the EATERY trad. — Restaurant in Warsaw

tl;dr good food, bad service

We dined at the restaurant late June with international friends visiting Poland (some of them for the very first time) and the Eatery seemed like a perfect place to introduce them to Polish cuisine in a high quality execution. We got out of there really surprised and I will try to give a review as objective as possible, of both good and bad experiences we had. My first impression was great when booking and checking possibilities for a 12ppl group. The person I spoke to was very informative and offered to send a special groups menu in advance. A few days passed and I havent received the email, so I called to ask for it again - it got lost somehow, which happens ofc. After my second call I still havent received the special offers until midnight of the night before our visit. And if we were interested I had to confirm that before 1pm the next day which was a pretty narrow window of just few hours. But we ended preferring a la carte anyways, so all good. Upon arriving a waitress with a stone cold face would come, stand at the top of the table wanting us to dictate the order and being very disappointed when asked questions. And questions were necessary since the menu didn’t tell much. A typical small-plate-restaurant A5 card with minimal explanation, tiny typography. An enigmatic menu is fine if accompanied by a well-informed waiter ready to tell some more about the dishes. Our waitress when asked „what is wuzetka” rolled her eyes and said „its basically a chocolate cake” which is the saddest way to describe this Warsaw confectionery classic. If we were at a Bar Mleczny I wouldn’t be surprised for the service being irritated when asked about the food. But for a restaurant doing traditional cuisine and often hosting international guests I would have expected a bit more than nothing. When I ordered a Kompot she grimaced and said she would not recommend it today. Interesting, I will give her points for honesty! Each position on the menu had two mysterious numbers. We asked if those were starter- vs main- sizing prices. She goes „Umm yea it depends per dish. For some stuff the big price will be 4ppl portion, for sth else a 2ppl.” Which is a hardly helpful answer and silliest way to construct a menu. Despite the fact that we were 12 ppl seated at a long table, our waitress refused to move from her spot at the top of it to hear the orders of ppl from the other end - so we had to shout our orders along the several-meter-long table to make sure she hears us well. Very bizarre. It costed us some hard work but we managed to place the orders. The food came with few small mistakes which would have been completely avoidable were our waitress a tiny bit attentive. But she didn't say much and we could only hope she got our orders right. Food. Delicious, well done. The Gołąbki were probably the best I’ve ever had, Kaszanka was incredible, Chłodnik was very good. Kluski śląskie came bare, without any sauce or the traiditional bacon bits „zasmażka” which was strange. I am guessing thats because they were just a side dish, which I am again just guessing based on the layout of the menu that lacked any titles/categories whatsoever. Nevertheless everyone was very satisfied, with their food, we got a great tasting of the cuisine and the dishes is what we would come back for.

The place felt classy with its simple but elegant interior and small stylish details.

In the end we had a good time despite the poor service, which we laughed off. Our waitress had an attitude of a teenager forced by her parent to work here while she is just dying to be anywhere else. For the polish people in the room, our experience reminded me of the Bar Mleczny scene in Bareja’s „Miś”. The tip was included so we paid for all that attitude she served.

But yeah, when it comes to food it was...

I had an unforgettable lunch at this restaurant in Warsaw, where I dined with my 86-year-old grandma and 60-year-old mom, and all three of us were equally impressed and deeply satisfied.

We arrived just after opening, without a reservation, and the service was more than ready to have us. We were warmly welcomed and instantly felt at home. The interior is beautifully designed, striking the perfect balance between elegance and comfort.

Our waiter, Bartek, was a highlight of the experience. Passionate, knowledgeable, and genuinely kind, he shared stories about the food, the wines, and the place itself with a spark that made everything feel more alive. His attention and positivity created a memorable experience that felt both personal and professional.

The food was outstanding. Every dish was a testament to the skill and care in the kitchen, so good in fact that it made me seriously consider moving back to Poland. This restaurant proves that the culinary standards in Warsaw are as high as in Copenhagen, a statement of quality and ambition.

They also offer an amazing selection of Polish wines, natural wines, and innovative cocktails with a Polish twist. We were lucky to dine here while the other Eatery Restaurant was closed for the 2nd of May holiday period, which meant we got to try the best and most iconic dishes from both locations. The use of seasonal ingredients absolutely killed it for us, simply outstanding.

Highly recommended for...

This is probably the best food I’ve had in Poland so far. The setting is “hyggelig” and very nice, lively music, amazing food! The blood sausage and the potato baba was just wonderful, and the beef tartare as well. The two desserts were wonderful too! Will definitely come and try more meals if/when I come to Warszawa again :)) Our waiter, Zosia, was very friendly and helpful in choosing what meals to try. She also kept out water glasses full, and generally made the evening very enjoyable