousse, conversation stopping beef tenderloin alongside a glistening

pool of madeira sauce and then an orange ice cream with caramel and ginger that soon merged into a big gooey brew of chocolatey mess. The only surprise is there’s no Italian in the kitchen – it appears they don’t need one.

This is seriously talented cooking inside an interior that fresh and light and reflective of the food. $$ Mąka i Woda (D4) ul. Chmielna 13A, tel. 22 505 91 87 Purists applaud an approach that uses a custommade oven from Naples and imported ingredients such as 00 Caputo flour and DOP certified San Marzano tomatoes.

Scrupulously authentic, it’s no wonder that it’s packed to the gunnels every night of the week – even their Facebook page warns of 20-minute waiting times for a table alone.

Learning this, some storm off in a huff – they need their heads checked, for this is Warsaw’s best pizza. $ Sexy Duck Pl. Konstytucji 3, tel. 22 400 3737 Marketing themselves as a ‘craft Italian kitchen’, Sexy Duck make a song and dance about artisan this and that while never justifying their own hyperbole. Were they not so keen to tell you otherwise, you’d mistake the food as being something from a mid-market high street chain enterprise. But if their pizza never goes beyond ordinary, that’s done nothing to keep trade from being brisk. Inside interiors filled with aged, raw materials, find a new generation of diners making the most of the low, low prices. $ Si (C3) ul. Marszałkowska 115 From the makers of Secado comes a new downtown venture: Si, a fun Italian stop with homemade pasta, an array of pizza and a hefty choice of cocktails.

Geared towards good times, a list of rotating daily offers has done a fair job of drumming up trade. $$ Trattoria Murano (B1) ul. Pokorna 2, tel. 516 754 300, trattoriamurano.pl Boosted by a number of new real estate projects, Muranów is in the midst of an unlikely renaissance. A direct knock-on has been the birth of numerous restaurants, though few can compete with Trattoria Murano. Looking dapper with its zigzagging brick patterns and circular lights, the good mood is further enhanced by a highly credible menu that scores well on the Italian classics. $$

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listings / restaurants international Aioli Inspired by Mini (D6) Pl. Konstytucji 5, aioliinspiredbymini.pl Once a gritty Stalinist leftover, Konstytucji has come a long way fast. A recent rush of bars and restaurants have aided the reintrocution of life to this concrete tundra, the most prominent of which being Aioli.

Some might accuse it of being formulaic, but it’s clearly a formula that works: young and energetic, there’s a buzz here lasts long into the night. Food-wise, it’s a steady choice based around burgers, pizzas and other things that their age bracket appreciates. $$ Aioli (D3) ul. Świętokrzyska 18, tel. 22 290 102, aioli-cantine.com This runaway hit has taken Warsaw by storm. It’s a jaunty space with hams hanging from hooks and long communal tables that thrive with life. Aioli’s breakfasts, sandwiches, pastas and pizzas are a lesson in clean, simple pleasure: nothing out of the world, just consistently

good. This and the liberal prices mean there’s no shortage of people passing in and out the doors. $$

The giant leg of lamb falls off the bone and is a dish to recommend and remember for several months to come. $$

Ale Wino (F5) ul. Mokotowska 48, tel. 22 628 3830, alewino.pl Dip through an archway to discover Ale Wino, a beautiful wine bar whose menu has been well tailored to the season.

Tweaked for the season is the pork belly, a Złotnicka pig adorned with apple sugar snap peas and celery mousse – gorgeous. As for the wine, put your faith in the sommelier, Oliver.

Bez Tytułu (D5) ul. Poznańska 16, beztytulu.com Classy yet discreet, the interiors set art and photography against rehabilitated brickwork while pendant bulbs cast a soft light downwards.

The classic cooking has French and Polish accents and has so far won glowing reviews.

That’s specifically true of the mains: high caliber offerings such as beef fillet (zł.

68) with a sensual shallot sauce, mashed potatoes and crunchy onion crisps. Largely perfect, it’s a dish that feels completely right for the season. $$

Bazar Kocha (D6) ul. Mokotowska 33, bazarkocha.pl Designed to evoke the spirit of a farmers’ market, the woodsy interior is filled with stall-style units neatly stacked with jars and pots. Yet these are not decorative decoys, but part of a thoughtful grocery offer aimed at showcasing Kocha’s own-made produce. Above all though, this is a restaurant whose menu is strongly influenced by concepts of ‘terroir’.

Bibenda (D5) ul. Nowogrodzka 10, tel. 502 770 303, bibenda.pl The menu declares Bibenda to be ‘a celebration of food, drink and togetherness’, and that’s precisely what it is.

Augmenting the warm, busy interiors are a thoughtful selection of craft beers and a con-

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listings / restaurants cise menu that varies from month-to-month.

The apparent simplicity of the food is illusory and belies the kitchen’s knack for spotting interesting combinations such as goose with pumpkin puree, cranberry / red wine jam and chili caramelized beetroot. $$ Brasserie Warszawska (E5) ul. Górnośląska 24, tel. 22 628 9423, brasseriewarszawska.pl Looking for classic cuisine with no daft flights of fancy? Here you have it.

At a time when everyone wants to be Ferran Adrià, Brasserie has both a menu and interior that you can understand: pan-fried foie

gras; elegant beef Rossini; and sinful apple tarte tatin, all served inside posh interiors of zinc-plated mirrors and chessboard floors.

Their Michelin Bib Gourmand is a source of pride, but it’s the number of repeat clients that are the ultimate paean to the skills of chef Mateusz Wichrowski. $$$ Bubbles (D2) Pl. Piłsudskiego 9, tel. 512 540 913, bubbles.com.pl Occupying a small, square room, it’s intimate and relaxed: a place busy with blackboards and bottles, crates and clutter. It radiates warmth and honesty. The food

is exquisite, and includes big, meaty snails farmed in Mazury, and their signature dish: Swiss-style raclette. Presented on a wooden chopping board, this cheese dish is classic melty goodness, and served alongside a pile of potatoes, onions marinated with caramel and candied pumpkin. Considering the place doubles as a champagne bar the prices are remarkably moderate. $$ Bułkę przez Bibułkę ul. Zgoda 3 & ul. Puławska 24, bulkeprzezbibulke.pl When Bułkę przez Bibułkę was opened the idea was simple – to create a boutique version of Subway: a high quality sandwich shop people would value. But after they started serving breakfast, the whole thing snowballed into a more bistro-style offer. Now there’s a second venue on Zgoda, it’s not just the quality that’s contributed to the success, but the atmosphere as well. $$ Concept 13 (D4) ul. Bracka 9, tel. 22 310 7373 You’d expect a rooftop meal at Poland’s ultimate luxury department store to cost the earth, but that’s not the case. The zł. 50 lunch deal allows Joe Public to enjoy the considerable skills of Dariusz Barański. That he manages to create different pieces of art each and every afternoon is a testament to his talent – fellow chefs and foodies privately talk of him as a Michelin star in the making. $$$

A PLACE IN WHICH WINE PLAYS THE FIRST CHORD IN HARMONY WITH WHAT APPEARS ON THE PLATE…

WE WELCOME YOU

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Dekant Wine Bar (F5) ul. Zajęcza 15, dekant.com.pl Not just a contender for Warsaw’s best new wine bar, but also Warsaw’s best new restaurant! The tuna tartar comes with the added ka-boom of a nose clearing wasabi, while the filet mignon (a snip at zł. 79) is simply astonishing.

The surprise are the ash-cooked potatoes, beautiful things with a char that wows. The desserts are few in number but equally outstanding: we fell in love with a passion fruit semi-freddo with strawberries marinated in Grand Marnier. $$ Der Elefant (C3) Pl. Bankowy 1, tel. 22 890 0010, derelefant. com This leviathan restaurant unravels in a maze of wrought iron and monochrome tiles – beautiful to look at (it was created by Oscar winning set designer Allan Starski), it’s caused a stir for more than just this alone.

Where once the menu looked like it was devised by throwing darts at a cookbook, the focus has now been narrowed. While some of the dishes are strictly middling, the

listings / restaurants Original Indian Cuisine

filet mignon (zł. 69) is one of the best meat deals in town in terms of quality / price / consistency. $$ Dom ul. Mierosławskiego 12, tel. 509 165 712 Here’s the very epitome of casual dining: set on the ground floor of a suburban house, the warm corners and garden views give Dom a real sense of homey charm. In line with all that is a menu that celebrates simple, honest cooking. Everyone who visits ends up loving the place. $$ Dyletanci (F5) ul. Rozbrat 44A, dyletanci.pl Filled with crisp, modern citizens that radiate confidence, Dyletanci introduces itself as a bistro set with green banquettes and Tom Dixon lamps.

The wine selection is among the best in the nation, while the cooking has been left to Rafał Hreczaniuk, a workaholic chef with outrageous talent. His zander fillet thrills BEST WAWA 2016 with every bite. $$ “Upscale Casual” Grand Kredens (B5) Al. Jerozolimskie 111, tel. 22 629 8008, kredens.com.pl This mighty veteran continues to draw a steady custom on account of a wide-reaching menu that aims to keep everyone happy – and it usually does. The design is surreal to say the least, and is laid out in such a way as to always guarantee a lively atmosphere. $$ Hala Koszyki (D6) ul. Koszykowa 63, koszyki.com Finally open after years of disruption and destruction, the launch of this food hall was the big story of Autumn 2016. Integrating old with new, this huge project brings together some 18 food outlets inside a busy interior that’s all iron girders and industrial lighting. While there’s a feeling that there should have been a bigger focus on artisan, independent traders, that’s done nothing to dent Koszyki’s astonishing popularity. Units of note include the Gringo Salsownia, Port Royal Fish & Oyster Bar, and the Sobramesa Tapas Bar. $$

club

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Joseph’s Bistro & Wine (B1) ul. Inflancka 4, josephs.pl Spacious and smooth on the eye, Joseph’s has the feel of a place where good things happen: and indeed they do. For starters there’s a visually enticing tuna tartar, not to mention gherkin with rhubarb and cheese. It’s frankly remarkable with all sorts of tastes popping out thanks

to a marinade that involves passionfruit, chili, vinegar and maple syrup. As a main, don’t miss the duck breast: a simple thing of beauty that’s given extra vigor with a star anise demi-glace. $$ Kuchnia Otwarta ul. Klimczaka 1 (Royal Wilanów), kuchniaotwarta.pl Kuchnia Otwarta have created a swell of excitement that’s rippled way beyond Wilanów. Why? Plotted out by Michał Molenda, the menu is a sincere work based around regional, seasonal produce: nothing contrived, nothing forced, it’s a card that roots out the very best that Poland has to offer: in winter, the wild boar stew, served in a cast iron pot, is a dark, delicious work that nourishes the soul.

La Brasserie Modern (D3) ul. Królewska 11, tel. 22 657 8332, sofitel-victoria-warsaw.com The interior of Didier Gomez whispers intimacy, yet it also embraces notions of space and light.

The casual elegance that emanates from the design is accented by warm colors, low banquettes and glinting mirrors. Acting as a ballast to it all is an open kitchen, in which you’ll find Executive Chef Maciej Majewski honing his art. His is a menu that fits seamlessly with the surrounds: a fresh, modern look at French cuisine, but one that values clarity and simplicity. $$

Loft (D4) ul. Złota 11, tel. 668 016 964, restauracjaloft.pl Color, that’s what Loft has. It’s everywhere – from the design, which is all bubble shaped lights and splashy, bright cushions, to the drinks: extravagant cocktails that possibly glow in the dark.

The menu is full of playful experimentation, something reflected by a seasonal menu that has, in the past, presented such choices as chicken with strawberries. $$ MOD (D6) ul. Oleandrów 8, fb.com/MODOleandrow8 Chef Trisno’s menu sets his French culinary training against his Singaporean upbringing.

The outcome is a card (actually, a printed sheet of paper) that makes for dangerously enjoyable reading: duck hearts with beetroot / soy emulsion and braised red cabbage; duck confit with pok choy, soy / red wine sauce and spicy cranberry chutney. Moderate

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listings / restaurants prices and funky décor (a retro mirrored wall, upside down plants hanging from the ceiling) give it an ad hoc edge and plenty of character. Note: by day its Warsaw’s top donut store, so visit at night for their proper BEST WAWA 2016 “Casual menu. $$ Dining”

pl Back open after a revamp and a rethink, the biggest talking point has been the star addition of a wood smoker imported from the States. Allegedly the only one of its kind in Poland, the menu has been adjusted accordingly to play to this strength – with this in mind, the ribs are a must-have. $

Mokotowska 69 (E5) ul. Mokotowska 69, mokotowska69.com 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. Brought to you by the same team credited for Merliniego 5, Mokotowska’s appreciation of steak has been lifted from their elder sister. Yet the virtues of this restaurant extend beyond steak alone: the Insider enjoyed a volley of greats – creamy breaded calf brains, sophisticated smoked eel, and Mazurian crayfish served in a deep, joyous sauce of rowan berry and brandy. $$

Plato ul. Klimczaka 1 (Royal Wilanow), restauracjaplato.pl Conceived as a ‘smart casual’ restaurant, it’s a reasonably compact space with a modern style and incandescent bulbs hanging from a complex cat’s cradle of interweaving wires: classy but nothing too flashy or flamboyant. Then there’s the menu, a strange work that sees Spanish influences brushing shoulders next to Polish and Asian. It sounds silly and preposterous but my God it works.

December saw us wowed by beef tartar cut from Polish Hereford, an aromatic oriental brith, and a refined halibut encircled with sage pesto, redcurrants and fresh almonds.

Stunning. $$

Momu.Gastrobar (C2) ul. Wierzbowa 11, tel. 506 100 001, momu.

Rozbrat 20 (F5) ul. Rozbrat 20, rozbrat20.com.pl Much noise has been made about Rozbrat 20’s bread and wine selection, but their food is also something of a standout. Our trip in December meant twirls of herring pickled in vinegar and herbs and surrounded by a whorl of pond green colors; expertly assembled and boisterously flavored Hungarian foie gras; and a roll of gelatinous pork with ribbons of crispy salsify and a reassuring, fleshy BEST WAWA 2016 taste. Outstanding. $$ “Upscale Casual” Sawa Bistro (C3) ul. Grzybowska 5, sawabistro.pl An unpretentious ride through largely Mediterranean cuisine with standouts including ‘Galicianstyle octopus’ and an Italian tartar with olive powder, shallots in port and balsamic vinegar and a smoked egg. The interiors are stripped to their original concrete and feature an eye-catching mosaic designed in the PRL style, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows and cheerful blue flashes. $$

La Brasserie Moderne is a modern interpretation of traditional brasserie designed to bring the taste of the French art de vivre right to your table. Discover a seasonal menu skillfully composed by chef Maciej Majewski by combining the finest culinary traditions of France with local flavors and a modern twist.

Our open kitchen will complement your dining experience by creating a sense of participation in a live culinary show.

