There is nowhere better to experience traditional Polish food than in Poland itself. From Michelin-recognised restaurants to down-to-earth roadside cafes and milk bars, restaurants in Poland have arrived on the international scene with a bang. With a young and innovative generation reputed for a hunger to elevate Polish food to new heights and old masters who’ve crafted their skills across the world, Poland’s food scene is ever evolving and is fast becoming a top foodie destination.
Restaurants in Poland
As of 2022, Poland had around 31 restaurants appear in the Michelin Main Cities of Europe guide, a bible for discerning food lovers. Many of these restaurants can be found in either Warsaw or Krakow. At the core of restaurants in Poland is the celebration of Polish cuisine. Chefs take famous food in Poland and fuse it with international flavours with delightful results, whilst others stick to tradition but don’t disappoint either. Accompanying this is an industry driven by a need to put Poland on the international culinary map; hence, you will find yourself feeling at home at many of these restaurants, where the staffs’ goal is to make your experience pleasant.
Warsaw
Amidst the carefully reconstructed alleyways of Warsaw’s Old Town (three-quarters of the city was destroyed in WWII and subsequent uprisings) are over 10 of 31 Michelin-recognised restaurants in Poland. That aside, Poland’s food culture is a part of everyday life, so you will not be short of great places to eat in Warsaw. Some of those that should be included at the top of your itinerary are listed below.
Alewino
The acclaimed Alewino started its life as a wine bar but now serves modern seasonal Polish food along with its wine offerings; there are around 250 wines to pick from. In the summer months, you will not find a better courtyard to dig into your lunch, whilst the cosy and casual interior is a perfect setting for colder months as you dip into your homemade bread or nibble on a crostini with duck rillettes and a confit of red onion. Along with great food is a staff that pays attention to detail but in a relaxed and casual way and a restaurant that uses top-quality ingredients. This could easily be regarded as one of Warsaw’s best restaurants and should top your list of restaurants to visit whilst here.
Address: Mokotowska 48, 00-543, Warsaw
Nolita
Nolita can be regarded as one of Warsaw’s coolest restaurants. It is, however, the food that’s the main draw. Like many of the top restaurants in Warsaw, the food’s prepared from a glass-fronted kitchen, which renders it open to view in a minimalistic stylish interior; the walls are adorned with colourful artwork that reflects the modern cuisine served.
The menu takes influences from around the globe, where traditional French cuisine receives a touch of Oriental flare. When ordering your pizza here, it will come topped with Wagyu beef and truffle, whilst venison osso buco is served with porcini mushroom and creamy potato. But if you can’t decide what to have, a tasting menu will see you right. If you’re looking for fine dining but in a relaxed manner, this is where to be.
Address: Wilcza 46, 00-679, Warsaw
Restauracja Polska Rozana
A perfect example of a restaurant that celebrates traditional Polish food in a modern setting is Restauracja Polska Rozana. With soft music tinkling from a piano in the corner, the atmosphere is a celebration of old-style dining where fresh flowers and embroidery-covered tables take pride of place; the ambience is enhanced with candles in the evening.
The garden is a beautiful oasis in the summer months, where the sound of the fountain blends in melodiously with birdsong. You can enjoy daily changing specials and traditional Polish food such as potato cakes, which are elevated with a helping of caviar and smoked salmon. All that’s left is to wash it down with a glass of champagne.
Address: Chocimska 7, 00-791, Warsaw
N31 Restaurant & Bar
Close to the Palace of Culture and Science, in the centre of Warsaw, is the rather trendy N31 Restaurant & Bar. In a unique setting that celebrates both the past and present with innovative artwork and pre-war memorabilia, you can enjoy traditional Polish cuisine with an international flair.
The chef patron is a very hands-on chef and will even prepare your beef tartare at your table, but the open kitchen makes you feel as if you’re very much involved with the preparation of your pierogi, that famous food in Poland, which here comes filled with a duck confit. Having received many accolades since its opening, it’s rated amongst the top restaurants in Poland. To do the menu and wine list justice, go for the pairing menu, which allows you to sample your dishes with a particular wine.
