Bez Gwiazdek — Restaurant in Warsaw

Updated Review 3/19/2024:

After looking forward to coming back here for more than a year, I find myself severely disappointed. This restaurant clearly has had a lot of turnover. The story of how it got its name changed. The current staff had never heard of any of the names of the people that used to work here the last time.

The food was okay, but lacked any wow factor. Wouldn’t have been disappointed in the food, but it pales in comparison to what it was previously. I understand the idea of a rotating menu, but from a chef who worked at Noma (of which they reminded us repeatedly) they didn’t really add any color to the dishes. I wasn’t impressed this time around, and agree with other reviewers who indicated that quality may have dropped off recently.

Service was abysmal. This is my biggest gripe. The little things that made this place stand out are gone. They opened up the window blinds, which killed the illusion of a Michelin star restaurant and made this place feel like any other restaurant.

I hung my coat up myself. I grabbed it off the rack and put it back on by myself. Of course, I am capable of these things, but it once again removes the feeling of this place being a fine dining establishment. That’s fine, but it’s also a significant departure from what it used to be.

I also had to ask for the bill 3 separate times over the course of 45 minutes. We were seated at 7:30pm, and our last dish was served at 8:57pm. I asked for the check at 9:15. Then placed my card on the table as a visual indication of my desire to leave at 9:30. I asked for the check again at 9:40. Then finally, they asked if I wanted to pay at 9:45. I’d understand this if they were busy, but there were two waiters, and 4 tables. I felt invisible, which once again detracts from the meal that costs 600 zł per person.

At other restaurants of status, and my previous visit, there were opportunities to talk to the staff. They were participants in the meal, and I felt as if I was a guest invited into someone’s home. It felt personal. Places like the French Laundry, or Atelier Crenn, offer customized experiences even, tailored to each guest. This is also certainly the case at Noma (again of which we are reminded that the head chef supposedly trained at). All of that feeling has been lost. There was absolutely nothing special or exceptional about this visit.

To be clear, if you’re expecting a nice dinner, you will have one. It’s good, but nothing more. I agree however with other reviewers, for the price, which is about 50% higher than it was a year ago, you are likely better off somewhere else.

I do not write this review with malice, only sadness. I am severely disappointed.

First review, October 2022. -

This is the place. Phenomenal in every aspect. Rafał, Monica, and Alex are absolutely wonderful company along this culinary adventure. The food, outstanding. World class. I’ve dined at Michelin starred and other restaurants around the world and this spot is without a doubt in my top 3.

Looking for ‘the’ place to dine? This is it. Looking for a date night? This is it. Looking for a place to spend your evening? This is it. I was blown away in every aspect. Each dish was incredible. The atmosphere, perfection. The attitude made me feel completely at home. Leave your coat and any preconceived notions at the door. Frankly, I’d fly to Poland just to dine here again. It’s worth a trip across the world, so if you’re anywhere closer, this is the place. A perfect 5/5. Not a...

Husband’s Perspective

We recently visited this restaurant, drawn by its promise of a regional Polish tasting menu—this time focusing on Silesian cuisine. From the start, service was polite: they greeted us, collected our coats, and showed us into a small foyer before we entered the dining area. The interior felt like an eclectic mix of Polish and Scandinavian design, which seemed a bit improvised, though it might be an intentional choice.

Once we began the meal, we noticed that the dishes and drinks leaned heavily toward sour and bitter flavors. Many courses were either very acidic or overly salty, which overwhelmed the subtler elements. We chose what was presented as a Polish sparkling wine, though it turned out to be from a French winemaker who had settled in Poland. While that backstory was interesting, it felt odd when we were specifically looking for something unmistakably local.

Our non-alcoholic beverage pairings were inventive but often too bitter or earthy for our taste—one infusion had a pronounced mushroom flavor that was quite strong, and another tasted almost like lightly flavored water. The food courses included items like a dumpling approached in a modern way and a pita with feta, which didn’t seem to fit the Silesian focus. By the time we reached dessert, we were hoping for a highlight that would tie everything together, but it, too, felt imbalanced.

One final surprise was that they only offered filter coffee, which seemed out of step with the otherwise ambitious concept. In the end, while we respect the idea of exploring and reinterpreting local cuisine, the overall execution fell short of our expectations.

Mine’s perspective:

After our visit, I couldn’t help thinking that I might have been happier spending the same amount on a new pair of boots. While some of the dish-and-beverage pairings did make sense when taken together, the drinks on their own were often too bitter or sour for my liking.

I’m also not fond of strong goat cheese, which featured prominently in one of the dishes. As for the vegetarian dumpling, it contained a thick pumpkin purée that I found unappealing, almost like baby food, and I ended up leaving most of it. On the plus side, I did enjoy a well-prepared egg dish that used obviously high-quality ingredients.

Among the desserts, there were three small takeaway treats at the end that I found enjoyable, and I liked the playful concept of the “iceberg” dessert, although I still felt the flavors swung between overly salty and overly sweet, lacking a balanced middle ground. Overall, while I can see how fans of experimental or bold flavors might appreciate this restaurant, I personally left feeling that the meal did not...

Disappointing choice. We were expecting a nice experience after reading about the cooking philosophy, the chef experience and the menu, but left the restaurant very disappointed.

Pros: the choice of regularly changing the menu highlighting different areas of Poland is a very nice idea and the main reason we choose this restaurant the chefs coming to the table to describe the dishes was also a nice touch the desserts were good

Cons: none of the dishes had anything at all to do with Poland, despite the restaurant philosophy. Adding a quince here and an acid sauce there is not Polish cuisine. I understand the willingness to revise a recipe and experiment with flavours, yet this felt more of a fusion restaurant than Polish fine-dining. all the dishes tasted acid. Sure, each chef has their own way to interpret cooking, yet a whole menu based on an underlying acid note because this reminds of a "polish taste" seems a completely wrong culinary choice. some dishes were flavorless. The goat cheese bundt cake has no flavour of goat cheese at all. The zabeckie gały had no taste of potato at all, rather they seemed little balls of chewy flour. These dishes were extremely disappointing. the main dishes were slightly better, yet the beef was overcooked (but tender) and tasting as slightly burned. the choice of wine pairing was interesting, yet we felt as none of the wines paired nicely with the dishes presented. the atmosphere of the place reminded of a business hotel type-restaurant rather than a fine-dining place the service was ok, but not in line with the experience that the restaurant is trying to deliver

We had quit high hopes for this restaurant, but the quality was far below what we expected. Not worth the price, considering the large number of extremely good restaurants in Warsaw with much better quality/price ratio, from fine-dining...