La Brasserie Moderne, visit us Mon.-Sat. noon-midnight | Królewska St 11 | 00-065 Warsaw | Tel. +48 22 657 83 82 | Email: brasserie.moderne@sofitel.com | www.facebook.com/brasserie.moderne

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listings / restaurants Stixx (A4) Pl. Europejski 4A, tel. 22 340 4040, stixx.pl It’s east to distrust a menu with such international diversity, but the kitchen crew really make it come together: the Indian section is particularly outstanding. Then there’s the design, a balance between slick corporate and sexy cosmopolitan: with the Warsaw Spire towering above it outside, it’s the kind of address to take any new arrival who still thinks of Poland as being backward. $$

Strefa (C3) ul. Próżna 9, tel. 22 255 0850, restauracjastrefa.pl There’s a swan white elegance here, with lots of pristine colors and smart, smooth-talking service. What a refreshing change. Chef Jarosław Walczyk favors sous-vide techniques, and his is a magic, masterful hand – his duck is flawless, and the homemade ice cream with seasonal fruits is quite a follow-up. $$$

japanese & sushi Tusz Tusz Bistro (C2) Pl. Bankowy 2 Hidden round the back of Pl. Bankowy’s epic blue tower, Tusz Tusz is the kind of place Warsaw needs more of: a catch-all solution with a local menu that keeps office workers in mind – it’s fast, available from dawn but doesn’t cut corners when it comes to basic standards. Full review coming soon. $$ Warbuger Na Żelazna (B4) ul. Żelazna 58/62 The easiest mistake one can make is to think this is a burger joint – in part it is, but the whole truth is that it’s so much more. A complete upgrade from their original joint in Mokotów, the real attraction is an enticing page of more-ish, meaty mains: oxtail, beef cheeks and other snips of bits and offal. $$

Benihana (C4) ul. Twarda 2/4, benihanapoland.com Fire, flash, show and sizzle: the Benihana experience merges cooking with cabaret with diners sat ringside around teppanyaki grills.

These cooking stations are the stage for the Benihana crew to demonstrate their riveting range of nifty knifework and daredevil antics.

Outside of the realm of the grill, the sushi is also strikes the right spot. $$ Izumi Sushi ul. Mokotowska 17 The original location never ceases to amaze with its sushi, though it’s the addition on Biały Kamień that really gets people talking. Here it’s not just the food that wows, but the interiors: a huge venue whose open plan doubles as an indoor forest – you need to see it to believe it. $$ Omami (D5) ul. Mokotowska 29 (enter from Krucza) Sushi

New menu Lunch 12.00-16.00

35 zł

16.00-20.00

Aperitivo bar Prosecco free

www.focaccia.pl tel.: +48 22 829 69 69, ul. Senatorska 13/15, Warsaw/Old Town, restauracja@focaccia.pl, fb.com/restauracjafocaccia

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listings / restaurants has been side-lined and ramen is rising.

Opened a few months ago, Omami promise four types of ramen, not to mention steamed buns and other budget-minded Japanese options. $ Sato Gotuje ul. Pawińskiego 24 Ochota’s culinary drought is over, and in some style as well. While the plain interiors look bald and boring, the cooking of Satoru Yaegashi is all art and precision: braised duck breast with mustard; fried sardines with roasted sesame seeds; and heaps of homemade udon in warming fish broth. Often outstanding, it’s little wonder that people are arriving in droves from all across town: bookings aren’t mandatory, but they’re definitely advised. $$ Shoku (A4) ul. Karolkowa 30, shoku.pl In local terms, this has to be amongst the most blogged about restaurants of the year thus far. While it actually opened several months back, it’s only now that the place is gathering steam and getting recognized thanks to word-of-mouth.

In truth, it’s not hard to see what the fuss is about: occupying a cool, almost industriallooking spot not far from the Rising Museum, Shoku offers an excellent menu of Asian-style tapas and small plates inside a buzzy background that’s never short of custom. The tuna steak is recommended. $$ Sushi Zushi (D5) ul. Żurawia 6/12, tel. 22 420 3373,

sushizushi.pl The mania for sushi is in recess, and that’s a good thing – the rogue operators are dead or dying off, and are survived by the best. And make no mistake, Sushi Zushi continue to be one of the No. 1 ex-pat choices.

Appreciated by a stunning crowd, the rolls are often bold, creative and always astonishingly fresh. $$ Uki Uki (D5) ul. Krucza 23/31, tel. 728 827 705, ukiuki.pl How much do the locals appreciate Warsaw’s original udon bar? Enough to queue outside the door? That’s right. Dining is a close quarters experience here, but is done so without complaint: that electric pasta maker turns out noodles of such chewy goodness that everyone leaves beaming. $$

tiramisu is a surprising finish.

jewish Florentin (E4) ul. Smolna 40, fb.com/FlorentinWarszawa A quite beautiful, pale-colored dining room that boldly presents the cuisine of modern day Israel. High on North African twists and turns, there’s a creativity at work here that marks Florentin out as one of the most exciting openings in recent times: if in doubt, the veal with harissa, grilled pepper and pear puree is a winning order that deserves full attention. Onto dessert, and make space for the basil panna cotta served with ‘tomato jam’. $$

Wabu Pl. Europejski 2 (Warsaw Spire), wabu.pl Sushi becomes a heaven’s gate spiritual experience in Wabu with the evening passing in a blur of beautiful compositions, of silky slithers of fish crowned with expert pinches of this, and little brush strokes of that. That’s all elevated even further by deliciously upscale interiors befitting of the Spire location. $$$

Tel Aviv (D5) ul. Poznanska 11, restauracjatelaviv.pl Although this multicultural melting pot is best-known for its Israeli street food, it’s the shift towards ‘vegan fine dining’ that has really caught the attention. $$

Wasabi Pl. Piłsudskiego 2, tel. 22 314 6963, restauracjawasabi.pl Rated as one of the best value for money deals on sushi you’ll find in the city, the sets offer phenomenally good value. Sushi master Masahiro Ueyama knows all the tricks in his book, and his green tea

Miss Kimchi (B4) ul. Żelazna 58/62, tel. 570 186 066 Cheap and cheerful Korean street food served in a small, steamy space that’s frequently packed to the rafters. Box sets come piled high with meat, rice and veg. The spotlight falls on the bibimbap, a satisfying mess of shredded veg,

korean

You’ve tried all the rest, now try the best!

Le Cedre 61

opposite the zoo Al. Solidarności 61, Praga Tel 22 670 11 66

Le Cedre 84

opposite the court Al. Solidarności 84 Tel 22 618 89 99

www.lecedre.pl www.lecedre.pl

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listings / restaurants lively spices, a fried egg and beef bulgogi.

This is replenishment in its truest form. $ Sora (A4) ul. Wronia 45 Buoyed by a surge in Korean expat numbers, Korena cuisine found itself cresting in 2016. Yet despite the increasingly competitive market, Sora are commonly accepted as the rulers of the roost. The tabletop BBQ sets are an essential order and ideal for the shared bonding experience.

It’s even better with copious quantaties of Makkoli wine. $$

Who doesn’t like asking for something that’s ‘under the counter’. In the case of Dos Tacos, doing so means inquiring about their range of ‘salsa clandestinas’: extra hot sauces designed for reckless thrill-seekers.

But the true secret weapon at Dos Tacos is Isabel Balderas, a Mexican chef that has mastered the bright, bold tastes of her native country. This cuisine has enjoyed a breakout year in Warsaw, but while the millennials clamor over new food trucks and funky little start-ups, Dos Tacos is a timely reminder that the old guard sometimes know best. $$

Gringo Bar (E9) ul. Odolańska 15, gringobar.pl A Mexican wave is upon us, and high time too. After years of suffering frozen ingredients, timid flavors and daft Mariachi music to persuade us it’s all authentic, a raft of new cut-price eateries are showing the rest how it’s done.

Cooked and folded by fist bumping lads in back-to-front caps and baggy t-shirts, the food at Gringo is fiery, fresh and full of zing. There are detractors who claim this is a Polonized version of this cuisine, but the informal Gringo remains one of the market leaders. $

latin & spanish Casa Pablo (C3) ul. Grzybowska 5A, casapablo.pl “We give Spanish food a new twist,” declares chef Gonzalo de Salas, which explains why, in between pungent cheeses and acorn-fed Bellota ham, we find ourselves demolishing a variety of dishes that buck all notions of tradition: as a starter the beetroot-marinated salmon served with wasabi emulsion is a fine example of this. With de Salas performing balletic tricks in the kitchen, Casa Pablo presents a masterful menu that ripples with adventure. $$ Ceviche Bar (C4) ul. Twarda 4, cevichebar.pl Created by the award-winning Martin Gimenez Castro, Warsaw’s first specialist ceviche bar serves up various interpretations of this classic raw fish dish: the corvina is an explosion of peppy, citrusy tastes and leaves you in no doubt why some are tipping ceviche to become as big as sushi. Inside a contemporary space in which the dining area merges with a kitchen decorated with a mural of Maradona. $$ Tapas Gastrobar (A4) ul. Grzybowska 63, tapasbar.pl The popular practice is to order so many plates and bottles that the table becomes a Magic Eye of kaleidoscope patterns. A great place for sharing and general interaction, the ambiance and quality belies the corporate anonymity of the location. Though the gazapcho is first class its bettered by the patatas bravos: fried potatoes in a ballsy tomato sauce. $$

mexican Dos Tacos (D4) ul. Jasna 22, tel. 22 243 4618, dostacos.pl

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listings / restaurants La Sirena (D5) ul. Piękna 54 Creamy guacamole the color of Kermit; cocktails that are both vicious and delicious; and drunken beans full of heart and vim. But La Sirena gets even better, particularly with the short ribs burrito and a readjusted ‘almost death salsa’ that’s learned to say POW. Add to this a macheteladen interior that draws inspiration from the ultra-violent films of Danny Trejo, and you understand why this tiny, backstreet cantina has become the talk of the town. At no point in its history has Warsaw enjoyed better Mexican food. $$

Maria Kolendra ul. Puławska 246 The most likable trend of the past year? That’ll be Warsaw’s growing mania for Mexican food. Set in a small ‘pavilion’ building out in the Służew boonies, such is the authenticity that Maria Kolednra’s loyal band of devotees see nothing wrong in traipsing across the city for a taste of Luis and Armando’s tacos and burritos. $ Urban Burritos (D6) ul. Piękna 22, urbanburritos.pl It’s here, in this unassuming subterranean world, that people gather for what is being hyped as War-

saw’s top burrito. Offering fillings of pork, beef, chicken and Portobello mushroom, wraps come expertly constructed and served with salsas that sing with gusto. Set within shouting distance of the US Embassy, peak times see Urban Burritos fill to the seams with America’s finest. $

middle eastern Falafel Bejrut (B2) ul. Nowolipki 15 Light, bright and buzzing with custom, this cheerful venture has a small scattering of seating and an expanded menu whose talking point is award-winning falafel. The hummus, too, is pretty amazing. $ Falafel Bejrut Moliera 8 (D2) ul. Moliera 8 So what would you prefer – an underperforming steakhouse or what’s commonly regarded as the best falafel Warsaw has ever seen? In all truth, polls are closed on that one. Taking the place of the defunct Muu Muu restaurant, Falafel Bejrut have grown from life as a ‘food bike’ outside Hala Mirowska, to a runaway juggernaut in the heart of Warsaw. Both the falafel and hummus are exceptional, and you’ll find their latest venue also serving artisanal vegan ice cream from Vegestacja. $

Le Cedre (E1) Al. Solidarności 61, tel. 22 670 1166, lecedre.pl 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. $$ Le Cedre 84 (B3) Al. Solidarności 84, tel. 22 618 8999, lecedre.pl Le Cedre just keep on getting it right. Authenticity is key in this chainlette (well, there’s another across the river), as you’ll discover when talking to Tony, the Lebanese owner. To see the diversity of this cuisine, order the balbaak (six cold starters) or the byblos (six hot). And food aside, it’s the atmosphere that carries them that extra yard: the whole philosophy of this cuisine is to share and share alike,

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AU T H E N T I C P O L I S H C U I S I N E

Krakowskie Przedmieście 64, Warsaw Krakowskie Przedmieście 64 tel. +48 22 826 47 70 email: info@delicjapolska.pl www.delicjapolska.pl Reseva7ons:

listings / restaurants making it a uniquely engaging experience when dining with friends. $$ Shuk ul. Grójecka 127 Located behind Hala Banacha in this gradually blooming district of Warsaw, SHUK’s certainly worth the tram ride if you’re not a native Ochotian. An offshoot of the acclaimed Mezze, highlights on our visit included a well-seasoned Arabic soup with lentils and spinach followed by a skillet of fried oyster mushrooms cooked with onions and served alongside harissa topped with rose petals. You’re looking at quite a special place that realigns your mojo on a Warsaw winter’s day. $ Sokotra (D5) ul. Wilcza 27, tel. 22 270 2766, sokotra.pl It says a lot for Warsaw’s developing tastes that it can now house a successful Yemeni venture. Bathed in chatter and chaotic kitchen sounds, Sokotra is an informal place with Indian twists on the menu, and a card that encourages plenty of plate sharing. $$

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polish

Ale Gloria (E5) Pl. Trzech Krzyży 3, tel. 22 584 7080, alegloria.pl Who said romance was dead?

Here wedding white colors are fused with a strawberry motif inside this gourmet fave.

Keeping patrons returning are aromatic dishes with a contemporary twist – try the duck in rose sauce. $$$ Bez Gwiazdek (E3) ul. Wiślana 8, bezgwiazdek.com.pl Hide the white tablecloth! One of the more discernible trends of 2016 saw chefs attempt to replicate fine dining standards but in casual surrounds.

Few are more qualified to do so than Robert Trzópek, a man whose résumé includes experience gained in Noma and El Bulli. Seeking to ‘reinterpret forgotten Polish cuisine’,

his tasting menu at Bez Gwiazdek leaves no doubt why local food fans repeat his name with reverence and awe. For this restaurant, 2017 promises to get even bigger. $$

Czerwony Wieprz (Red Hog) (B3) ul. Żelazna 68, tel. 22 850 3144, czerwonywieprz. pl An amusing restaurant that looks back at communism through a rose-tinted lens. Under the glowering gaze of commie tyrants, staff dressed like obedient members of the party’s Youth League deliver hefty dishes from a cheeky menu that is in itself a collector’s item. $$

Delicja Polska (D6) ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 64, tel. 22 826

listings / restaurants 4770, delicjapolska.pl Looking stately (pink bows, gilt touches and immaculate linen) but never stuffy, Delicja have a modern Polish menu that includes sous-vide salmon marinated in beetroot leaves, then topped with horseradish foam and dill emulsion.

Brilliant. But then so was everything else we tried, including the exquisite seasoned roast beef. $$

pathways and bursting shrubs this restaurant conjures images of an aristocrat’s manor. The air of privilege matches a menu that’s rich in fanciful classics such as their signature goose. Elegant and exquisite, consider it your default choice for a taste of true Poland. $$

Dom Polski (H4) ul. Francuska 11, tel. 22 616 2432, restauracjadompolski.pl Almost like it was designed for the manor born, Dom Polski has the rarefied atmosphere of a country retreat: bow-tied staff who click their heels, decorative antiques and a menu that’s a sumptuous anthology of posh Polish cooking.