Address: Nowogrodzka 31, 00-511, Warsaw
Stary Dom
In a building that dates back to the 1950s, one which has retained most of its character of extraordinarily high beamed ceilings, with wooden panels and tables, Stary Dom is the epitome of old-fashioned dining.
The menu is a celebration of food in Poland using high-quality local ingredients. Amongst its various hearty Polish dishes is zurek, a famous food in Poland which here is made with mushrooms. The restaurant is child friendly and features a vast and popular children’s menu, has a play area and goes as far as offering childcare on weekends for those travelling with family, for when adults need some alone time.
Address: Pulawska 104/106, 02-02620, Warsaw
Oberza pod Czerwonym Wieprzem
Let not the image of the large hog sign hanging outside its doors fool you. Oberza pod Czerwonym Wieprzem, the owner of the hog logo, isn’t your porky grill serving pork dishes, it’s one of the oldest restaurants in Warsaw. Within its historic walls covered in pictures of legendary infamous political figures, such as Fidel Castro, is a menu that is an ode to communist-era food. It’s believed to have been the place where Poland’s first communist leaders met.
The place buzzes with atmosphere as locals and visitors with a love of history tuck into a ‘First Secretary’s Pork Loin’ or a ‘President Jimmy Carter’s Burger’; he’s thought to have visited Warsaw in 1977. Despite the play on words with the menu, the food is traditionally Polish and tasty too.
Address: Zelazna 68, 00-866, Warsaw
U Kucharzy w Arsenale
Amongst the top restaurants in Warsaw, U Kucharzy w Arsenale is a perfect example of innovative Polish cooking. Set in a former royal weapons warehouse close to Old Town Warsaw, the restaurant retains its historic character with elegant and sophisticated furnishings that complement its heritage. Translating as ‘chefs in the arsenal’, the experience is almost theatrical as you watch the chefs prepare innovative dishes from an open island visible from the restaurant, all adding to the atmosphere.
Service is exactly what you would expect from a top-end restaurant, with staff as involved or as removed as you would like them to be. The menu isn’t short of potato dishes either, a staple of Poland’s food culture. They come in the form of potato cakes, dumplings or even confit potatoes in a modern way that will keep your culinary tastebuds enthralled.
Address: Dluga 52, 00-238, Warsaw
Mleczny Bar Prasowy
To round off our list of top restaurants to visit in Warsaw, we pay tribute to the Polish milk bars, which in essence spearheaded the restaurant scene in Poland, the essence of Poland’s food culture. If you don’t mind large crowds with your meals, then join the trendy folk that flock to Mleczny Bar Prasowy for a taste of your first pierogi.
Located close to the Old Town, it’s been going since 1954 and is the perfect place to make a pit stop for delicious authentic Polish foods. Read the menu scrawled on the walls alongside Polish comic strips, and eat generous portions of dishes served on a red and white gingham placemat. It’s a truly refreshing dining experience.
Address: Marszalkowska 10/16, 00-590, Warsaw
Krakow
Before moving to Warsaw, the capital of Poland was Krakow. This occurrence that took place in 1596 may have saved Krakow from the bombardment that befell Warsaw, so here you’ll find an enthralling and compact historical city. This is also where many of the other Michelin-recognised restaurants are to be found.
Szara Ges w Kuchni
Traditional Polish dining experiences do not come better than at Szara Ges w Kuchni. The restaurant is set in one of the oldest buildings in Krakow, on the main market square in Old Town. In a vaulted Gothic-style dining room dating back to the 13th century, the setting is both opulent and romantic and perfect for celebrating a special event or spoiling a loved one.
Traditional Polish dishes receive an innovative treatment that mixes French and Swedish classics with surprising and delicious results. That ubiquitous beef tartare, present on almost every restaurant menu in Poland, mixes in mustard seeds and is served with rosemary mayonnaise. Additionally, decadent foie gras is served in an ice cream form accompanied by macerated figs and dried-grape jelly. Don’t skimp on the sweets; the signature house dessert comes in the shape of a goose egg in a nest.
