Bazyliszek Restaurant — Restaurant in Warsaw

A Lesson in Hospitality, Live from Bazyliszek, Warsaw

Tonight at 10 PM, after a magical Chopin concert, we sat down at Bazyliszek for a tasting tour of Polish cuisine. Everything was superb. But this review is not about the food. It’s about a masterclass in restaurant management that unfolded right beside our table.

Next to us set two "gentlemen" from Barcelona. Well-fed (empty plates told no lies), well-hydrated (courtesy of generous beer mugs), and very clearly well beyond their limit. When the bill arrived, so did the drama. Suddenly, they were outraged: “We never ordered this much food!” “This beer is a LITER, in Barcelona, a large beer is only ⅔ liters!”

Ah yes, classic tale of mistaken gastrometry.

The poor waiter, as kind as he was helpless, tried to reason with them. Polite explanations fell on beer-soaked ears. So, he called in the Norbert, the host. And that, dear reader, is when we all received a free seminar on How to Handle a Belligerent Customer with Grace and a Smile.

With unshakable patience and old-world manners, Norbert walked the gentlemen through each item. He showed the prices (extremely fair, might I add), pointed at the clean plates, and politely confirmed that indeed, nothing was forced upon them, not even the second liter of beer they had drained with visible joy.

But the Spanish guest was not finished with his performance.

“If a guest of mine ever said they were given too much food,” he announced grandly, “I would give them a discount! Just so they’d leave in a good mood!”

And the pièce de résistance: “If you don’t give me a discount, I will write you a bad review!”

Norbert, ever the maestro of diplomacy, simply replied with the calm of a Swiss clock and the steel of a surgeon, that everything was ordered from a clearly priced English menu, received with enthusiasm, consumed with pleasure, and thus… no refund would be provided.

And just like that, peace was restored. The guest huffed, the staff remained composed, and the rest of us sat in admiration.

If I were the owner of Bazyliszek, both Norbert and the waiter would be gifted a three-day vacation fully paid, just for showing the rest of us how it’s done.

In short: A great local restaurant. A five-star host. Brilliant masterclass. A one-star customer trying to bluff his way out of a liter of beer. Bravo, Norbert. Bravissimo. (and no, that spanish guy in not in the pictures, i made sure he can't...

One of the worst experiences I have ever had in any country in the world. If this sounds hyperbolic, please consider the following (and we went back on a second occasion because everyone deserves a second chance):

1. cold "greeting" and being sat in the corner of the outside area on both occasions, away from others and with none of the outdoor heaters for heat;
2. outdoor heaters - confidently told that the one next to our table on the second occasion was broken and couldn't be fixed. Well, to our surprise some 15 minutes later, a different waiter wheels it over to a (Polish) table of four people, puts the metal covering on the top, adjusts the height of the draping / gazebo and puts in a new gas cannister. Amazing how quickly that could be fixed;
3. open contempt for tourists - there bizarrely seems to be a preference for non-tourists which is all the remarkable given the tourist trap location. Given I was part of a two, not inebriated and clearly not on a stag do, I can't fathom why they took such an immediate dislike to us. Twice; and
4. speed of service - atrocious. Regularly an oversight, attending to other tables immediately and regularly, trying to even get the attention of the staff is near on impossible and drags out the event.

I've never felt so unwelcome, or treated unfairly / inferiorly to other patrons before and it's left both of us with a sickening uneasy feeling.

Given the amount of incredible bars and restaurants in Warsaw, with much better and friendly service, it boggles the brain that anyone chooses here (possibly because they think there's so many staff, it must be quick) and I can't encourage you enough to solidly pass by this establishment.

A real dampener on our last day in Warsaw and I hope never to be made to feel this way again as a...

Vegans & Vegetarians be careful!

I visited this restaurant yesterday and specifically mentioned that we were vegan when placing our order. Unfortunately, the response from the staff was disappointing and unprofessional. We were assured that the dishes we ordered were vegan, but when served, the main course included bacon and yogurt sauce. Even the appetizer, the bread, came with a cream cheese spread, which I did not comment on at the time, but it was already concerning.

I’ve been vegan for ten years, and mistakenly took a bite of the dish with bacon, assuming it was safe to eat. When I raised the issue, I was told that serving bacon in a supposedly vegan dish was “normal” for this dish. This response was repeated, even when I explained that serving non-vegan food to someone who explicitly states dietary restrictions is not acceptable.

Although a second staff member came to address the situation, he also initially claimed this was “normal.” This attitude made us feel dismissed and disrespected. It is absolutely essential for a restaurant to take dietary restrictions seriously, whether it’s for vegans, people with allergies, or other dietary needs. The way this was handled felt discriminatory and showed a lack of understanding and care for customers with specific dietary requirements.

Such incidents should be treated with more respect and responsibility, as serving non-vegan food to someone who has made their dietary needs clear is not only inappropriate but can cause serious issues. The overall reaction was completely unacceptable.

This review expresses your concerns clearly and professionally, highlighting both the service issue and how it affected your...