When you need to give visitors a sense of classic Warsaw, Dom Polski is the first out of the hat. $$$

Elixir by Dom Wódki (C2) ul. Wierzbowa 9/11, domwodki.pl There are some who call the food here ‘deconstructed Polish’. In actuality, ‘reconstructed’ would be closer to the mark. Chef Michał Tkaczyk has taken local classics and redrafted the recipes with the swoosh of a contemporary pen. The outcome is a pleasure from start to finish: a life affirming żurek, a tartar that could fulfill ambassadorial duties for Poland, and a handsome beef tenderloin sprinkled with crispy potato shavings. Thoughtful pairings with lesser-known, boutique vodkas add another dimension that serves to complete this pleasing, patriotic adventure. $$

Dom Polski Belwederska (F8) ul. Belwederska 18A, tel. 22 840 5060, restauracjadompolski.pl Accessed via curling

RESTAURANT &

VODKA

AT E L I E R

Folk Gospoda (B3) ul. Waliców 13, tel. 22 890 1605, folkgospoda.pl If you missed the last train to Zakopane, then a night in Folk Gospoda is the next best thing. Kitted out like a typical tavern in the Tatras, it’s a good-humored celebration of mountain-slope traditions: heaps of meat and lard with plenty of vodka and song in between. $$ Inny Wymiar ul. Świętokrzyska 14 Highly imaginative Polish cuisine served inside intriguing interiors. Much blogged about since opening, it’s been noted by many as one to watch. Full review coming soon. $$ Jaś & Małgosia (B2) Al. Jana Pawła II 57, tel. 502 033 711, klubjasimalgosia.pl Insouciant one moment,

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listings / restaurants your best friend the next, the staff at Jaś & Małgosia show the two faces of Polish service brilliantly. Reactivated a couple of years ago, this gem has a story dating back to the 60s, and a great atmosphere primed for simple food and local drinks. $ Kafe Zielony Niedzwiedź (E4) ul. Smolna 4, tel. 731 996 006, kafezn.pl Exceeding all expectations in their second year, the Green Bear has turned into the mothership for all things relating to slow food: if in doubt, check the menu, an ode to provenance that comes complete with detailed biographies of their suppliers. Using creative techniques, this restaurant modernizes Polish food and rolls it out inside a stylish building popular with people who look like they might well be famous. Incidentally, the sea buckthorn cream was our top dessert of 2015. $$ Kieliszki na Próżnej (C3) ul. Próżna 12, tel. 501 764 674 You’ll find Kieliszki na Próżnej, the latest restaurant to mark the rehabilitation of Próżna, so named after the 1,116 wineglasses that hang tantalizingly over the bar. As an anchor feature the suspended glassware is arresting, and equaled only by a long stretch of wall art doodled by Mariusz Tarkawian. The food matches up to the interiors, with a modern Polish menu that involved a thick, brilliantly spreadable foie gras pate, a thick slab of brawn and a delicate piece of moist Baltic cod. It’s pure seasonal comfort. $$

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Kmicic (D1) ul. Piwna 27, kmicicrestauracja.pl Aiming to evoke the spirit of pre-war Warsaw, Kmicic is something of a veteran on the Old Town circuit, and as such a perennial favorite of passing tourists. The menu leans heavily towards traditional and is noted for its game including pheasant, venison and boar. $$ Mała Polana Smaków (F9) ul. Belwederska 13/44, tel. 22 400 8048, polanasmakow.pl Put simply, it works on every level: from the service to the space – outside, a terrace featuring upcycled crates overlooking Morskie Oko, and on the inside, a cute little room with woodsy bits and big glass jars of mystery ingredients. It’s casual, but still fit for more serious roles: e.g. girlfriend night. And the food: exceptional.

Lots of seasonally changing choices that on our visit meant salmon sausage matched with beetroot and horseradish sauce along with pinches of lavender and fennel. $$ BEST WAWA 2016 “Modern Polish” Opasły Tom (E4) ul. Foksal 17, kregliccy.pl Sneaked off a lively street, guests duck down into a chain of two narrow-ish chambers that, whilst not exactly casual, feel comfortable and familiar. While long-standing chef Agata Wojda has left to pursue new projects, the management’s decision to pursue a ‘pop-up’ style policy of hosting guest chefs has reaped rewards. Despite adding edge and excitement and a sense of the unknown, this

restaurant has retained its base philosophy of promoting vivid flavors and seasonal trends. $$ Papu (D9) al. Niepodległości 132/136, tel. 22 856 7788, restauracjapapu.pl Evoking the spirit of a gentleman’s manor, Papu looks every inch the classic Polish restaurant. Reliant on regional produce from mom & pop farmsteads, chef Bartek Kędra’s menu does a gold carat job of enhancing old-fashioned recipes through the use of modern techniques. $$

Restauracja Pod Gigantami (E5) Al. Ujadowskie 24, tel. 22 629 2312, podgigantami.pl All pomp and splendor, huge portraits of monarchs in ermine stare down from the walls; pristine parquet floors gently creak underfoot; from another chamber, the sound of clinking glasses whispers through the air. Yet as much as the interior makes an impact it fails to steal the show. That belongs to Paweł Zieliński, a chef whose biography includes a stint at the Michelin starred L’Ecrivain in Dublin.

Now back in Poland, his menu is a patriotic proclamation of all that is good. It’s here the Insider enjoyed it’s favorite żurek of 2016.

For mains, don’t miss duck with cherry and cranberry sauce. $$$

listings / restaurants Restauracja Polska “Różana” (E8) ul. Chocimska 7, tel. 22 848 1225, restauracjarozana.com.pl The rarified atmosphere of Różana is a pleasure indeed. Close to the frontline of Mokotów / Śródmieście, you’d never guess the proximity of the center.

Seated in their garden, one feels removed from the city – a fountain burbles quietly in the background, starlings hop around the trees. From the inside, one hears the distant tinkle of the house pianist. Just being here is a thrill in itself, and the food is a Polish dining extravaganza served from the top table: farmhouse duck, saddle of venison, etc. $$ Słoik (D4) ul. Złota 11, tel. 600 396 688, restauracjasloik.pl Jarheads will love Słoik, a place lined with glass jars brimming with colorful ingredients and bright preserves. Find natural Polish produce and traditional-sounding dishes treated with a careful and contemporary hand. The approach pits modernist against classic, and the winner is, well, you.

This is traditional Polish food updated for the discerning, latter day palate – and it’s really quite something. $ Opasły Tom (F4) ul. Solec 44, tel. 798 363 996, solec.waw. pl Solec 44 does nothing if not challenge gastronomic norms. Found on the upper floor of a shabby Communist pavilion, the versatility of this place makes it great to hang out with friends over beer and board games:

it’s not often you find faces from the TV in the same room as student types, but that’s the kind of inclusive atmosphere here. The biggest draw though is the chef, Aleksander Baron. Combing the farms and forests of Poland for ingredients, his obsession with old baroque recipes, nose-to-tail cooking and forgotten fermentation processes is inspiring to all who adore cooking. $$

Specjały Regionalne (D4) ul. Nowy Świat 44, specjalyregionalne.pl To step across the threshold is to leave Warsaw behind: mimicking the look of a rural pantry, Specjały is awash with provincial craft work and traditional dress. A truly ethnographic journey, the menu whisks diners across Poland with its choice of classic dishes and regional ingredients: there is heavy, meaty soup served in a hollowed out hunk of bread; snails farmed in Warmia; and a warming beef goulash that hugs the soul. The commitment to small town Poland extends to the alcohol, and no visit is complete without a stiffening drop of vodka. $$ Stary Dom ul. Puławska 104/106, tel. 22 646 4208, restauracjastarydom.pl 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. $$ U Fukiera (D1) Rynek Starego Miasta 27 (Old Town Market Square), tel. 22 831 1013, ufukiera.pl New arrivals looking to get a grasp of local cuisine have many options in varying price brackets. U Fukiera is definitely in the big spend category, but visitors come away with a common sense of wonderment. That’s largely due to enchanting interiors that have guests exploring twinkling chambers that unravel like a fairytale. Set in a 500 year old townhouse, the beautiful backdrop is accompanied by a grand menu of duck, venison, veal and lamb. $$$

Zapiecek Locations inc. ul. Nowy Świat 64, Al. Jerozolimskie 28, Freta 18, Freta 1 & Świętojańska 13, tel. 22 635 61 09, & ul. Wańkowicza 1, open 11:00-22:00, CH Arkadia, zapiecek. eu Seven Warsaw locales, with our favorite found in the vaulted passages of Świętojańska. The menu is highly traditional, with courses ‘cooked to grandma’s recipes’.

It’s for the pierogi though for which they’re famous; find approx. fifty types delivered by servers dressed like saucy country maids. $

PRESENTING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT IN POLAND

Al. Ujazdowskie 24, tel. 22 629 2312, www.podgigantami.pl

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listings / restaurants Zielnik (D10) ul. Odyńca 15, tel. 22 844 3500, restauracjazielnik.pl A quiet Mokotów side street is the setting for this little secret. In it, flowers, lots of them, and a warming wood interior just right for winter. In summer, head instead to their glorious garden across the street in the park: adding a sophisticated twist to the holy grill, the skewered lamb is to die for. $$

scandinavian Nabo ul. Zakręt 8, tel. 22 842 0256, nabocafe. pl The décor is, we’re told, typical Danish cafe – bold open windows, simple lines, high shelves filled with books and games on the table. But what is Danish food? There’s Old Danish on the menu: meatballs and open face sandwiches with meat and fish in various textural configurations and then there’s New Danish: an emerging trend towards fresh, seasonal food (no microwave oven at

Nabo), with locally sourced and innovatively concocted ingredients. $$

seafood Lokal na Rybę (D9) ul. Kwiatowa 1/3/4, fb.com/lokalnarybe Seafood doesn’t play a particularly distinguished role in Warsaw’s culinary history, so the opening of a good fish restaurant tends to get the locals talking. But Lokal isn’t just good, it goes several steps beyond. Open just three days a week (Thu-Sat, evenings only), the rotating menu presents a handful of daily choices against a simple, no pretence interior that’s often packed solid – reservations come recommended, as do the mussel dishes. $$ U Rysia (C4) ul. Marszałkowska 140 (enter from ul. Rysia), urysia.com.pl Devoid of frills bar a glowing neon sign and a brooding mural of Jesus, it looks like a Polish fish restaurant should –

basic but with an undercurrent of bustle that keeps the mood bright. It tastes like the real thing as well. Sourcing their catch from the freshwater lakes of northern Poland, the offer is divided into fish that have been smoked, steamed, fried or baked. Check out the perch ‘chips’ fried in batter. $ Zmiana Klimatu (D5) ul. Krucza 16/22, zmianaklimatu.pl An interesting looking restaurant that affords diners the chance to climb up some steps and eat inside a boat. The food, frankly, is a different league: a thick, throbbing lemon soup poured carefully over a dust of crayfish; two slithers of seabass layered onto a creamy black risotto; and steak served under a glass dome billowing with Cherrywood smoke.

Everything we tried was stunning. $$

steak houses Beef n’Pepper (C5)

THE DELICIOUS WORLD OF POLISH CUISINE Discover the delicious world of Polish cuisine at Specjały Regionalne. We source our produce from family-run farms so only the most authentic tastes end up on your table. We also offer classes and workshops that reveal the secrets of the Polish pantry!

44 Nowy Swiat Street, Warsaw +48 662 254 215 restauracja@specjalyregionalne.pl, www.specjalyregionalne.pl

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listings / restaurants ul. Nowogrodzka 47A, tel. 731 307 377, beefandpepper.pl A social space that encourages friends to gather and make merry over big meaty courses. Served on heavy tree stump plates, steaks here use Polish Angus aged for a 28-day period. If you’re into the concept of sharing with your fellow man, then the Beef n’Pepper plate offers a pile of everything: wings, ribs, steak. $$ Butchery & Wine (D5) ul. Żurawia 22, tel. 22 502 3118, butcheryandwine.pl The Sarf London-born Bertha oven has revolutionized the way steak is cooked, retaining moisture in a way no-one thought possible. Expect robust pieces of animal full of big, brawny tastes, but there’s so much more than just meat: starters involve a sea bass ceviche that pings with citrusy flavor not to mention more-ish pork crackling that pop like fire bangers in the mouth. A place of energy and ambition, it’s a great mix of both new and classic. Bookings advised. $$ Ed Red Warszawa Pl. Mirowski 1, edred.pl You can tell they’re serious about their meat just by looking at the starters: big, juicy marrow bones, mountain oysters, blood sausage and calf’s brain. The steaks are the calling card though, and here you’ll find them dry aged and consumed with the aid of hunting knives. The desserts seem a lumpy afterthought, but they get enough right elsewhere (even decent craft beer at the bar) to keep that little more than a mild annoyance. $$ Hoża (D5) ul. Hoża 25A, tel. 603 778 275, hoza. warszawa.pl Wine and steak: it sounds so simple, but Hoża have taken two simple pleasures to another level. It’s an ebullient space with service right out of charm school, and a kitchen team with a real knowledge of cows. A red-blooded affair, the menu is a steak sensation and well paired with a handpicked wine list. $$ Merliniego 5 (E10) ul. Merliniego 5, tel. 22 646 0810, merliniego5.pl A classic looking steakhouse that swirls in shadow, brickwork and elegant touches, it’s a place to immerse yourself in an atmosphere that’s all surreptitious conversation and distant clinking glasses.

The steaks are out-of-this world, with USDA prime beef from New York’s legendary Ottomanelli & Sons and Scottish beef from London’s Smithfield Market. On our last visit

we splurged on the Grade 9+ wagyu ‘kobe’ rib-eye and found ourselves eating the steak of a lifetime. Simply amazing. $$$

Salto (C6) ul. Wilcza 73, tel. 22 584 8771, saltorestauracja.pl When Martin Gimenez Castro scooped top prize in the Top Chef program it simply confirmed what foodies had known for years: that this is a man of some talent. Now leading the kitchen in Salto, the highlight of Castro’s menu is undoubtedly the ‘steak weekends’.

We challenge you to find better. During the week opt instead for his South American inspired dishes. Salto has the hallmarks of a success story, and under Castro’s captaincy that’s a certainty to happen. $$$ BEST WAWA 2015 “Foreign Chef”

thai Thai Thai (C2) Pl. Teatralny 3, tel. 601 818 283, thaithai.pl In terms of design it’s little short of perfect: gold vaulted interiors lend a muted glow to a largely black on black space while serene looking Buddha’s peer on the diners below.

As for the food, that’s one big success story with plenty of lively flavors and dynamic colors. The Tom Yang Kung, a deeply nourishing fish broth that awakens the senses with a sharp, spicy jolt, is a must! $$

‘Simplicity, elegance and atmosphere’

Cafe • Wine Bar • Restaurant • Whisky Bar • Wine Cellar ul. Hoża 25A, tel. 515 037 001 www.hoza.warszawa.pl www.facebook.com/hoza25 Open 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-21:00

Thaisty (C2) Pl. Bankowy 4, tel. 730 000 024, thaisty. pl The coup here has been the recruitment of Chanunkan Duangkumma, Warsaw’s favorite Thai chef. The menu has street food inspirations and also includes several recipes passed down Duangkumma’s family line: consider the BBQ beef skewers essential.

Vivid colors and a busy open kitchen lend the place a happy buzz that lasts through the day. $$ Why Thai (E5) ul. Wiejska 13, tel. 22 625 7698, whythai. pl A calming, almost holistic interior sets the tone for a meal dominated by the rich and aromatic tastes of Thailand. For a lively, spicy start begin with a mango and cashew salad, before moving forward and onto their celebrated curries. Imported chefs keep the flavors authentic, with the pad Thai being something of a house favorite. $ www.warsawinsider.pl

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listings / restaurants vegan & wholefood Edamame Vegan Sushi (D5) ul. Wilcza 11, edamame.pl Sushi without its star ingredient sounds ridiculous, but this vegan sushi joint manages to out-manoeuver its traditional competitors by replacing belowpar fish with fresh, vegetarian produce: sugar snap peas, radish, carrots, asparagus, etc.

