I was excited when our friends invited us to their wedding in Modlin, near to Warsaw – and decided to use it as an excuse to visit the Polish capital, but it was more of a happy accident to be going than anything super planned. I’ve been slammed with work lately and had little to no time to research it, so it was really a case of jumping on the plane and hoping for the best, but to be honest it blew us away. In more recent years I’ve found that it’s the places I’m less familiar with that pleasantly surprise me the most – I was bowled over by Milan and Lisbon last year, for example, and Warsaw was much the same.
It was, of course, the food that felt like the main draw for me. While some people had warned to expect not much more than cabbage and dumplings, I know from my Polish friends that there is a rich, regional and massively under-appreciated food culture in this part of the world, and I was very happy to be stepping into the unknown.
The first surprising thing was the temperature. We landed to 34 degree heat and flawless sunshine, it was hotter than any other European city I’ve been to – it was Mexico hot. Which made it all the better for exploring in shorts and t shirts and guzzling the delicious, ice cold local beer.
And nothing had prepared me for quite how beautiful it would be. The old town – most of which was flattened to the ground during the Second World War to punish resistance to the German occupation – has been artfully rebuilt and is stunning, with pretty pastel facades, some original but most reimagined tastefully.
Our hotel, the Hotel Bristol Warsaw, a Luxury Collection residence on the cusp of the old and new towns, is one of the few remaining original buildings and is a feast of deco grandeur and glamour – dating back to 1901. It’s been stunningly designed and is the most elegant hotel I think I’ve had the pleasure of staying in – with a sweeping marble lobby, Art Deco bar featuring fabulous yellow leather banquettes and velvet chairs and gloriously spacious rooms (a rare treat for most city breaks).
We had heard about the hotel’s famous Paderewski suite – previously the apartment of the former prime minister and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski – and asked to see it. Inside was a canary yellow dream – a living room with striped wallpaper, curtains and chairs as well as a gorgeous grand piano which Paderewski used to play. Some of the furniture in the suite date back to 1901 so it feels like a museum of sorts, albeit a museum with a comfy bed and well stocked mini bar. The hotel also has a lovely pool, sauna and spa which we used every morning to wash away the vodka.
And speaking of vodka, we were somewhat trepidatious about the volume of the national spirit we would be consuming at the wedding – not being big spirit drinkers and having heard from our Polish friends that Polish weddings are all about the vodka. But we shouldn’t have worried – they are (two bottles of ice cold vodka greeted each table of guests) but, brilliantly; they are even more about the food. Over the afternoon and evening of the wedding we were treated to course after course of delicious traditional Polish fare, from beautiful chicken stock and homemade dumplings to pork in spiced plum sauce and buckwheat with fried beetroot. There was a table of salads, from traditional chopped salad of potatoes, eggs, gherkins and onions to stuffed eggs topped with Fish roe and plates of pickled herring and beef tartar. At the turn of 3am, after much non stop dancing (our Polish pals put us to shame in that regard because they all properly know how to dance), bowls of bright purple borscht were served – the secret to warding off a hangover apparently, and it did the trick! I don’t think I’ve ever felt so fine after a boozy wedding and I’m grateful that I followed the Poles’ lead of eating everything and just drinking shots of vodka. At first I was wincing after each mouthful, but by the end it was going down smoothly and actually became pretty addictive!
Back to Warsaw and there are some really brilliant places to eat and drink. In the old town it’s pretty touristy but we managed to find an amazing pierogi hole in the wall and a traditional restaurant really nailing it (see below) . I really wish we’d had more time to explore the new town though; as there were loads of good looking places and quite a few fun vegan cafes and Asian joints – I think we really only scratched the surface and we’ve vowed to go back. It’s so cheap and quick to get to Warsaw and incredible value once you’re there – we ate at some pretty high end places and nothing cost more than £20 in terms of food. I think Warsaw could genuinely be one of the most accessible budget foodie hotspots in Europe and I can’t wait to get back there.
This place is between the old and new town and serves traditional Polish dishes. It has a lovely courtyard full of hydrangeas and pretty trees and foliage so try and sit out there if it’s nice. We had lunch here after just arriving and while the service was a little on the slow side (a recurring theme on our visit) the food was well worth the wait. Sorrel and nettle soup with slow cooked beef tongue and horseradish cream was the highlight, along with a salad of beetroot and goat cheese dumplings.
This place is in the Michelin guide and is the most gastronomic place we ate at. It’s honing in on traditional flavours and ingredients and elevating them without being fussy or – my Bette Nour – deconstructed. We had exemplary pickles, a starter of griddles asparagus with popped buckwheat and egg yolk and some gorgeous confit salmon with pickled cucumber, nasturtium and roe. Turbot with caramelised cauli and siphoned bearnaise was heaven, and they do some cracking wines – we loved our oxidative skin contact Chardonnay from La Castellada winery in Italy. Best bit – we went all out as it was Jamie’s bday (two bottles of wine and extra glasses at the end), two courses each, and the bill came to under £70 per head. Amazing value and you could eat there much more reasonably with much less booze!
Pierogi hole in the wall
The day after the wedding we found this place while wandering the old town. It’s literally a hole in the wall where a woman hand makes pierogi to order. She has a big bowl of Delicious looking filling and her dough and just fills and boils them as you wait, serving them on a slick of pepper-flecked sour cream and drenching them in melted butter and sweet caramelised onion. The PERFECT hangover cure. So good. 8 cost us 3 quid.
I love a pun, but there’s no excuse for this one. Except for the amazing food they serve here. Granted, it’s not very Polish but I always crave spice if I don’t have it for a few days and this place is very good authentic Thai. The green papaya salad is blow-your-head-off hot, as it should be, and pad Thai was a perfect specimen, beautifully balanced and sharp with tamarind. It’s the project of two Thai chefs who are cooking the food they know and love and not toning it down. You can sit outside and it’s a fun, young vibe here – and the fastest, friendliest service we received during the whole trip.