A guest from abroad. A foreigner or maybe a Pole-expat? Living in Spain, London, India or New York? Where to take him for lunch or dinner? Where to feed him in Warsaw? What to offer somebody who left Poland light years ago, when we want to tell him “Look where we are today! Look how we’re developing! Look how it all has changed!”? Maybe somebody who we want to impress? I have such a “guest from abroad”, who’s been visiting Poland frequently since 1991! It’s my cousin. She’s as old as Łukasz and has been living in USA (currently Washington) for many years. She loves tasty and interesting restaurants as much as we do. 20 years ago I took her for Ice Cream to Zielona Budka on Unia square and now I’m preparing a list of places we want to take her to during this quick 5-7 days she usually spends in Warsaw! This time I will share the WHERE TO FEED A FOREIGN GUEST list with you so you can use it if you have family that left Poland 15-20 years ago. Or a friend who stayed somewhere in Europe after student exchange? (I have one too:)) Or a friend from Canada or Australia? It’s not only for Poles living abroad or for expats. It will also work if you want to take a foreigner somewhere nice – sometimes for a business dinner, sometimes for wine, sometimes for a family lunch on Saturday. You will give him dumplings and pork chops some other day 🙂 Hopefully we will check all these places from the list during these few days! 🙂
1) DOM
a variation on a salad Nicoise – DOM
It’s not a coincidence that DOM is in pole position. As soon as I left the place after my first visit, I decided that I will take her there. Because it’s a place that’s simply one of a kind. So cosy, nice and homespun with simple, yet delicious food. In my beloved Żoliborz. A place that amazes with the flavours and unpretentiousness, where you just want to be, a place you want to return to. One of a kind because you don’t feel the restaurant atmosphere and the giant focaccia on the counter makes you feel like at home.
2) ALE WINO!
original approach and wine in Ale Wino
If your guest loves wine, you can’t forget about Ale Wino! Great location, casual atmosphere, wooden tables at which drinking wine is the most pleasant. And the food…so different and unusual, yet far from overcomplication. I haven’ heard of anyone who didn’t love celery ravioli with cauliflower and summer truffle – one of a kind.
3) CASA PABLO
salmon marinated in beets, wasabi emulsion, soy gel, caviar, wasabi nut – Casa Pablo
If you want to take your guest for an elegant dinner or a business meeting, Casa Pablo would be a perfect choice. Astonishing, original cuisine with a strong Spanish twist, but still with many inspirations drawn from the world. Add a very experienced staff and the vibe that’s much more casual than in other restaurants of such kind. Maybe it’s the influence of the owner’s and chef’s Spanish soul? 🙂
4) MIELŻYŃSKI
because he loves wine:)
I think that’s the only place on our list that is not known for its amazing food. The food at Mielżyński is tasty and generally alright, but it won’t blow you away. The menu is full of classics, quite regular and what’s more, not much has changed in it over the years. But Mielżyński is mainly about the wine while the food is only an addition, a background. And it’s a perfect place for wine – wide selection of wines and the most important thing – the atmosphere remained lively despite the years passing by. It’s still a popular destination for our meetings with friends and a place we always go to, when my cousin comes.
5) NAAM THAI
cassava starch pudding in Naam Thai
If your foreign guest loves Thai cuisine like we do, you have to visit Naam Thai and try duck soup, cassava starch pudding, pad thai and anything else you want. The place looks quite simple and casual and the staff is not perfect (long waiting times), but it’s all worth it! A place that reminds everybody who’ve been to Thailand of the best moments and best flavours from there. Speaking of Thai cuisine, I remember when my cousin and her boyfriend came to Poland in 2008 and noticed Lemon Grass in the in-flight magazine. Back then, it was the only Thai restaurant in town! 🙂 See, how much has changed?!:)
6) STACJA MERCEDES
mezze in Stacja Mercedes
If it’s hot and sunny, we’ll surely pay a visit to Stacja Mercedes in Powiśle. It’s one of the greatest summer locations in Warsaw. You can sit and relax on a folding bed among the trees, your child will always happily go there with you since they have little cars and lots of attractions for kids. The menu is great, even though it consists of just a few meals. You can always find a snack for you. An ideal place to just sit, spend some quality time, even if you’re not hungry and just need a lemonade or a coffee. These are places that we’re really hoping to visit as soon as my cousin arrives in Warsaw. I also know that I won’t be disappointed (hopefully the food in Naam Thai will arrive faster than 45 minutes!;)), I know it’s going to be very tasty and I know that she will like it! If she could stay a bit longer, the list would surely be expanded… If I could prepare earlier, I would have booked a table at Atelier Amaro to show her that “Poles speak not Anserine but a culinary tongue of their own”! If we manage to find some more time to go out in the evening, we would surely drop by Tapas Gastrobar,since it’s yet another great location to start a party evening. And if we get hungry or thirsty near Krakowskie Przedmieście, we may visit Sueño Tapas Bar. You know what’s the best thing about the list? That lately, there’s more and more cool places opening in Warsaw and we really have a lot to be proud of. And a lot of places to take our guests from Paris, New York or London to! 🙂 Hope it stays that way!
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