The results are both magical and addictive, and leave you wondering if vegan sushi stands to be Warsaw’s next trend. $$

Momencik (D5) ul. Poznańska 16 Vegan burritos may sound wrong, but at Momencik they’re every bit as good as anything you’ll be used to. The only difference is that you won’t leave feeling like you’ve eaten a sack of socks: on the contrary, it’s got all the perky flavor that Mexican food should have, but none of the unpleasant post-meal bloaty bubbles. And it’s cheap! Diners fork out less than zł. 22 for a lunch deal that includes homemade lemonade, a burrito and soup of the day: it’s your lucky day if that happens to be their tomato soup. $

Krowazywa (D5) ul. Marszałkowska 27/35, tel. 881 777 894 ul. Hoża 29/31, krowarzywa.pl ul. Hoża 29/31 Packed with girls wearing skating clothes and moon boots, this burgery makes a big boast that their whole menu is 100% plant-based and their food compiled using ‘the best, freshest, unprocessed and full-balanced ingredients.’ The Warzywex, a burger composed of marinated and grilled slices of local veg, is an absolute winner. $

Veg Deli (E3) ul. Radna 14 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 nearly always hit the spot. The tacos are a bit of a disappointment, but the quinoa burger is fabulous, and the homemade Russian pierogi an absolute highlight. Even committed meat eaters recognize there’s something special going on here. $$

Lokal Vegan Bistro (D5) ul. Krucza 23/31, 517 615 122 Aside from a small menu consisting of more standard vegan offers, Lokal keep Homer Simpson characters in mind with regular guest slots for street food that’s given a full vegan makeover. Offhand, that’s meant vegan kebabs, cheesesteaks, burgers and zapiekanka, all of which have been pretty damn good. $

Weranda Bistro (D6) ul. Koszykowa 63 (Hala Koszyki) Warmly decorated with shrubbery and dangling paper decoys, Weranda’s design is thoughtful enough to be in equilibrium with the wider Koszyki setting, yet sufficiently distinct to stand apart from the crowd. Kudos, as well, to the food. Celebrated for their salads, don’t expect to be pecking on morsels of

Loft is the perfect place to pause for a moment for a coffee, to meet with friends for lunch or a late dinner – most of all, it’s a chance to escape the city bustle while remaining in the heart of Warsaw. ul. Złota 11 tel. 668 016 964 restauracjaloft.pl

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rabbit food – instead, pepare for huge, leafy affairs assembled to look complex and intriguing. Recommended is the Croatian salad which rrives ensconced inside jumbo leaves of lettuce and cascading with mango, shrimps, goat cheese and much more besides. $$ Youmiko Vegan Sushi (D5) ul. Hoża 62, youmiko.vg Already well-established in Kraków, Youmiko enter Warsaw’s vegan sushi market hot on the heels of Edamame on Wilcza nearby. There’s definitely more of a hipster, ‘urban guerrilla’ feel to Youmiko, but the sushi is every bit a success. Often better than ‘the real thing’. $

vietnamese Oh My Pho (D5) ul. Wilcza 32, fb.com/ohmyphowilcza The pho at this family-owned spot has its own fan club, though the other dishes don’t play second fiddle either. For full review, see p.

35. $ Viet Street Food Bistro (H4) ul. Królowej Aldony 5/2, fb.com/ vietstreetfoodpl What started out as a roaming food truck has settled down into life as a legitimate restaurant. Widely looked upon as the source of the best Vietnamese chow this city’s ever seen, the small menu reveals steaming bowls of pho and banh mi baguettes loaded with meat and greens. $

COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST WITH EVERY HOT BEVERAGE Offer available Mon-Fri 9am- 11:30am

cafes & wine bars NEW & NOTABLE

bakeries Aromat (C4) ul. Sienna 39, fb.com/piekarnia.aromat That many consider this their favorite bakery says it all. French flour and an expert baker ensure brilliant results, while the lemon éclairs deserve their own Facebook page.

Rozbrat 20 Bakery & Wine Corner (F5) ul. Rozbrat 20, rozbrat20.com.pl Best known for fathering Butchery & Wine, Daniel Pawełek makes his mark on Powiśle with the launch of Rozbrat 20, a high-end bakery that’s worthy of the rave reviews. Aside from baguettes, muffins, croissants, etc. this smart corner unit has a superb wine list and a smattering of main courses that include flat iron steak.

NOWINA (ul. Nowogrodzka 4, nowina.waw.pl) Though only opened towards the end of January, Nowina have thus far chalked up a bundle of five star reviews. Helping in the achievement of that has been a striking interior that catches the eye from across the street – restored pre-war tiling, a world map rendered from corks and an engaging reddish glow all do their bit to lend Nowina the kind of atmosphere that’s missing in most local wine bars. Add to that an exciting international menu and a selection of over 400 wines and you have an absolute winner.

Zdrowa Konkurencja (C2) Pl. Bankowy 4, zdrowakonkurencja.pl Aside from piping hot, fresh wheels of bread, visitors are popping in to collect readymade bagels and sandwiches loaded with pulled pork, pastrami and other quick bites.

cafés Bułkę przez Bibułkę ul. Puławska 24 & ul. Zgoda 3, tel. 794 000 634, bulkeprzezbibulke.pl There’s a feminine style to this cafe, what with its cute, girly pastels, petite plant pots and woodsy finishes. But no matter what your gender or age, there’s something immediately sunny and positive about this place. Slow food sandwiches arrive on wooden boards, there’s pretty homemade desserts and a careful choice of wine: falling in love with it is easy.

KAWKA Z KOTEM (ul. Koszykowa 30, kawkazkotem.pl) Charming, cute, charismatic, etc.

Found behind the bombastic Pl. Konstytucji, there’s a neighborly style to this cafe that elevates it above the local competition. Though the design is defined by its simplicity, the overriding cat motif lends a quirky slant to the overall appeal. Doing the rest is a small vegetarian menu, fruit cocktail fixes and some regional beers. Lacking the posey pretence of other Koszykowa spots, Kawka Z Kotem feels genial and upbeat.

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Być Może (E7) ul. Bagatela 14, tel. 519 000 014, bycmoze. com.pl It’s all about artisan bread and breakfast in the industrial looking Być Może. It’s taken the concept of Charlotte (groan, there’s even a communal table), and improved it with excellent breads and a crowd that’s a little less pleased with itself and a little more normal.

Charlotte Menora (C4) Pl. Grzybowski 2, bistrocharlotte.pl If the air is smug and self-satisfied, there’s a good

listings / cafés & wine bars reason for that: Charlotte have come to embody modern urban Poland: energetic, ambitious and ferociously trend conscious.

And to think, some look at it as a mere bakery. Occupying a long space, the latest outpost of this café chain doesn’t overlook the area’s Jewish heritage, with the menu featuring several Jewish delicacies: the bagels are pretty good.

Cophi (D5) ul. Hoża 58/60 So small you get the idea you could fit Cophi into the palm of your hand, yet no other place in Warsaw is more devoted to sourcing the best coffees in the world.

Czuły Barbarzyńca na Piwnej (E3) ul. Piwna 20/26, czuly.pl A Parisian-style bookstore full of steps and wobbles, nooks and alcoves. All agree there’s something special here: maybe it’s the book selection – varied, esoteric and at once compelling. Or maybe it’s the atmosphere, such that browsers anchor themselves on the sofas to lose an afternoon with their nose in a novel while sipping drip coffee. Whatever the secret ingredient is, the bookish bustle makes it the most extraordinary literary hangout in the Polish capital.

Kafka Café (E3) ul. Oboźna 3, kawiarnia-kafka.pl A chessboard floor and a collection of antlers on the wall characterize Kafka, a bookstore / café whose literary collection is composed of paperbacks rescued from recycling plants.

Books are purchased by their weight (zł. 10 per kilo) while the menu includes pancakes, pastas and even doggy treats for your mutt.

Ministerstwo Kawy (D6) ul. Marszałkowska 27, ministerstwokawy.pl Sourcing their coffee from Koppi, an internationally acclaimed Swedish roasting house, the ministry takes no short cuts in their pursuit of excellence. Utilizing Ethiopian, Costa Rican and Brazilian arabicas – some exclusive to Poland – barista Wojciech Rzytki has earned a reputation across Poland for his expert hand. Rave reviews are standard and appropriate in this standout cafe.

MiTo (D6) ul. Waryńskiego 28, mito.art.pl Café, gallery, bookstore. Of course, we’ve seen that concept before, just not done in this style. Stark white backgrounds are offset by edgy art, lending the place a Tate Modern

feel, something accentuated by the earnest fashion students who gather through the day.

And there’s the toilet, a futuristic affair with piped music and a mirrored wall.

Odette Tearoom (C4) ul. Twarda 4, odette.pl If you thought those living in Warsaw’s swankiest residential tower – the Cosmopolitan – had it tough, then you’ve got one more reason to envy them: the ground floor Odette Tearoom. Taking its lead from their original dessert stop on ul.

Górskiego, the sister venue peddles glorious cakes and pralines as well as a hand-picked selection of boutique teas served in a fragrant and elegant atmosphere.

Relaks (E9) ul. Puławska 48 Generally travelling by tram for a cup of Joe sounds excessive, but that’s exactly what you’ll be doing on discovering Relaks. Expertly prepared, right down to the foam art, the baristas here use the finest imported machines and work only with fair trade, ‘specialty’ coffee. If you have time, the drip coffees are more than worth the wait.

The interiors supply a retro accent, and are lapped up by a very fashion aware crowd.

Stor (E3) ul. Tamka 33 Small but perfectly formed, Stor has all the clack and clatter of a busy local café. Regional beers, Chemex and Aeropress coffee and gluten-free snacks and sandwiches provide plenty of reason to pop in and idle about.

Wrzenie Świata (E4) ul. Gałczyńskiego 7 Those with journalistic leanings love Wrzenie Świata. It’s definitely more Macbook than Moleskine, but this bookstore/café attracts plenty of readers (and writers) to its book-lined interior.

Buzzing like a cafe should, it packs out for slideshows and seminars.

desserts Crepe Café (E3) ul. Dobra 19 Is there such a thing as the perfect pancake? If not, then Crepe Café certainly comes close. Enjoy them in a contemporary interior that’s tiny in size: grab a seat up on the mezzanine level.

Cukiernia Stary Dom ul. Puławska 104/106, restauracjastarydom. pl A beautifully elegant confectionary that

evokes memories of Old Poland. Flock wallpaper and checkered floors add to the high tea ambience, as do the lines of glinting bottles and a counter stocked with temptations. Pastry chef Mariusz Palarczykow is a king in his field.

MOD (D6) ul. Oleandrów 8 Warsaw has always loved donuts, but it took the arrival of MOD to elevate this humble doughy vice to new levels with a glam New York-inspired makeover. Top tip: the Mango is heaven.

Odette (D4) ul. Górskiego 6/07, odette.pl Almost holistic in its ambience, the obstacle-free interior utilizes aspects of space and light, causing attention to naturally fall on the long, sleek counter that occupies one end. It’s here that sweet creations glimmer behind glass like precious little gems.

Sucre Various locations, see: sucre.pl While Sucre are best known for their ice cream, outside of summer people flock here on account of their dazzling macaroons.

Warszawski Lukier (E5) ul. Hoża 5/7 Looking pretty in pink, there’s a fun and feminine vibe that goes beyond just a quirky design that features rose colored swings. The desserts are hardcore food porn, and include Lukier’s signature freak shakes: towering treats cascading with calories and color.

juice bars Think Love Juices (H4) ul. Francuska 14, thinklove.pl Nutrition nut and supermodel Anna Jagodzińska reveals the secrets of her diet in this white-clad, summery-looking Saska café. As the name indicates, juice plays a massive part in that, with the rotating choice presenting a range of drinks that run from watermelon water all the way up to complex concoctions that ignore any shortcuts. The daily changing lunch deals are superb, but leave you in no doubt just why models are so skinny.

wine bars Ale Wino! (E5) ul. Mokotowska 48, alewino.pl At first you www.warsawinsider.pl

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listings / cafés & wine bars think you’re walking into a car park. And then, it hits you – a beautiful inner-city sanctum with wooden decking, a slanted sail shielding the sun, and bespoke, funky chairs from the esteemed Studio Rygalik. You want to dwell here for a bit longer than planned: and there’s no harm in doing so. One of the Insider’s favorite wine bars, Ale Wino’s food is also top-notch

Bristol Wine Bar (D2) ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 42/44 Effortlessly evoking a real sense of history, the design is a triumph with lots of polished brass and nickel, rich wood finishes and marble floors. You feel like you’ve stepped into a film. And the wine choice is prodigious: offering a complete cruise through the wines of the Old Continent and the New World, the collection is precisely presented from behind glass cases that line the walls.

Dekant Wine Bar (E3) ul. Zajęcza 15, dekant.com.pl Set inside an attractive open space, the opening of Dekant is a further indication of Powiśle’s shift from hipster epicenter to upscale playground (Robert Lewandowski has been spotted here!). The list comprises over 400 wines from the most prestigious producers in the world, right the way down to tiny, little vineyards you’ve probably never heard of. If the sun is out, aim for a place on their back terrace.

Dyletanci (F5) ul. Rozbrat 44, dyletanci.pl Often filled to

w

capacity with crisp, modern citizens that radiate confidence, join them on green banquettes illuminated with Tom Dixon lamps. The wine list is fitting of the A-list, and aside from exceptional international choices, also includes interesting wines from the proprietor’s own label – a frankly superb Polish brand called Dom Bliskowice.

Enoteka (D1) Rynek Nowego Miasta 13/15, enotekapolska.pl It’s the wine bar New Town has been waiting for ever since… the old Enoteka closed. The eagerly awaited return brings with it a new location – right on the corner of New Town Square and a wine list from curated by importer Maciej Bomboł.

Hoża (D5) ul. Hoża 25a, hoza.warszawa.pl You’ll probably know Hoża as the home of steak. But what is meat without wine? complementing the Argentine-inspired cooking is a wine list particularly dense with reds.

Kieliszki Na Hożej ul. Hoża 41, kieliszkinahozej.pl Already celebrated for their operation on Próżna, this latest branch continues in much the same vein: classy interiors, a prime location on one of Warsaw’s few surviving pre-war streets and a casual bistro vibe matched up against a glorious Italian influenced wine list. The

concise food menu connects local Polish to classic French and adds an interesting modern twist.

Mielżyński Wine Bar (A1) ul. Burakowska 5/7, mielzynski.pl Robert Mielżyński, a Canadian-born oenologist, awakened Warsaw’s love affair with the grape when he launched Mielżyński in 2004, and it continues to serve as the accepted benchmark to which all wine bars aspire.

Their cause is amply boosted by a fine selection of bites to accompany the superlative wine offer. Find it in a pared down warehouse that emanates casual city cool.

Mielzynski Wine Bar (G9) ul. Czerska 12, mielzynski.pl After three years in the pipeline Warsaw’s second outpost of Mielżyński is everything you’d expect: the concise menu is never too complex while the exciting wine choice presents over 500 labels. This vibrant warehouse-style space promises much. Żurawina (D5) ul. Żurawia 32/34, zurawina.eu Lacking in intimacy, this large white room gets criticized for its jarring artwork and staffing blips – in the world of wine it’s important the customer can connect to the staff: here, we felt like we were joining the SS. But both food and wine score highly, and they’ve earned a staunchly loyal following that includes high flying types and Paris Hilton wannabes that carry yappy dogs in their bag.

