Tamka 43
The minimalistic interior of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum can be paired with modern cuisine. It is a place for those who like to take an innovative approach to food. Former head chef Arkadiusz Wilamowski spearheaded Tamka 43's penchant for Polish recipes with a French twist, with a menu inspired by Fryderyk Chopin’s culinary preferences, based on the composer’s lists to friends and the book Chopin Gourmet. After his departure in 2016, the role of head chef was taken up by Piotr Pielachowski.
Just as in the case of all the previously-mentioned restaurants, clients may choose either something from the menu à la carte or the tasting menu. Both menus change with the seasons. In the spring, Wilamowski offers asparagus à la polonaise with sorrel granita and hollandaise sauce, sour rye soup with egg and marjoram, morels sauté in orange wine or guinea fowl La Belle Rouge façon Polignac, a particular favourite of Chopin. The restaurant also offers an exceptional selection of wines.
Mąka i Woda
It's best to book ahead if you want a place at Mąka i Woda, as it's one of the best spots in the city for Italian food. The kitchen tempts diners with quality products from Italy prepared with simplicity, putting the ingredients in the spotlight. They have the best pizza in Warsaw according to many, and deserve special merit for having an oven built by a native Neapolitan. The oven is wood-burning and pizza is baked for several seconds at around 480 degrees, which creates a Sicilian atmosphere – even in the middle of winter. Mąka i Woda is also famous for their legendary ravioli with egg yolk, ricotta, caramelised butter, and sage. Dishes are composed of few ingredients and the simplest pizza, Bianca, is a masterpiece.
Bibenda
Small, original tapas-style dishes, cocktails, and regional Polish beer are what Bibenda has to offer – a place with an informal atmosphere and moderate prices, under the direction of Zbigniew Gawron (who gained culinary experience in the USA). Its menu is short and changes frequently based on the availability of seasonal products, in particular Polish vegetables from local producers (the menu often gives information about the origin of featured products). In the summer, the menu features kohlrabi, asparagus, baby spinach, and leeks accented by labneh, harissa, and tahini. The menu also includes meat dishes such as duck pâté, Polish white sausage, and lamb kofta.
Solec 44
Solec 44 is an original restaurant from the outspoken Alexander Baron. In the gastronomic world he is a characteristic figure. His road to a culinary career was long and winding – from the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, to working in Scotland, supervising the building of an amber museum on the Virgin Islands and trading precious stones in China. Baron defines himself by an unsatisfied desire to experience life. The dishes made here are all based on great Polish products, and Baron is personally acquainted with each supplier and producer. Solec 44 is located in Powisle, near the railway tracks in a building that resembles a socialist grocery store. At first, it was a clubhouse combined with a café where fans of board games and those taking part in cultural activities gathered. Now, as the chef emphasizes, it is a mélange of a bar and board game club with a relaxed ambiance.
Solec 44's innovative courses eschew traditional concepts of Polish cuisine. You won't find the expected pierogi, but instead original and crazy combinations of flavours, such as dumplings with beef, morels and wild garlic. It is also worth trying ensilaged vegetables (the so-called Polish kimchi), various types of kasha, liquors and lemonades. Its menu is seasonal and changes every month while the prices are reasonable, by Warsaw standards. Seasonal selections include steak tartare with goat milk cream, boar tongue with pine shoots, lichens and nettles, and stir fry with Polish vegetables and buckwheat. Some of the recipes developed by Baron are included into the recently published Suwała, Baron, and Others: Recipes and Stories (editor's translation) which is must on the bookshelf of every self-respecting gourmand and which is soon to be published in English.
Concept 13
Concept 13 – a restaurant with a modern, glazed interior which specialises in dishes from different parts of the world – isn’t cheap. It’s located in a luxury department store with a beautiful view of Warsaw. At lunchtime, however, they offer an affordable five-course tasting menu inspired by Polish cuisine. You can try turbot with cauliflower and tarragon and finish with green apple sorbet with crumble and yoghurt. The man behind these dishes, Dariusz Barański, is considered one of the best chefs in Poland. He is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, and for years worked and held internships at such paragons of gastronomy as London’s Le Gavroche, Greenhouse and Sketch. His cuisine is light and subtle, thanks to his remarkable talent in combining flavours and food which is cooked for a short period of time.
Salto
Salto is located on the ground floor of the Hotel Rialto, at the intersection of Emilii Plater and Wilcza. The elegant restaurant is decorated in the Art Deco style and led by Argentinian chef Martin Gimenez Castro, who honed his craft across South America and the USA. After winning the first Polish edition of Top Chef, Castro opened his own restaurant here. His kitchen is courageous, blending the flavours of South America with those of Asia, particularly Japan. The menu is based on seafood, cooked with a modern twist. It’s also worth trying the meat, for example, Argentinian beef. The desserts are innovative and include a surprising deconstructed szarlotka (apple pie). It offers a special 6-dish tasting menu, which in 2015 was named the best in Poland by the jury of ‘Poland's 100 Best Restaurants’.is located on the ground floor of the Hotel Rialto, at the intersection of ul. Emilii Plater and Wilcza. The restaurant is decorated in Art Deco style and led by the Argentinean chef Martin Gimenez Castro, who honed his craft across South American and the USA. After winning the first Polish edition of Top Chef, Castro opened his own restaurant here. His kitchen is courageous, blending the flavors of South America with those of Asia, particularly Japan. The menu is based on seafood – cooked with a modern twist. It’s also worth trying the meat, for example, Argentinean beef. The desserts are innovative and include a surprising, deconstructed szarlotka (apple pie).