Best Indian food in Warsaw: Curry House

Curry House is yet another place that has been on our to-do list for quite a while. It all started with Łukasz’ friend who told us about ‘chicken vindaloo’ in one of the barracks in Bielany. Even though this friend is an avid spicy food fan, both him and his father cried eating it. After that Curry House popped up in conversations on numerous occasions. Someone frequently ordered their food, someone else was blown away with the quality of food from a simple barrack.

We visit Curry House on 11th November, right after arriving in Warsaw. Tired and hungry, we enter a tiny barrack on the corner of ul. Żeromskiego and ul. Reymonta. First surprise: they’re full! On a bank holiday that’s more like a family lunch at home or in a decent restaurant, not necessarily in an Indian barrack. They must feed really well here! Waiting for the table, we look at the room. Everybody’s eating naan bread, chicken tikka and other Indian specialties, some are drinking lassi.

Menu is long as in all Indian restaurants. We skip soups and salads. We pay more attention to snacks – meaty ones and vegetarian ones too. We look at samosas – potato and peas filled dumplings and Mix Veg Pakora – battered and fried vegetable rings, but in the end we decide to have Paneer Pakora – fried and battered Indian cheese (PLN 12). When it comes to meat starters, we choose a classic – chicken tikka – marinated bits of chicken, grilled in Tandoor oven (PLN 17). It will fit Maks too. He’s always into juicy chicken.

chicken tikka, Indian cuisine, Warsaw, Bielany, Curry House,

a classic – chicken tikka

There’s a lot to choose from when it comes to main courses. Lots of vegetarian dishes, most of which are with Paneer cheese, chickpeas or potatoes. We go for Butter Chicken (PLN 24) and Chicken Madras. For Łukasz it’s just an introduction to Chicken Vindaloo which he’s going to try next time. Madras is labelled with 3 peppers while Vindaloo (another step) with 4! There’s a lot of chicken and lamb on the menu, but you can also find fish and seafood dishes. Sides include soft butter naan (PLN 9) and basmati rice (PLN 7).

All meals turn out to be delicious. First we nibble on Paneer Pakora – cheese in crispy batter, served with ingenious sauces which we can’t work out unfortunately. Chicken tikka is as it should be – soft, juicy and fragrant. The marinate is a bit too spicy for Maks, but the inside is perfect. I have to admit that after the starters I’m already quite full. Main courses are large and served typically for an Indian restaurant. If you add rice or naan bread, you will either leave absolutely full or with a takeaway (like we did!). Chicken Madras is indeed really hot! It burns from the inside and even experienced players need water to wash it down. You will remember about the meal long after eating it – 3 peppers don’t lie! Butter Chicken – chicken in tomato and butter sauce is delicate and sweetish on the other hand. Comes in handy if you want to ‘neutralise’ Chicken Madras 🙂

Chicken Madras, Curry House, Warsaw, Bielany, best Indian food in Warsaw

for the courageous ones: Chicken Madras

butter chicken, Curry House, Indian cuisine, Bielany, Warsaw

mild: butter chicken

Curry House is amazing when it comes to food and I’m already looking forward to coming back. We also like the vibe. An inconspicuous barrack, lots of people, Indian staff. A bit like a secret meeting of Indian cuisine lovers! It’s worth all the trouble such as the toilet being outside (you need to ask for the key and circle around the barrack). We’ll surely be back… I get the feeling that it will happen sooner than later!

PS. If you’re wondering how hot is Chicken Vindaloo, I would quote my Indian friend: ‘Real Vindaloo is so hot, that after third bite you go and take a shower to cool down.’

PS2. Nothing’s better to get you into Indian cuisine than some pictures from India 🙂 Here’s a small part of our trip to India on the verge of 209 and 2010.