The award-winning Enoteka Polska is back, this time with a new location in the heart of Warsaw’s historic New Town.

A perfect combo of restaurant, wine bar and wine store, aside from offering excellent Italian cuisine, we are a renowned importer with a portfolio of prestigious wine labels from across Europe. Our direct import policy allows guests to enjoy outstanding value for money.

Rynek Nowego

Miasta 13/15, enotekapolska.pl

tel. 882 048 012

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nightlife NEW & NOTABLE

8 DZIEŃ TYGODNIA (ul. Poznańska 7) Though the owners remain the same, the unit that once housed Kwadrat couldn’t be more different: no longer a grungey, shadowy space, it’s been rebooted with lots of brash, bursts of color, strings of fairy lights and pops of modern art. What’s not been lost is the amiable sense of gentle chaos: buoyed by a quirky beer selection and fun music policy, this remains one of the friendliest venues in the parish.

bars & pubs The Alchemist (D3) Pl. Piłsudskiego 3, thealchemist.pl The great British tradition of ‘a pint after work’ is gathering steam in PL, thanks in part to places like this. Lively and cosmopolitan, The Alchemist’s broad ranging appeal – not to mention ‘self-service beer wall’ – makes it a winning gathering point for 5 p.m. drinks.

Beirut (D5) ul. Poznańska 12 As hip as ever, Beirut has walls dusted with cult album covers, documentary posters and witty graffiti inspired

by Banksy. Busy in the day, and absolutely packed at night, order unconventional beers from androgynous staff standing behind a sandbag bar decorated with silver hand grenades and a model tank.

Bollywood Lounge (D4) ul. Nowy Świat 58, bollywoodlounge.pl Bollywood in full swing is quite a sight – find banging beats and an energetic club atmosphere complimented by the pungent pleasures of their sheesha pipes. The Sunday karaoke sessions are a hoot.

Bubbles (D2) Pl. Piłsudskiego 9, bubbles.com.pl Despite sounding like a 90s small town nightclub, Bubbles is in fact a worthy place of note: a small, warm venue with a slow food menu and a design that incorporates lots of upturned crates and dusty bottles.

Champagne is the main draw here, with many labels that are exclusive to Poland.

Some come with terrifying prices, but on the whole the price points are widely accessible: wine from zł. 10 and a flute of champers from zł. 29.

POLONEZ (ul. Poznańska 24) Mysteriously closed in 2016, Polonez surprised everyone when – out of the blue – they announced they were back in the game earlier this year. Hip hip(ster) hooray! Merging raw with retro, sparse ‘neo milk bar’ chic is set against plenty of oddities, but the cool aesthetics only tell part of the story. This is a celebration of Poland, both old and new, with drinks that include obscure nalewki, craft local beers, bio beverages and regional tipples. The masterstroke comes in making this all feel international, contemporary and creative.

Central Bar (D6) ul. Koszykowa 63 (Hala Koszyki) Downers include annoying piped music, chairs bolted to the ground and the overriding feeling you are, in fact, drinking in the middle of a food court. And why aren’t there any ashtrays outside? Only once you get your head around all of that can you start appreciating the Central Bar: the beer (supplied by Bierhalle) is fine, and you do get the buzzy sense that you’re in the middle of something that’s captured Warsaw’s imagination. www.warsawinsider.pl

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listings / nightlife Grizzly Gin Bar (D5) ul. Wilcza 46 More prone than ever to global trends, news that the international gin revival has hit Warsaw comes as no real bombshell.

The style in Grizzly is dark and hip with the design largely limited to moody lighting, some witty murals and a bank of outdated TV sets, while the smoking room is great for accidental meetings with curious characters. Serving their own ‘Grizzly lager’ as well as numerous cocktails based on different craft gins, it’s fast becoming the latest night in the area.

Hard Rock Cafe (C5) ul. Złota 59 (Złote Tarasy), hardrockcafe.pl Full Throttle cocktails, lively staff and a classic rock soundtrack: the energy of HRC is hard to find fault with. And on the rare occasion there is a lull in the night, use the opportunity to sniff around memorabilia that includes a black leather number once worn by Madonna.

Legends (C5) ul. Emilii Plater 25, legendsbar.pl Legends is slowly achieving legendary status amongst the expats and Anglophiles. Their cause is helped by touches like a segregated smoking room, proper darts board, Sky Sports and a traditional menu that’s as authentically English as the Downing Street cat. Presiding over it all is Graham, a seasoned expat and Everton nut.

Między Nami (D4) ul. Bracka 20, miedzynamicafe.com With 18 years of service under their belt you may think of Między Nami as being an antiquated has-been. Not so. Haunted by a mix of media types and local characters, this hip white piece of post-commie Warsaw has an enduring, almost timeless appeal.

Nowy Świat ‘Pavilions’ (D4) Enter from ul. Nowy Świat 26 Approximately twenty bars occupy a series of low-budget prefabricated cabins, presenting possibly the highest density of bars in the capital: in summer, it feels like one big street party.

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. Klaps, with its dildo beer taps and phallic walls, is probably the most well-known of the lot.

Plan B (D6) ul. Wyzwolenia 18 (Pl. Zbawiciela), planb. pl Plan B is the very essence of dive Warsaw.

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Weekends pass by in a raucous blur, with the party spilling out under the colonnades outside – it helps to look like a DJ, but in truth everyone is welcome. The hangover from this shabby, grubby bar is traumatic.

Stixx (A4) Pl. Europejski 4A, tel. 22 340 4040, stixx.pl It takes a moment to allow the sheer magnitude of Stixx sink in. Having adjusted to the wow factor of the interior – which can best be described as cosmopolitan-industrial – most retreat to the long, all weather deck which in itself is quite something: the aesthetics are such that a cocktail party on an oligarch’s yacht comes to mind. There aren’t many better places for a drink when the roof is rolled back and the stars twinkle down.

W Oparach Absurdu (F1) ul. Ząbkowska 6, oparyabsurdu.pl Hidden under Persian rugs, velvety drapes and reclaimed antiques, some still refer to it as The Spider Bar in reference to the giant tarantula that once hung from the wall.

There’s an air of louche 60s living here, and it gets weirder when bands with names like the Bum Bum Orchestra enter to play trumpets amongst vodka-tipping guests.

Warszawa Powiśle (E4) ul. Kruczkowskiego 3B, warszawapowisle.pl The prime months for this former ticket booth arrive each summer when the deckchairs outside provide ample opportunity for the city’s young and fashionable to gather in an almost carnival-like atmosphere. Once seen as the hipster Center of Power, it still maintains great popularity with whiskered, tattooed sorts.

clubs Klubo (D3) ul. Czackiego 3/5, klubo.pl You can almost feel this club’s legendary status as you, descend down into their basement. Dark, vibrant and decorated in a way that evokes the glory years of the 80s and 90s, tip down their house cocktails inside and writhe alongside other clubbers in a series of deep reddish rooms banging out house, disco and R&B sounds.

Luztro (E4) Al. Jerozolimskie 6, luztro.pl Feeling naughty? Luztro enjoys a reputation for libertine behavior and illicit pharmaceuticals.

Dark, grim and grotty, this after party stalwart gets going at about 4 a.m. on weekends, when troglodyte club creatures emerge zombie-like to dance way past sunrise. Jaw grinding, rib rattling electro has never felt better.

No Comment (F4) Al. 3 Maja 16/18A, Most Poniatowskiego Found in one of the towers that prop up Most Poniatowskiego, a ‘sense of unknown’ manifests itself inside this weekend’s only club, a bi-level area whose small size adds to the air of mystery and exclusivity. Away from the prying eyes of Joe Public, find glittery, local celebs getting down and naughty.

Smolna 38 (E4) ul. Smolna 38 One of the most secretive clubs there is: operating a strict no-pictures policy, being caught taking a selfie is a crime punished by expulsion – and how good is that! Attracting a hardcore crowd, its a place of real sounds: forget the joke DJs most clubs settle for, Smolna’s agenda has thus far included the likes of Simian Mobile Disco and Ellen Allien.

The View (C4) ul. Twarda 18, theview.pl Sat on top of the Spektrum Tower this bar/club has reinvented the whole concept of going out in Warsaw.

A truly world-class venture, the open-air deck on the 32nd floor offers striking views of the cityscape, first rate cocktails and an international rotation of DJs. No other club nails the champagne lifestyle with quite the same panache.

cocktails 6 Cocktails (E5) ul. Mokotowska 57 If 6 Cocktails has the feeling of hanging around someone’s flat that’s because, actually, you are. This posh Mokotowska apartment has been re-adapted as an exclusive bar frequented by leggy models and society figures: the parties are

listings / nightlife nuts! Unmarked from street level, to enjoy the inventive cocktails message them on FB and await your invite.

THE MOST

Bar & Books (D2) REFRESHINGLY CIVILIZED LACES TO MEET ul. PWąski Dunaj 20, barandbooks.pl Seen CIGARS & WHISKY through ≈a thin autumnal mist, this white WINE & CHAMPAGNE townhouse radiates warmth: lights glimmer, ≈ COCKTAILS & CUSINE piano music tinkles. Wood-paneled and lined ≈ TASTINGS with leather-bound tomes, there’s a sense ≈ PRIVATE EVENTS of dignity ≈ that’s unique to Warsaw’s cocktail LOCATION SHOOTS scene.

There’s humor, as well, courtesy of PODWALE BARof ANDchimps BOOKS portraits togged out like 18th Wąski Dunaj 20, 00-256 Warsaw Tel.: +48 gentry.

225.599.199 century Similar to a members’ only Mayfair bar, find ‘classic with a twist’ cocktails mixed and muddled by the sort of charming bartenders you’d trust serving Bond. While bills can become weighty affairs, no one regrets the spend – plus, you can smoke here as well!

TM

Charlie ul. Mokotowska 39 Arguably the best and boldest opening of the year, Charlie presents thrilling cocktails inside an interior that wouldn’t be amiss in Manhattan: there’s even a fountain! Being rich and pretty is almost a compulsory criteria.

Coctail Bar Max (D5) ul. Krucza 16/22, barmax.pl Can you trust a cocktail bar that can’t even spell the word? In this case, yes! Max looks bright, cheerful and fully loaded for the sun, and also comes with a smoking alcove in the back stuffed with whisky and cigars. The cocktails are the main affair though, and here they’re extravagant efforts that resemble a tropical jungle in miniature form. Very popular with types that aspire to become footballers’ wives, etc.

Karowa 31 (D3) ul. Karowa 31, warsawbarproject.com Warsaw’s original speakeasy grants access via a retractable door disguised as a VHS collection – how cool is that!? Maze-like in

layout, the retro-looking Karowa 31 unravels to reveal a series of chambers concealed in shadow, though for all that the cocktails are the real draw: masterful creations composed by a dreadlocked Dane called Bram.

Lazy Dog (D5) ul. Krucza 16/22, lazy-dog.pl While Lazy Dog isn’t exactly new, it does feel like it’s turned over a new leaf – what was a good cocktail bar, it seems, has grown to become a very good one. Seeking inspiration from some of the world’s wackiest artworks, the cocktails aren’t just beautiful to look at, but damn good to drink... If there’s a highlight, that’s the ‘Fight Between A Tiger & A Buffalo’, a spicy, tropical creation complete enveloped in a thick billowing mist.

Panorama Sky Bar (C5) Al. Jerozolimskie 65/79, panoramabar.pl The Marriott’s 40th floor Panorama has had a couple of incarnations: first, as a glitzy Dynasty throwback, and then, more recently, as something that could have passed for a

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listings / nightlife business class airport lounge. Now it’s been reinvented once again, only this time successfully: find slick, vibrant interiors redolent of London matched up with modern cocktails and twinkling views.

Pies Czy Suka (D4) ul. Szpitalna 8A, piesczysuka.com Monochrome gun metal grey colors are offset by a young crowd attired in red shoes, pink trousers and blue headphones. This clean, concrete space is speckled with plaster moldings of reindeer heads, and excels on

the cocktail front. Order from an iPad menu, before settling back for cocktails made using mad scientist, molecular techniques that involve foam, vapor, beakers and other things you’d usually find in Professor Yaffle’s lab. Certainly not as ‘mature’ as the new breed of cocktail bars, but definitely more fun.

The Roots (C2) ul. Wierzbowa 11 Cluttered with shiny props and pieces rescued from the early days of cocktail making, The Roots could pass for a Victorian era curiosity shop. Looking past the eccentricities that comprise the interior, it’s become famous on account of irresistible drinks mixed and muddled by dapper experts that aren’t so much barmen as they are craftsmen.

Steam Bar (D5) ul. Nowogrodzka 23 Tapping into the fashion for steampunk design, this wholehearted effort ensures all of the basic elements are ticked off and present: metallic, industrial leftovers, sprockets and chains, and exposed, weathered walls. The cocktails are the key detail though, and here they’re inventive offerings often presented in ingenious vessels. Best known for its craft beer scene, the arrival of an excellent cocktail bar represents big news for Nowogrodzka.

Weles (D5) ul. Nowogrodzka 11, welesbar.pl A swing of the door takes visitors plunging down a blacked-out stairwell and into a basement that emerges from the darkness like a decadent Tsarist relic: glinting chandeliers glimmer over deep leather sofas, their subtle light casting a glow over an immaculate clientele. Befitting the venue, the artisanal cocktails are a work of elaborate craftsmanship, and incorporate everything from elite liquors to strips of bacon and flower petals.

At weekends this place rocks when DJ Trent gets onto the decks.

10% discount* VALID TILL JUNE 30TH, 2017. FOR PURCHASES OVER 150 PLN. WI/III-VI

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Woda Ognista (E5) ul. Wilcza 8, wodaognista.com Woda Ognista evokes the jazzy air of a Chicago, Prohibition era speakeasy with a seriously stylish interior that includes a colossal collection of vintage cocktail shakers that glint behind glass. The drinks themselves, rattled up by dapper gents in braces and flat caps, are split between house creations and reprised classics from a bygone era. Some are more successful than others, and it’s a

credit to the staff that they’re willing to take comments on board and adapt their precious recipes to suit fussy tastes.

Zorza (D4) ul. Żurawia 6/12, zorzabistro.pl Slotted inside what was once Café 6/12, Zorza embellishes the venue’s ascetic PRL style with licks of art deco: it’s an unlikely marriage that manages to work. Do your pecking, picking, sipping and supping on an outdoor terrace set-up that encourages mingling and interaction.

craft beer Artezan Pub (D4) ul. Moniuszki 1A Browar Artezan’s flagship pub is a compulsory visit for all beer aficionados. The beer is the magnetic force with eight taps blasting out pacesetter tipples from this brewery’s portfolio. The Pacific is the Insider’s all-time favorite.

BrewDog Warszawa (D4) ul. Widok 8 BrewDog don’t get everything right: at one stage last summer, it seemed like they were upping their prices every other weekend. But while it’s true it’s not the cheapest pint in Warsaw, there’s a feel good factor here that manifests itself inside interiors that rock and beers that go BOSH. Of all the craft beer bars that have swept into Warsaw, this is the one that feels the most international, inclusive and bloody good fun.