Address: Rynek Glowny 17, 31-008, Warsaw
Starka
At the heart of the intriguing Jewish Quarter of Krakow is the lively Plac Nowy, a square that’s home to a bevy of eateries. Amongst them is the trendy and rather bohemian Starka. Popular for its good food, portion sizes and reasonable prices, Polish traditional dishes undergo a modern makeover.
Arrive early if you wish to try their famous goulash, which is served in bread (it sells out fast), or a portion of the crispy pork knuckle. As the name suggests, this intimate restaurant also serves an array of Starka vodkas that undergo a 70-year production process, a tradition that goes back nearly 500 years. They have a gift shop, where you can purchase a bottle with your choice of infusion.
Address: Jozefa 14, 31-056, Krakow
Zazie Bistro
If you’re craving French food on your holiday in Krakow, there’s no better place to satiate your cravings than at Zazie. On the other corner of Plac Nowy, Zazie Bistro is your typical French bistro serving classics such as quiches, beef bourguignon and souffle. Laid out over two floors of a characteristic building, the atmosphere is rather laid back, and so are the staff. It may be slow at first, but the food really is worth the wait. For a proper authentic atmosphere, book a table in the charming cellar below, which is exactly that: a cellar with exposed brickwork.
Address: Jozefa 34, 32-056 Krakow
Pod Aniolami
Dining at Pod Aniolami is like taking a history lesson of Krakow. Housed in an 18th-century building that was, for over 300 years, home to Krakow’s goldsmiths and a royal mint, it’s easy to see the stamp of their wealth inside the 13th-century interiors. It’s not surprising it’s included on the Royal Route Tour of Krakow.
Along with a menu serving traditional Polish fare, it’s famed for its marinated meats that are grilled on open beechwood fires. Make sure you visit the gardens that are open all year round and have a mosaic fountain; it’s believed if you throw a coin in, you are bound to return and you will want to.
Address: Grodzka 35, 31-001, Krakow
Czarna Kaczka
For low-key dining in Krakow, head to Czarna Kaczka, or the Black Duck as it’s fondly referred to, situated in the heart of the charming Old Town of Krakow. Here you will find three dining spaces: a formal restaurant, a casual area set in a vaulted room with large, beautiful paintings of ducks and a summer garden. The staff are extra friendly and serve food that celebrates Polish cuisine. There’s a wide selection of savoury and sweet perogies, including vegetarian pierogi stuffed with spinach and goat’s cheese; it is a must-try.
Address: Poselska 22, 31-002, Krakow
Fab Fusion Restaurant
If you’re looking for an upmarket restaurant with some music, then head to Fab Fusion Restaurant at Metropolitan Boutique Hotel on a Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. Along with live piano music, you can enjoy fused Polish classics like beef tartare served with parmesan chips. Otherwise, go all-out Spanish with pan-fried prawns and chorizo marinated in garlic and white wine. In elegant settings with a clientele to match, prices do reflect this, and service is as good as you’d expect in a high-end establishment.
Address: Berka Joselewicza 17, 31-031, Krakow
Goscinna Chata
To experience authentic regional dishes from Krakow, head to Goscinna Chata, which uses local natural ingredients to cook recipes handed down by grandmothers, staying true to historical recipe books. Krakow is known for its rye production, so Goscinna Chata is just the place to have your kieselycia, a traditional soup made with rye and white sausage served in a pot of bread.
The menu also features lots of vegetarian options, like sauerkraut pancakes and potato dumplings. Only a short walk from the main square in the Old Town, it gives off village-tavern vibes, with sturdy wooden tables adorned with customary Lemko tablecloths and walls hung with traditional ornaments. Adding to the ambience is folk music and staff dressed in local dress; it’s a treat and makes for a pleasantly authentic local evening.
Address: Slawkowska 10, 31-014, Krakow
The best restaurants around the world
If you’re planning a trip to Italy, having a read of these articles on the best restaurants in Milan and the rooftop restaurants in Rome will ensure you’re fully covered foodwise. Alternatively, if you are looking further afield to Australia, have a look at this list of best restaurants in Sydney. Athens is more than ancient ruins; check out the best restaurants in Athens, many of which come with views of said ruins. Of course, Spain does have some incredible food too, as this article on the best restaurants in Barcelona highlights.
