L’Arc (E8) ul. Puławska 16, tel. 503 171 682, www.larc.pl. Open 10:00-last guest. An elegant white/black eatery with elaborate plate presentations and crustaceans lurking in the water tank – the house specialty is lobster, and they’ve got it to a tee. $$ Saint Jacques (D4) ul. Świętokrzyska 34, tel. 22 620 2531, www.saintjacques.pl. Open 12:00-23:00. Warsaw’s had a long liaison with France, yet the cuisine remains under-represented. This bistro plays the right notes with an intimate interior sprinkled with street signs and life-size black and whites of distant day Paris. $$
GERMAN
Adler ul. Mokotowska 69, tel. 22 628 73 84, www.adlerrestauracja. pl. Open 10:00-23:30; Sat-Sun 13:00-23:30. Set in a rustic rotunda, this veteran favorite packs in reassuringly caloric portions of pork knuckles, schnitzel and dumplings – all of a sudden, you understand why Helmut Kohl looks so large. Foaming beers served by Bavarian country maids complete the authenticity. $$
GREEK Paros (D4) ul. Jasna 14/16, tel. 22 828 1067. Open 12:00-23:00. Out of all of the Warsaw’s Greek contributions Paros dazzles most, with a glitzy look that’s a complete u-turn from the typical tawerna look. Owned by the same team behind El Greco, the menu is identical, as is the quality – good to excellent. $$
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Santorini (Saska Kępa) ul. Egipska 7, tel. 22 672 0525, www.kregliccy. pl/santorini.php. Open daily 12:00-23:00. Looking dubious from the outside, Santorini has several surprises inside. Styled like a fisherman’s tavern, the lamb chops are in a class of their own, though leave room for the milfei dessert. $$ Sofra (C6) ul. Wilcza 71, tel. 22 628 0782. Open 8:00-last guest. The design looks great, even if it plagiarizes Charlotte a touch (white brickwork, blackboard, communal table), and it even has the same chattery buzz. So the surprise here is the food is Turkish, and not just any Turkish, but excellent Turkish! The lamb and beef in tomato sauce is already part of the Insider diet, and the moussaka not far behind. But forget the word diet when it comes to dessert – the cherry chocolate cake is outstanding, but a menace to the beltline. $ Tawerna Patris Miedzeszyński 407, tel. 22 357 11 11, www.tawernapatris.pl. Open Mon-Sat
12:00-23:00; Sun 12:00-22:00.Looking dusty and disheveled from the outside, Tawerna surprises everyone who visits. Decorated with white plaster walls and pics of Greek harbor towns, the seafood starters are something else. It’s impossible to judge what’s better: the mussels in tarragon or the marinated octopus. With prices this moderate, we suggest you order both. $$
INDIAN
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Bombaj Masala (B3) Al. Jana Pawła II 23, tel. 606 688 777. Open 11:00-23:00. With wide space and slick finishes Bombaj Masala takes its inspiration from the gleaming district, not (like most its competitors) from Santa’s Grotto. The food polarizes opinion, though most agree the prices don’t reflect the quality, and spices won’t scorch. $$ Buddha (D4) ul. Nowy Świat 23, tel. 22 826 3501, www.buddha.info.pl. Open daily 11:00-23:00. The days of the Raj are recreated in Buddha, a fine-looking curry house with intricate interiors and top-drawer curries. The murgh masala jhodphur is our favorite, a bottom burning curry that appears as ‘ouch’ on the spice scale. $ Curry House ul. Żeromskiego 81, tel. 508 870 774. It’s through happy little tears the Insider declares Curry House as the overall victor in the local curry wars. The eye-watering
Authentic Mexican food, great margaritas, tequila and a hot atmosphere! Made using the best ingredients, nobody does Mexican food better! Bienvenidos Amigos!!!
Al. Jerozolimskie 123A (Millennium Plaza), tel. 22 243 4618, www.dostacos.pl www.facebook.com/DosTacos.MexicanGrill
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