Chmielarnia Marszałkowska (E7) ul. Marszałkowska 10/16, chmielarnia.waw. pl With Warsaw’s tap bars all falling over each other to stock the latest tap beers, your options are frequently similar from bar to bar – which is when a good fridge becomes important. Not only can you actually see into Chmielarnia’s, you’ll find it housing the most exciting brews trending around the globe: from the edgy Bermondsey breweries to the Scandinavian giants. Broaden your horizons!

Cześć (C3) ul. Grzybowska 2 (through the side passage), czesc.waw.pl It started as a café, but now Cześć is better known as being at the forefront of the new generation of ‘quali-tap’ bars – small little places with six or so beers on tap. The two owners, Piot and Kuba, take their beer seriously, so do expect plenty of new finds as well as traditional favorites from stalwarts like the Artezan and

listings / nightlife Pinta breweries. The laidback, neighborhood atmosphere is making it increasingly popular with a tight-knit circle of ex-pat drinkers.

Czeska Baszta (E4) Tower 22A, Most Poniatowskiego Halfway up one of the Harry Potter turrets that support Poniatowski Bridge, find divey Czeska engulfed in a murky yellow glow. Boisterous but friendly, the ace up their sleeve is a brilliant assembly of Czech craft beer.

Gorączka Złota (D5) ul. Wilcza 29, goraczka-zlota.com.pl Founded in 1996, Złota’s longevity is to be admired, even if the interiors aren’t. Small, dark and a little pungent, the interiors are rendered out of little more than varnished wood and hundreds of beer coasters. But that’s the clue! The secret of their success is down to the beer. Stocking a range of regional and craft beer (Ale Browar, Pinta, Kormoran, AltenMunster, Olbracht, etc.), this unfashionable bar has an underlying honesty that makes it a success.

Jabeerwocky (D5) ul. Nowogrodzka 12, taproom.pl Steeped in multinational drunken babble, the super sociable Jabbers is famed for its innovative beer selection and convivial atmosphere.

Mark it down as an absolute must-visit, especially if you’re a fan of stout and cider.

Kufle i Kapsle (D5) ul. Nowogrodzka 25, kufleikapsle.pl All levels of drinkers are catered for in this raw-looking space, from those ready to pay nosebleed prices for beers with spaceships on the label, right the way down to novices taking their first baby steps in the world of craft booze. Interiors are balanced with the pre-war heritage of the place, and are thick with noise, clamor and the spell of spillage.

Unisex toilets, meaning there’s usually one idiotka putting a spanner in the queue code.

Piw Paw (D5) ul. Żurawia 32/34 (enter from ul.

Parkingowa), piwpaw.pl We don’t like: the sweaty toilet, strange smells nor the scrum at the bar. We do like: the 24hr opening hours, humongous fridge and 50+ taps. Seen in the light it’s a little depressing, so visit at night when Parkingowa takes on the look of an end-of-term street party.

Same Krafty (D1) ul. Nowomiejska 10, samekrafty.pl Occupy-

ing two narrow, rugged rooms, Same Krafty have rescued Old Town from big beer brands peddling piss. Offering artisan alternatives, this intimate bar has become a magnet for those looking to explore the more subversive side of Polish brewing. That this happens in such an amicable venue makes it all the better, particularly in winter when drinkers squash in to seek solace from the frostbitten streets.

Hydrozagadka as the heart of unforced cool.

Known for its alternative music scene, the low-ceiling and tight, crowded nature of it generate an electrifying atmosphere where the audience and band become one. Walking a fine line between industrial and straight out decrepit, the atmosphere is second to none: drinks flow, strangers meet and music smashes out: you can feel something special happening here.

for gentlemen

vodka

Playhouse (B3) Al. Solidarności 82A, playhouse.pl Not here gorilla gangsters on the door or pushy girls doing the rounds (“buy me drinky drinky”).

Instead, Playhouse models itself on the top class mega clubs such as Spearmint Rhino, and the result is a subterranean space removed from the sleaze and murk usually associated with the industry. But you want to know what the girls are like, yeah? Let the fact askmen.com voted it their favorite strip in the world speak for itself.

Bar Warszawa (D2) ul. Miodowa 2, barwarszawa.pl Thick with alcoholic fumes and the sound of drunken tantrums, Bar Warszawa excels in its role as a late night dive bar. Split on two levels, upstairs is where most head to flop around a retro lounge interior filled with nostalgic decorations that tempt kleptomaniacs.

The cut price shots and pints do their bit in facilitating slurred conversations with a variety of strangers. Not surprisingly, evenings often extend beyond the advertised closing time of 4 a.m.

live music 12on14 Jazz Club (D6) ul. Noakowskiego 16, 12on14club.com Warsaw has a rich tradition of jazz, so you have to sometimes wonder, just where the hell are all the jazz bars? In 12on14’s case, down a courtyard and through a side entrance. Dark, smart and sophisticated, here’s a place that’s fitted out with framed portraits of sax tooting masters as a well-stocked bar area decorated with quotes from jazz legends. Open from Tuesday till Saturday, evenings see local and international musicians take to the stage.

Eufemia (D3) Krakowskie Przedmieście 5 (enter via ul. Niżyńskiego), klubojadalniaeufemia. blogspot.com Eufemia unwraps into a series of side rooms furbished with VHS tapes, student artwork and furniture looted from your grandparents dining room. The claustrophobic atmosphere lends itself well to intimate gigs that see everything from improvised instrumentals to bands called Graveyard Drug Party.

Hydrozagadka ul. 11 Listopada 22, hydrozagadka.waw.pl Set out in the wildlands of Praga, consider

Dom Wódki (C2) ul. Wierzbowa 9/11, domwodki.pl Those expecting Dom Wódki to be a standard mucky shot bar are in for a surprise.

Sparkling with over 250 artisanal vodkas, find them incorporated into inspirational drinks mixed by Tomasz Małek, a world champion flair bartender. More than just show, the tastes are incredible.

Pijalnia many locations, fb.com/pijalnia.warszawa Havoc reigns in Pijalnia, and watching all the tears and tiffs on a Friday night is something of a spectator sport. Pickles and vodka are the essential order, while reading matter is supplied via commie-era sports reports that are plastered to the wall.

Pyk i Łyk (E4) ul. Nowy Świat 26 Thundering through a flimsy door, customers are met by a tiny, divey area that’s devoid of furnishings aside from shelves of vodka and a bar that’s been painted to depict dripping blood. Yikes!

Decorated with bizarre montages of hard drinking rockers, once visitors settle into their vodka rhythm, it reveals itself as a bar of greatness. “No wi-fi,” shouts one sign, “talk to each other and get drunk.” It’s that kind of placex www.warsawinsider.pl

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shopping Radio Telewizja

accessories Bursztynek Rynek Starego Miasta 4/6, bursztynek.co The largest amber jewellery store in Warsaw, though in addition to that visitors can also purchase unique amber-related souvenirs as well as more classic gifts associated with Poland.

Hard Rock Cafe ul. Złota 59 (Złote Tarasy), hardrockcafe.pl No wardrobe is complete without the iconic Hard Rock t-shirt! Find the Warsaw-stamped version available here, along with other extras for the all American look.

READING LIST GOING TO THE MATCH This beautifully compiled album documents one man’s journey around the rural football pitches, decrepit stadiums and modern arenas of England, Germany and Poland. Based around the stunning photography of Przemek Niciejewski, Going To The Match is an emotional depiction of modern day football fandom. Available in Radio Telewizja (Andersa 29).

HELIBO SEYOMAN A bizarre project that challenged different contributors (artists, writers and assorted creatives) to tell a fictional story connecting Berlin and Warsaw while using the words Helibo Seyoman. What and who the hell is Helibo Seyoman? That’s actually a language invented by David Bowie!

Even crazier than it sounds, the book is available for free via: sklep. beczmiana.pl POLISH PILLS 2 A follow-up to Fanny Vaucher’s best-selling Polish Pills, this tri-lingual book (French, Polish, English) is accompanied by the author’s own quirky illustrations. A highly personal journey around Warsaw, this wonderful work examines the city’s quirks and conundrums in a manner that’s mischievous and original. Available in Radio Telewizja and Bęc Zmiana.

TYPOPOLO TypoPolo is the term coined to descirbe the amateur typography that was prevalent on the billboards and adverts of 90s Poland: seen as a visual reflection of the economic and poltical changes in Poland, this dual-language book raises deep questions about how public space should look. Available in Bęc Zmiana (Mokotowska 65).

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fashion Ania Kuczyńska ul. Mokotowska 61 Ania Kuczyńska is well known for her highly fashionable, minimalist clothing designs. The store also carries adorable baby clothes and various accessories.

Moliera 2 Boutique ul. Moliera 2, moliera2.com Brands: Alexandre Birman, Alexandre Vauthier, Anya Hindmarch, Aquazzura, Balmain, Beach Bunny, Buscemi, Casadei, Christian Louboutin, Francesco Russo, Gianvito Rossi, Herve Leger, Isabel Marant, Jimmy Choo, Kenzo, Kotur, Maison Michel, Moncler, One Teaspoon, Simonetta Ravizza, Tod’s, Tory Burch, Valentino, Victoria Beckham, Yves Salomon.

Pl. Trzech Krzyży 3/4 Pl. Trzech Krzyży 3/4, plactrzechkrzyzy.com Brands: Beach Bunny, Buscemi, Canada Goose, Casadei, Christian Louboutin, Dsquared 2, Christian Louboutin, Fay, Gianvito Rossi, Hogan, Kenzo, Kotur, Moncler, Mr& Mrs Italy, One Teaspoon, Ralph Lauren, Simonetta Ravizza, Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Valentino, Victoria Beckham, Yves Salomon.

Childrenswear: Burberry Children, Dsquared2

listings / shopping Kids, Kenzo Kids, Moncler Kids, Ralph Lauren Kids, Tod’s Kids.

Reykjavik District ul. Burakowska 15, tel. 501 399 222, reykjavikdistrict.com Chic, well-cut menswear for all occasions as designed by upcoming Icelandic native Olly Lindal.

home Makutra ul. Oleandrów 5, makutra.com To know and not to cook, is not to know. This store has everything a master chef seeks: from tagines to mezzalunas, it’s got the lot covered. Huge stock of cook books and kitchenware.

NOON/NOON ul. Pańska 98 (enter from ul. Prosta), noonnoon.pl Well-balanced as a coffee bar/showroom where you can interact and experience the functionality and quality of the furniture first hand.

Wawa Bla Bla ul. Dobra 15 A gift store with a difference: showcasing Poland’s upcoming ‘street artists’, not to mention the British proprietor’s own photos of Warsaw’s graffiti, this shop is filled with unconventional keepsakes that include canvas prints, Warsaw-themed mugs and one-of-a-kind postcards.

Mysia 3 ul. Mysia 3, mysia3.pl Hip department store that’s seen a few tenants come and go, yet has remained on the cutting edge in spite of it all. Set in Poland’s former censorship office, the line-up includes Scandinavian fashion in Cos, shoes from My Paris, unconventional fashion from Nenukko and more.

malls & department stores

Vitkac Wolf Bracka Vitkac, ul. Bracka 9, tel. 22 310 7313, likusconceptstore.pl Vitkac was made for with a credit card blitz in mind. Poland’s first luxury department store gathers the world’s top designers under one roof, with brands including Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney and Rick Owens. And that’s the tip of the iceberg. Finish with dinner in the top floor Concept 13.

Klif House of Fashion ul. Okopowa 58/72, tel. 22 531 4500 klif. pl Warsaw’s original luxury shopping center has everything from the excellent Alma supermarket to top boutiques that include Max Mara, Paul & Shark and Pinko.

Plac Unii ul. Puławska 2, placunii.pl Warsaw’s latest mall counts Armani Jeans, Liu-Jo and Pandora amongst its upmarket tenants.

Złote Tarasy ul. Złota 59, tel. 22 222 2200, zlotetarasy.pl Over 200 stores, restaurants and cafes, plus the Multikino cinema and the Pure Jatomi Health and Fitness Club

The Amber Heart of Warsaw

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family activities The Little Gym ul. Bruzdowa 56 & ul. Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 45, tel. 22 842 0728, thelittlegym.eu Expect an age specific fitness curriculum, a high instructor-to-child ratio, original music and a weekly theme to engage the child’s imagination and sense of fun. Not only a great place for children, but tailored to a comfortable and relaxing stay for parents as well.

education preschools American School of Warsaw ul. Warszawska 202 (Konstancin-Jeziorna), tel.

22 702 85 00,

ZUPA DUPER! When my daughter and I are out and about and I can sense that she’s getting hungry I’m unable to start saying zupa pomidorowa before she finishes my sentence with gusto. Put simply, it’s my go-to nutritous fix for her hunger, and while there’s a few places we love there’s one that stands out. Like my philosophy concerning pizza in New York, even a bad slice is a good slice, and she’s yet to come across a bad bowl unless it’s got “green stuff” floating on top.

Generally, when we’re close to home, we head to Bar Bambino where the woman at the kasa has learned to ring it up in the till before I even open my mouth: all she needs to know is whether I want “ryzem” or “makaronem”. I once learned from a knowledgeable restaurateur that the secret with milk bars is to ask for a “pół porcji zupa”, to which the staff will usually nonetheless oblige customers with a full bowl. I’ve never really understood why anyone would want to cut the price of zł. 3.50 bowl of soup in half, but my daughter laughs every time time I ask so I keep on doing it. Having eaten soup all over the city, I can certainly think of more superior choices, but for my daughter it’s Bambino every time – after all, it’s the closest she’s found that emulates babcia’s. And I’m not complaining – unless you know somewhere else that will give you a full portion when you ask for half? (KD)

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aswarsaw.org American School of Warsaw provides a rich, meaningful and balanced educational experience through age-appropriate activities to students aged 3 to 5. For further information and/or to visit our school, contact:admissions@aswarsaw.org or 22 702 85 00.

The British Primary School of Wilanów ul. Hlonda 12, bsww.pl, tel. 781 988 000 Following the National Curriculum of England and Wales, this is the first School in Poland subject to the inspection of the UK Independent School Inspectorate. Pupils receive British and, upon request, Polish reports/diplomas. The school follows a closed admissions policy and limits enrollment of one nationality to below 50% of each class starting from Year 1.

The British School Early Years Centre ul. Dąbrowskiego 84 (Early Years Centre), tel. 22 646 7777, british@thebritishschool. pl, thebritishschool.pl The Early Years Foundation Stage is where a lifetime of learning begins. The British School, Warsaw

listings / family provides EYFS classes from Pre-nursery (age 30 months) to Reception (5 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.

The Canadian School of Warsaw Preschool ul. Ignacego Krasickiego 53, tel. 697 979 100, preschool@canadianschool.pl, canadian-school.pl Established in 2000 and located on three campuses in Mokotów, the Canadian School delivers the International Baccalaureate PYP in English and is registered with the Polish Education Authority. French is taught as a third language. Offers a wide range of extra curricula activities and employs Psychology, Speech and Pedagogical therapy specialists.

Provision is made for additional Polish and English language support.

Casa dei Bambini & Toddler School (multiple locations)

Warsaw Montessori School ul. Badowska 19 (Mokotów), tel. 22 851 6893; ul. Szkolna 16 (Izabelin), tel. 22 721 8736, mob. 692 099 134, office@warsawmontessori.edu.pl, warsawmontessori.edu. pl Warsaw Montessori and Casa dei Bambini have 3 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 2 1/2 to 6 years of age. Call to make an appointment to tour any of the 3 schools.

