Food · Warsaw · Poland
What to eat in Warsaw
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Warsaw, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Emptywords, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with Pierogi, Pyzy and Żurek. Bar mleczny canteens such as those on Nowy Świat and Marszałkowska serve soups, pierogi and cutlets at very low prices; order at the counter and wait for your number. Milk bars are self-service and inexpensive but close fairly early; eat there at lunchtime.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Pierogi
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- About 10% in sit-down restaurants is usual for good service.
- Food experiences
- 4
10 foods to try
Dish · Vegetarian
1.Pierogi
Poland's favourite dumplings, filled with potato and cheese, meat, cabbage and mushrooms or seasonal berries, served boiled or pan-fried with onions and butter.
Where: Milk bars, pierogi restaurants around the Old Town and Nowy Świat, and food halls such as Hala Koszyki.
Street food
2.Pyzy
Soft, round potato dumplings, often stuffed with meat and served in their cooking broth with fried bacon, a classic of working-class Praga.
Where: Traditionally sold from jars at Bazar Różyckiego in Praga, and at Polish restaurants and milk bars.
Dish
3.Żurek
Tangy soup of fermented rye flour with white sausage and egg, an Easter tradition and an everyday comfort food.
Where: Traditional restaurants and milk bars across the city, sometimes served in a bread bowl.
Dish
4.Kotlet schabowy
A breaded pork cutlet pounded thin and fried, served with potatoes and cabbage or a cucumber salad; Poland's Sunday-lunch classic.
Where: Milk bars, home-style restaurants and almost every traditional Polish menu.
Dish
5.Zrazy
Thin slices of beef rolled around bacon, gherkin and onion, then braised in a rich gravy and served with buckwheat or potatoes.
Where: Traditional Polish restaurants, especially those specialising in old Polish cooking.
Dish
6.Bigos
A slow-cooked stew of sauerkraut, cabbage, several meats, mushrooms and dried plums, deeply savoury and best in cold weather.
Where: Polish restaurants and Christmas market stalls in winter.
Dessert · Vegetarian
7.Wuzetka
A Warsaw chocolate sponge cake layered with whipped cream and topped with chocolate glaze, named after the post-war W-Z route through the city.
Where: Traditional cake shops and cafés across the city.
Dessert · Vegetarian
8.Pączki
Rich, round doughnuts filled with rose-petal jam or custard and topped with icing and candied orange peel; queues form outside bakeries on Fat Thursday.
Where: The long-established Blikle patisserie on Nowy Świat and bakeries all over the city.
Snack · Vegetarian
9.Pańska skórka
A chewy pink-and-white candy made from egg whites and sugar, sold almost only outside Warsaw cemeteries around All Saints' Day.
Where: Stalls outside Powązki Cemetery and other cemeteries in late October and early November.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Polish vodka (Wódka)
Rye and potato vodkas, bison-grass Żubrówka and fruit nalewki are drunk chilled, often with a pickled cucumber or herring on the side.
Where: Vodka bars in the centre and the Polish Vodka Museum in Praga's Koneser Centre.
Food experiences
Milk bar lunch
Bar mleczny canteens such as those on Nowy Świat and Marszałkowska serve soups, pierogi and cutlets at very low prices; order at the counter and wait for your number.
Food halls
Hala Koszyki, a restored early-20th-century market hall, and Elektrownia Powiśle, in a former power station, gather dozens of restaurants and bars under one roof.
Vodka tasting in Praga
The Polish Vodka Museum in the Koneser Centre ends its tours with a guided tasting, and Praga's bars serve flights of craft vodkas and nalewki.
Chocolate at Wedel
E. Wedel, a Warsaw chocolate maker since the 19th century, serves thick hot chocolate in its historic chocolate lounge in the centre.
Quick bites and street food
- Pyzy — Traditionally sold from jars at Bazar Różyckiego in Praga, and at Polish restaurants and milk bars.
- Pańska skórka — Stalls outside Powązki Cemetery and other cemeteries in late October and early November.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Pierogi, Wuzetka, Pączki, Pańska skórka and Polish vodka. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Milk bars are self-service and inexpensive but close fairly early; eat there at lunchtime.
- Soup is a standard starter in Polish meals and often comes as part of a weekday lunch set.
- Restaurants on the Old Town Market Square charge more for the view; look a street or two away.
- Check whether a service charge has been added, particularly for larger groups.
- Book weekend dinners at popular restaurants and food-hall tables in Powiśle and Śródmieście.
Tipping
About 10% in sit-down restaurants is usual for good service. Saying 'dziękuję' when you hand over payment may be understood as 'keep the change'.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dzień dobry | Good day / hello |
| Dobry wieczór | Good evening |
| Dziękuję | Thank you |
| Proszę | Please / here you are |
| Ile kosztuje? | How much does it cost? |
| Na zdrowie | Cheers |
| Do widzenia | Goodbye |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Warsaw famous for?
Pierogi, Pyzy, Żurek and Kotlet schabowy. Poland's favourite dumplings, filled with potato and cheese, meat, cabbage and mushrooms or seasonal berries, served boiled or pan-fried with onions and butter.
+Is Warsaw good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Pierogi, Wuzetka and Pączki.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Warsaw?
About 10% in sit-down restaurants is usual for good service. Saying 'dziękuję' when you hand over payment may be understood as 'keep the change'.