International Trilingual School of Warsaw ul. Nobla 16, tel. 501 036 637, ul. Karowa

14/16, tel. 503 072 119, ul. Królowej Aldony 23/25, tel. 533 321 084, 3languages.pl/ saint-exupery.pl Established in 1994, and formerly known as Ecole Antoine de Saint Exupery, the Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary and pre-school education with a French and international curriculum for children aged from one to twelve. The fill-immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English, Polish, Spanish / Chinese, or English, Polish, French.

Teachers are highly qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain and China.

The English Playhouse ul. Pływiańska 14a, tel. 22 843 9370, office open 8:00-16.00, www.tep.edu.pl 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

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listings / family from 12 months up till six-years-old. For more info or to arrange a tour of the pre-school or nursery call Justyna Nowak on tel. 784 037 808 or email: jnowak@theenglishplayhouse. com Happy Montessori House Warsaw Montessori Pre-school, ul. Rumiana 14, tel. 22 423 50 75, mob. 697 060 504, open 7.30-17:00, hmh.com.pl The Happy Montessori House offers part-time and fulltime places for children aged between 2 to 6 years, as well as toddler-focused activities (from 18 months to 3 years) centered around movement, sensorial stimulation, storytelling, singing and socialising.

Maple Tree Montessori ul. Piechoty Łanowej 46A (entrance from Rotmistrzowska/Petyhorska), tel. 531 599 444, mapletreemontessori.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 years). Find them located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw, in a house safely nestled into the end of a quiet street.

Montessori Academy for International Children ul. Królewicza Jakuba 36 (Wilanów), open Mon-Fri 8:00-16:15, ul. Sadowa 4 (Konstancin), Open 8:00-16:45, tel. 502 315 022, montessoriacademy.eu An English-speaking pre-school (16 months to 6 years of age) with two locations. The school’s policy is to comply with Montessori standards, using the Montessori Method in English. The school’s philosophy is based on the joy of learning, which comes from discovering and furthering the individual development of each child.

Primrose Bilingual Preschool ul. Bernardyńska 16A lok U7, tel. 22 415 8500, primrose.edu.pl Following the ‘immersion’ method, each class has two teachers – one Polish-speaking, the other English.

Through this children have all-day contact with different languages, absorbing them in everyday situations. In accordance with the hands-on methodology, children also take part in daily workshops ranging from kitchen science to art and craft classes.

Trilingual Pre-school and Nursery “Three Languages” Center ul. Karowa 14/16 lok 6 (3-6 year olds); ul.

Cicha 5 lok 1 (1-2 year olds), open Mon-Fri 7:30-18:30, tel. 517 872 682, 3languages. pl The only trilingual pre-school and nursery teaching English, Spanish and Polish through total language immersion. All educators are native speaker pre-school teachers. The

comprehensive curriculum follows American, Spanish and Polish curriculum standards.

The pre-school was awarded European Language Label in 2012.

schools American School of Warsaw ul. Warszawska 202 (Konstancin-Jeziorna), tel. 22 702 85 00, aswarsaw.org ASW is a premier collegepreparatory international school that offers a PK-12 curriculum, including the IB Diploma Program in Grades 11 and 12. Students are inspired and challenged every day by experienced and dedicated teachers, who provide enriching learning opportunities in a world class facility. For further information and/ or to visit our school contact: admissions@ aswarsaw.org or 22 702 85 00.

The British Primary School of Wilanów ul. Hlonda 12, bsww.pl, tel. 781 988 000 Following the National Curriculum of England and Wales, this is the first School in Poland subject to the inspection of the UK Independent School Inspectorate. Pupils receive British and, upon request, Polish reports/diplomas. The school follows a closed admissions policy and limits enrollment of one nationality to below 50% of each class starting from Year 1.

BRITISH INDEPENDENT SCHOOL IN WARSAW

OPEN DAY Saturday 1 April 2017 bsww.pl tel 22 111 00 62

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listings / family

The British School ul. Limanowskiego 15, tel. 22 842 3281, open 8:00-16:00, british@thebritishschool. pl, thebritishschool.pl 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 wellestablished International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

Casa dei Bambini & Toddler School (multiple locations)

Warsaw Montessori School ul. Badowska 19 (Mokotów), tel. 22 851 6893; ul. Szkolna 16 (Izabelin), tel. 22 721 8736, mob. 692 099 134, office@warsawmontessori.edu.pl, warsawmontessori.edu.pl Casa dei Bambini Warsaw Montessori School are set to open their Erdkinder Montessori Middle School as of September 2016. Located at Tatrzańska 5A they promise an extraordinary opportunity for study, work and for daily living. Guided by trained specialists, students will be 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 life’s real challenges.

in English and is registered with the Polish Education Authority. French is taught as a third language. Offers a wide range of extra curricula activities and employs Psychology, Speech and Pedagogical therapy specialists.

Provision is made for additional Polish and English language support.

The English Primary ul. Rzodkiewki 18, tel. 784 037 808, admissions@tep.edu. pl, www.tep.edu.pl The English Primary is designed specifically for children in the primary education ages, just as 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. The school is a member of Council of British International Schools (COBIS).

The Canadian School of Warsaw Middle School ul. Olimpijska 11, tel. 885 420 044 / 885 620 066, secretary.olimpijska@canadian-school.pl, canadian-school.pl Provides a continuation of PREIB education for 11-15 year olds.

International staff, cultural events and challenging student initiatives create a perfect learning and creative thinking environment.

For further info, tours and school visits call or email. Also home to the Non-Public PsychoPedagogical Counseling Centre ‘Olimpia’ (tel.

885 620 066) which examines the level of mental, emotional, auditory and visual-motor functions’ development, and conducts individual and group pedagogical therapy, as well as individual psychotherapy..

The Canadian School of Warsaw Elementary School ul. Bełska 7, tel. 692 411573, admission@ canadian-school.pl, canadian-school.pl Established in 2000 and located on three campuses in Mokotów, the Canadian School delivers the International Baccalaureate PYP

International Trilingual School of Warsaw ul. Nobla 16, tel. 501 036 637, ul. Karowa 14/16, tel. 503 072 119, ul. Królowej Aldony 23/25, tel. 533 321 084, 3languages.pl/ saint-exupery.pl Established in 1994, and

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listings / family formerly known as Ecole Antoine de Saint Exupery, the Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary and pre-school education with a French and international curriculum for children aged from one to twelve. The fill-immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English, Polish, Spanish / Chinese, or English, Polish, French.

Teachers are highly qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain and China.

Warsaw Montessori School ul. Szwoleżerów 4, tel. 22 841 3908, sylvia@warsawmontessori.edu.pl, warsawmontessori.edu.pl Focuses on the Montessori curriculum with an education based on the integration of conceptual learning and real-life experiences.

Willy Brandt Schule Warschau Św. Urszuli Ledóchowskiej 3, tel. 22 642 2705, wbs.pl One of the city’s best renowned schools offers a kindergarten as well as primary and secondary education conducted to a German curriculum.

cafes Kolonia ul. Łęczycka (corner of Ładysława), koloniaochota.pl Not just an excellent cafe, Kolonia is aslo equipped with a garden/playground.

Kolonia is the most kid-friendly (and petfriendly) place in the area, offering fresh daily specials and a staff that always welcomes you with a smile.

Nabo ul. Zakręt 8, tel. 22 842 0256, nabocafe. pl Nabo is run by a Danish couple and its light and minimalist interior – designed by those who created R20 – lends itself to every occasion. But aside from its tasty and seasonal dishes, it’s the children’s corner that is causing the biggest commotion.

shops Kopytko Mamuta ul. Boya-Żeleńskiego 2, kopytkomamuta.pl

The creation of Kopytko Mamuta plugs a gap in the market, with beautifully cobbled shoes that are, in the words of the owner Agnieszka, ‘the essence of Parisian chic’. Specializing in trendy kicks from the likes of Mercredi Apres Midi, it’s the ultimate spoiler for your budding style maven and her little Prince Charming.

Lullaby Multiple locations, lullaby.pl Jam packed with funky design and quirky gifts for your little ones. However, the exquisite clothing and designer labels do come with a hefty price tag.

Muppetshop ul. Kazimierzowska 43, tel. 532 689 212, muppetshop.pl An innovative concept store that offers a wide range of brands and products targeted at young people – babies, juniors, teenagers. The portfolio includes full-service for expecting parents as well as complete interior projects. On top of that expect a wealth of other design products from carefully selected brands.

Spring Picnic Invitation

An Invitation for children from 1 year to 15 years olds and their families to our annual Spring Picnic, Sunday, April 9th, from 1 pm to 4 pm at Warsaw Montessori School, Szwolez˙erów 4 We will also have an information table for parents age: Toddler: 1 - 2,5, Casa: 2,5 - 5, Elementary: 5-12, "Erdkinder" Middle School: 12-15 R.S.V.P to: sylvia@warsawmontessori.edu.pl Contact number: 692 099 134

Palm making

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Easter snacks

Pottery workshop

Celebrating our 18th year! www.warsawmontessori.edu.pl

Games, music

Easter egg painting

9

APRIL 2017

SUNDAY 13.00 - 16.00

Animals and much more...

health & beauty gyms Artis Wellness Club ul. Klimczaka 1 (Royal Wilanów), artisclub. pl And so here we have a contender for Warsaw’s best gym. Found in Royal Wilanów, this state-of-the-art gym boasts the latest technological advances in personal fitness, as well as a massive program of courses that range from group cycling and yoga to Zumba and body combat. Personal training and deluxe spa facilities also available.

Fitness Centre at the Radisson SAS Centrum Hotel ul. Grzybowska 24, tel. 22 321 8888 Smallish but well-regarded gym with swimming pool, sauna, gym, and group classes inside one of Warsaw’s top five stars.

CLIMBING WALLS CRUX (Hoża 51, crux.boulder.pl) Located in a former cheese factory, Crux is the biggest climbing facility in central Warsaw and has walls that challenge all levels of expertise. Standout features include Poland’s first hydraulic wall system and classes for beginners.

MAKAK (Palisadowa 20/22, arenamakak.pl) Over 100 routes to choose from across an area of 1,400 sq/m. The largest climbing wall ever to be built in Poland has climbing trails rated from 4 (very easy) to 8A+ (extremely difficult).

ON SIGHT (Obozowa 60, obozowa.waw.pl) 450 sq/m of climbing space rated from level 4 to 6 in terms of difficulty. Maximum height reaches 12.8 meters with private and group classes also available for beginners.

WGÓRĘ (Merliniego 2, wgore.eu) Two indoor walls covering a total of 150 meters, a fully qualified staff and not to mention an easy to get to location in Mokotów. Opened in 2010, it’s one of the more up-to-date facilities in the city.

W PIONIE (Nowowiejska 37V, wpionie.pl) One of the most reputable climbing centers in the country. Founded in 1994 by two mountaineers, it’s aimed at all ages and levels. They also organize frequent outdoor courses, trips to the mountains and special training programs for those who work at altitude.

Fitness Centre at the Sheraton Hotel ul. Prusa 2, tel. 22 450 6701, www.sheraton. com/warsaw The Sheraton spa features sauna, steam room and massage, while the gym comes with LCD-fitted running and cycling machines, and a dedicated cardio section. Personal training available, as are group classes covering pilates, yoga, aerobics and even ski conditioning.

Holmes Place Energy Al. Jana Pawła II 82 (C.H. Arkadia), ul.

Wołoska 12 (Galeria Mokotów), www. holmesplace.pl Making top-flight gym facilities available to the masses, the Holmes Place Energy brand offers high standard equipment, personal training and group classes. Six month membership available for approx. zł.

200 per month, though prices are subject to change. For latest details enquire direct.

Holmes Place Premium ul. Belwederska 23 (Regent Hotel), ul.

Grzybowska 63 (Hilton), Al. Jerozolimskie 65/79 (Marriott), holmesplace.pl Three ‘premium locations’, with the Hilton and Regent branches housing a 25-meter pool. Sauna and steam room facilities are available in all all three, as are a varied timetable of classes plus personal training. Prices, depending on the gym you choose, range from around zł.

179 to zł. 379 per month.

Little Gym ul. Bruzdowa 56, tel. 22 842 0728, www.warsawinsider.pl

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listings / health & beauty www.thelittlegym.pl Targeted at children, expect an age specific fitness curriculum, a high instructor-to-child ratio, original music and a weekly theme to engage the child’s imagination and sense of fun. Englishspeaking, as well.

McFit ul. Świętokrzyska 3 (corner of Nowy Świat), tel. 22 313 1400, mcfit.com The budget European chain signals its arrival to Poland with a 2,000 sq/m studio that utilizes the latest technology as well as ‘cyber training’ programs. Open 24/7, with membership from zł. 89 per month.

Quantum Fitness ul. Piękna 15, quantumpiekna.pl Quantum takes the keep fit business to new levels. A place of quiet, understated luxury, equipment is state-of-the-art and complemented by expert trainers at the peak of their game. This is the full 24-carat gym experience, and one that comes with the added bonus of a luxury spa and a top-class physiotherapy wing.

Ride Warsaw ul. Karolkowa 30, ridewarsaw.com Around twice a day this small studio opens up to the public with group cycling classes overseen by a team of English-speaking instructors. This is not a leisurely Sunday pedal, but a high energy workout with a banging soundtrack and constant interaction with the trainer in charge.

RiverView Wellness Centre ul. Emilii Plater 49 (InterContinental), riverview.com.pl Top-class facilities and equipment, private instructors and small classes. The view from the highest pool in Europe offers a glorious panorama of the city and is almost worth the membership fee alone. Annual prices begin from around zł.

4,000.

spas & salons

0 Dotyk SPA ul. Biały Kamień 3, tel. 22 898 7272, open Mon-Fri 9:00-22:00; Sat 9:00-18:00, dotykspa.pl Probably the only place in Warsaw where you’ll get a facial yoga session. Going futher east, treat yourself to Japanese, Polynesian or Indian massage.

Fiuu Fiuu Day Spa ul. Mokotowska 48, tel. 22 629 2414.

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A wonderful quick fix salon that makes use of the latest Ericson products and other top brands. Regarded as one of the top ladies day spas in the country.

Hair a Porter ul. Belwederska 23 (Regent, level -1), hair-a-porter.pl A staunch favorite among the ex-pat crowd, Hair a Porter offer the ultimate hair experience utilizing talented staff and top-quality products.

Haircology ul. Rozbrat 44A, tel. 669 780 669, haircology.pl An upmarket ecologically minded hairdresser that eschews such things as synthetic fragrances, silicon and preservatives.

Le Spa ul. Mokotowska 55, tel. 22 622 9428 This little island of peace and beauty takes you light-years away from the bustle of Warsaw.

Nail & Beauty Bar ul. Mokotowska 26, tel. 22 621 1404 A top spot for a classic manicure or pedicure – they also do lots of complicated things with gels and other hi-tech nail discoveries. Also on Elektoralna 24.

ouch!

Ouch! ul. Belwederska 32, 22 240 87 67; ul. Bonifraterska 8, tel. 22 298 11 12, ouch. pl Experts in waxing, Ouch! Aim their offer at ‘busy women looking for express treatments with lasting effects who, at the same time, appreciate a sense of intimacy’. High quality waxes, including fast and accurate epilation treatments whose effects last up to four weeks. Wax treatments for the whole body.

DEPILACJA WOSKIEM

PARDON MY FRENCH

manicure pedicure

Pardon My French ul. Belwederska 32, tel. 22 240 62 90; Bonifraterska 8, tel. 22 298 11 10; ul. Mokotowska 56, tel. 22 298 10 10, pardonmyfrench.pl Manicure and pedicure treatments with high quality lacquers and an awareness of global trends: if you need an endorsement, Paul McCartney visited when he was in Poland! Free wifi and coffee, as well as the possibility of hosting baby showers and bachelorette parties. Open from 9-8

during the week and 9-5 on Sat (with the Mokotowska branch also welcoming visitors on Sunday from 10-4).

The Pedicure Place ul. Pokorna 2, lok. u11, pedicure-place. pl A luxury pedi/manicure clinic with room for 10. All the latest OPI varnishes and over 200 colors guarantee you’ll find the latest in styling and nail care.

Quantum Clinic ul. Piękna 15, quantumpiekna.pl Using first class, pioneering methods and technology, the Quantum Clinic surpasses the norms that Warsaw has become used to. For the full Hollywood treatment, restore and replenish the body at a luxury spa devised to enhance the body and mind.

Rostowski Barber Shop ul. Koszykowa 58, rostowskibarbershop.pl A true celebration of the vintage barber shop, Rostowski have the ambiance nailed to a tee thanks to a crew that’s ready for banter and an interior replete with jack-up chairs, glinting zinc and restored floor tiles.

Retro Day Spa Al. Ujazdowskie 18/11, no. 311, tel. 22 622 03 69 Royally indulgent interiors hark back to a different century, though the treatments are all hi-tech and include packages for pregnant women among the variety of beauty offers.

Sante ul. Jagiellońska 55A, studiosante.pl The dry and wet steam room left the Insider impressed, but not as much as the ‘mood rooms’ – imagine a lunar landscape chamber with a salt-covered floor. The other, meanwhile, comes clad in minerals with recliners hewn from heated tiles. As you stare at the mantra above the mind lets go and you feel almost as if your body is moving. Amazing.

Studio Jej i Jego ul. Wiertnicza 93A, tel. 22 885 0085, .jejijego.pl Hair and beauty treatments for men and women – inc. nail care, massage, facial and body treatments.

You & You Maciej Wróblewski ul. Grzybowska 61 (Galeria Platinum Towers), tel. 606 994 226, youandyou.eu Poland’s premier hair stylist is Maciej Wróblewski, and his flagship salon fuses a personal approach with professional styling. Disappointments are unheard of.

in the city VISITORS accomodation 5-Star Hotels Bellotto ul. Senatorska 13/15, tel. 22 829 6444, hotelbellotto.pl Bristol Hotel ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44, tel. 22 551 1000, bristol@luxurycollection. com, www.hotelbristolwarsaw.pl

THE FISP IRISH BALL

From modest beginnings 20 years back, FISP (Fundacja im. Św. Patryka) have raised and distributed millions of złoty to registered Polish charities. Primarily, this sum has been achieved through their organization of Warsaw’s annual St. Patrick’s Ball. Legendary in its reputation, potential first-timers can cast aside nightmare visions of disjointed ceremonies and stumbling speeches. Managed by a small but dedicated team of Irish expats, the BALL has earned a reputation as one of the headline events of the year – and certainly the most fun.

Having raised in excess of quarter of a million złoty in 2016, hopes are high that this year’s total will see all previous records smashed. With approximately 550 people expected to attend, the omens are good.

Aside from the five-course dinner and free-flowing stout, entertainment lined up includes a celebration of Irish song and dance, not to mention a raffle (5 tickets zł. 100) with featured prizes including a family weekend at Kania Lodge, weekends in Amsterdam, Dubai and West Cork, plus vouchers for numerous Warsaw restaurants and hotels. In addition, there’s also the Golden Ticket competition: “It’s not a game for the faint hearted,” says organizer Michael Kenny, “with pretty much everyone in the room competing in a battle of memory and intelligence to win a grand prize that will most likely be an all-inclusive holiday to some island in the Indian Ocean – in previous years that’s meant the Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius, so while the top prize hasn’t been confirmed yet, you can rest assured it’ll be great nonetheless.” As for those that don’t win? They simply get to enjoy the most riotous evening in Warsaw’s black tie calendar...

The FISP Irish Ball 11 March @ Hilton Hotel (ul, Grzybowska 63) Tickets zł. 700 per person, for further info, see: irishball.pl

H15 Boutique ul. Poznańska 15, tel. 22 553 8700, info@h15ab.com, www.h15ab.com Hilton Warsaw ul. Grzybowska 63, tel. 22 356 5555 / 800 44 11 482, www.hilton.com InterContinental ul. Emilii Plater 49, tel. 22 328 8888, www.warsaw.intercontinental.com Mamaison Le Régina Hotel Warsaw ul. Kościelna 12, tel. 22 531 6000, www. mamaison.com Marriott Al. Jerozolimskie 65/79, tel. 22 630 6306, www.warsawmarriott.com Regent Warsaw Hotel ul. Belwederska 23, tel. 22 558 1234, reservations@regent-warsaw.com, www.regent-warsaw.com The Rialto Boutique Hotel ul. Wilcza 73, tel. 22 584 8700, www.rialto.pl Sheraton ul. Prusa 2, tel. 22 450 6100, www.sheraton.pl Radisson Blu Centrum Hotel

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listings / in the city ul. Grzybowska 24, tel. 22 321 8888, www.radissonblu.com/hotel-warsaw

Sofitel Warsaw Victoria ul. Królewska 11, tel. 22 657 8011, www.sofitel-victoria-warsaw.com Westin Al. Jana Pawła II 21, tel. 22 450 8000, www.westin.pl

B&B

Between Us Bed & Breakfast ul. Bracka 20, tel. 22 8285417 (from 10 a.m. to 11p.m.), www.between-us.eu Boutique B&B ul. Smolna 14/6, tel. 22 829 4800, www.bedandbreakfast.pl

RESIDENTS relocation companies Arkpol ul. Słowikowskiego 27, arkpol.com Specialists in international ‘door-to-door’ movals, with packaging, storage and customs clearance part of the deal.

Interdean International Relocation ul. Geodetów 172, Piaseczno, tel. 22 701 7171, www.interdean.com

Move One Relocations ul. Al. Jerozolimskie 65/79, tel. 22 630 8160, www.moveonerelo.com Also immigration assistance, fine art shipping, pet transport and consulting services.

Relo Planet ul. Batalinou Platerówek 3, tel. 22 658 1958, reloplanet.com International, domestic and office removals, corporate and individual relocations, fine art shipping, storage, insurance, as well as a full range of assistance services (immigration, etc.).

services Domestina domestina.pl New to Warsaw, Domestina offer four-hour maid solutions ranging from zł. 129-142. Offering full premium service, they’ll make your bed to match the standard of a five-star hotel, and clean every corner till your flat is spotless! Order and pay online via their English-language website.

storage Więcej Miejsca Tel. 733 002 014, wiecejmiejsca.pl Offers innovative, convenient, door-to-door storage & moving services. Order via their website or phone and the company’s driver will deliver sturdy plastic, tamper-proof bins for storing items such as clothes, books, documents, etc. They’ll also store larger items, including furniture, and organize local, national and international moves.

museums Copernicus Science Centre ul. Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20, tel. 22 596 4100, kopernik.org.pl Interactive, witty and surprising, Copernicus allows visitors to experience an earthquake, blast recyclable objects into space and become a mystery cracking detective.

CSW ul. Jazdów 2, csw.art.pl Situated in a baroque-style castle the center hosts artists from all over the world. The on-site bookshop is of particular interest for artists and intellectuals. Ongoing till January 11: Reel-Unreel (Afghan Projects 2010-2014). Polish-born artist Francis Alys presents a selection of paintings, sketches, documents and collages related to his travels around Afghanistan. Forming the centerpiece is his film, Reel-Unreel.

WARSAWPASS & CHOPINPASS Valid for 24, 48 and 72-hour periods, the Warsaw Pass enables holders to hop on and off a bus ploughing the main tourist routes, as well as free entry (and the ability to ‘skip the line’) to numerous attractions including Polin, the PKiN viewing platform, Royal Castle, Copernicus Science Centre and many more besides. Discounts for tours and restaurants are also part of the package.

For full details, see: warsawpass.com Also, be sure to pick up the ChopinPASS, a package that includes admission to the Chopin Museum and to the birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin in Żelazowa Wola, as well as direct transportation between these two institutions. For details, see: ChopinPass.com

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listings / in the city Dom Spotkań z Historią ul. Karowa 20, dsh.waw.pl The History Meeting House wins points for frequently excellent exhibitions that cover topics such as ‘rebuilding Warsaw’ and ‘Socialist Realist architecture.’ It won’t take longer than twenty minutes to peruse whatever exhibition is on, but it’s still a very worthwhile diversion and one of the city’s top secrets.

The Neon Museum ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum. org This amazing project brings together the neon lights that once illuminated the city.

Among the collection are 35 landmark signs, many of which date from the 60s and 70s.

Invisible Exhibition Al. Jerozolimskie 123A, niewidzialna.pl Nothing challenges the sense of sight more than a total lack of it. Confused? Head to the Invisible Exhibition to learn first-hand the challenges faced by the blind. This includes everything from crossing the road to ordering a drink in a bar.

Polin - Museum of the History of Polish Jews ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl Composed of eight galleries, each covers a different stage of local Jewish history, from the middle ages to the present day. Covering 4,000 sq/m, highlights of this museum include a staggeringly beautiful replica of the ceiling of Gwoździec synagogue, and a ‘remake’ of a typical interwar Jewish Warsaw street.

National Museum Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl 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.

Palmiry National Memorial Museum Palmiry, palmiry.mhw.pl An excellent multimedia exhibition set next to a cemetery holding the graves of 1,700 Poles executed in the first years of Nazi occupation.

Park Miniatur ul. Bracka 25 (Dom Jabłońskich, level -1), pl.miniaturymazowieckie.com Although the park consists of only eight 1:25 scale models of some of the most beautiful and important buildings from Warsaw’s past, the zł. 12 admission is certainly worth it. Brilliant details abound in this Lilliputian world, with helpful English explanations accompanying the models.

Pawiak ul. Dzielna 24/26 What was once a Tsarist prison assumed a doubly sinister function under the Nazis. Some 100,000 Polish political prisoners were held here, 37,000 of which were executed on-site. Split in two sections, cells are found on one side, while on the other the full story of the invasion and occupation.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw Pl. Zamkowy 4, zamek-krolewski.pl Meticulously restored after WWII, highlights

inside include the lavishly restored 18th century royal apartments with 22 paintings by Bernardo Bellotto (known as Canaletto), the Senators’ Chamber in which the Constitution of the Third of May was signed, the biggest collection of oriental rugs in Europe in the tinroofed palace and two remarkable Rembrandt paintings.

The Warsaw Amber Museum Rynek Starego Miasta 4/6, bursztynek.co Part of Bursztynek, a dedicated amber shop, has been turned into a curious museum detailing the history of amber.

Warsaw Rising Museum ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl Cope with the crowds to discover the definitive story of the 1944 Uprising. Exhibits range from a full-size replica of a Liberator plane, to a sewer beneath the cinema screen and a slice of bread preserved from 1944. And don’t miss the ‘City of Ruins’, a five minute 3D film which takes you on an aerial journey over devastated Warsaw. For panoramic views of Warsaw check the view tower.

Zachęta National Art Gallery Pl. Małachowskiego 3, zacheta.art.pl Featuring in the collection are works by ToulouseLautrec, Cezanne, Ernst and Picasso, as well as luminaries of the Polish art scene such as Tadeusz Kantor, Alina Szapocznikow, Katarzyna Kozyra and Zbigniew Libera.

w W a r s a www.city-tour.com.pl

Yellow Double-Decker Bus

Invites you to experience a panoramic tour of tourist attractions of the capital of Poland, Warsaw, in a relaxing and comfortable way.

Traveling over the course of approximately 1,5 hour, a double-decker bus will take you past many beautiful and interesting places of Warsaw, such as its interesting districts, palaces and churches, monuments and museums, parks and historical cemeteries, as well as the Jewish historical sites.

A GPS 12 language audio-guide, will give explanations and accompany you to make your ride a more adventurous, exciting and an unforgettable one.

Excellent Hop on Hop off and one trip service operates every day all year round.

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Line approved by municipal authorities.

www.city-tour.com.pl

+48 500 033 414

www.warsawinsider.pl

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The Doors of Perception

It’s often the most obvious details that are the easiest to miss: don’t make that mistake with St. John’s Cathedral...

BY STUART DOWELL

O

ne of the fascinations of walking through Old Town is imagining how daily life must have looked in past centuries. The sight of liveried coachmen pulling up outside burgher houses in the 18th century, the sound of crones hawking river fish and eels in the 19th century, or the terrible scream of bombs in the mid-20th century. Help in this historical mind game has come to us from the postwar re-builders, who attempted to preserve or recreate as much as possible of the original medieval doorways and portals.

A great example of this is St. John’s Cathedral at Świętojańska 8.

Dating back to the 14th century, Warsaw’s most important sacral building reached 1939 dressed in a 19th century English Neo-Gothic jacket. After being completely destroyed in 1944, it was rebuilt

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based on the original plans. What tourists see when they pass by with their ice-cream and waffles is an example of Vistula Gothic.

Because of the tight perspective on Świętojańska, most people’s eyes remain at street level – no bad thing as the cathedral doors deserve closer attention.

Framed around a pointed collar of Gothic arches, the copper doors were made as late as 1963 and are divided into panels that depict scenes from the life of the church’s patron, John the Baptist, and also from the history of the church, and thus of Warsaw itself.

The upper-left panel shows a crozier-wielding John baptizing a serene Jesus in the Jordan river, while the panel on the opposite door sees John, hands bound with his neck on the executioner’s block, in the moments before his beheading. The predictable result of this act or Roman horror can be see above the doors to the right of the cross with John’s head sitting in a basket.

The middle panel shows the transfer of the collegiate chapter of canons from Czersk to Warsaw in 1402, thus making Warsaw the capital of southern Masovia on an equal footing with Płock in the north. For a long time before, Czersk had been the seat of the Masovian Dukes and an important economic hub. Its star started to fall though, when the shifting sands of the Vistula pushed the river bank several hundred meters away from the castle.

On the panel we can see the early church with Janusz I of Warsaw to the left and his tall wife on the right. What’s most interesting about it is that it features the earliest known symbol of Warsaw; not the mermaid we see around the city, but a griffin with a lion’s tail and a woman’s upper body wielding a sword and a shield. If the Old Town is a book, then its doors are the pages, and ones worth reading.

PHOTOGRAPH SHUTTERSTOCK

LOOKING BACK

Restauracja Stary Dom ul. Puławska 104 / 106, 02-620 Warszawa

tel.: (+48) 22 646 42 08 www.restauracjastarydom.pl

Restauracja Zielnik ul. Odyńca 15, 02-608 Warszawa tel.: (+48) 22 844 35 00 www.restauracjazielnik.pl

Restauracja PAPU

Al. Niepodległości 132/136, 02-554 Warszawa

tel.: (+48) 22 856 77 88 www.restauracjapapu.pl