Snacks

Before Poland and Ukraine were supposed to host the 2012 European football championships, Warsaw’s main stadium was not a football stadium. It was one of Europe’s biggest markets, people from all over Europe and Asia came to this stadium to buy and sell goods.

“Stadion X-lecia” as it was called was also filled with small restaurants and bars. One of these bars was Nam Sajgon, which became very popular as it was always filled with people enjoying Vietnamese dishes.

When they started to rebuild the stadium, everything had to disappear. Fortunately for the south-east-asian food enthusiast, its best restaurant just reopened on Bracka street.

I would certainly recommend the Pho soup (nr 1 on the menu).

Chmielna is considered to be one of the most pleasant streets of the Warsaw city center. It has a lot to offer, as there are lots of cafés, restaurants and shops; yet, its atmosphere is very cozy and welcoming.

Approximately halfway in the alley, there is a seemingly unremarkable confectionery. Do not be fooled, though – this place may not look noteworthy, but its pastries have more than once caused a long queue lined up till the end of the street.

As the doughnuts and buns available at this stand are always fresh (most of the times they are just taken out of the oven and still warm), it is really advantageous to pay a quick visit to the booth. The offered delicacies are rather low-priced.

Moreover, there are many flavours of the doughnut fillings to choose, varying from a traditional rose marmalade to chocolate with cherries. Therefore, all gourmands will find something delicious to satisfy their tastes.

While visiting Warsaw you will most likely visit the old town. If you are like me, and like a good ice cream in the summer, there are plenty of options. However, if you want the tastiest ice-cream in the neighborhood stop over at Lody (nowomiejska 9). You won’t miss it as there is always a line.

I would recommend walking from Krakowskie przedmiescie, and taking Nowomiejska street (buying some ice-cream on the way) to see the Warsaw Barbican which is one of the remaining relics of what once protected Warsaw from potential threats.

While walking along the Barbican, you can enjoy your ice-cream and imagine how differently everything looked 400 years ago.

If you’re planning on visiting the Krakowskie Przedmiescie street, start with a power stop at the Saint Honoré – premium French bakery and café. Whether you want to have a bite of some fresh bread or pastry, or drink a cup of coffee, there is always something delicious waiting for you there.

Saint Honoré has crispy croissants, bagels, baguettes, sandwiches, mouthwatering millefeuilles and chocolate terrines – all tasty and reasonably priced. As far as beverages are concerned, they vary from soft drinks to coffees, such as espresso or café au lait.

When done consuming, you can either go for a walk down the Krakowskie Przedmiescie street towards the Warsaw’s Old Town, or just sit back and relax on one of the café’s sofas or chairs.

Despite the fact that the place’s interior is rather modern, it remains quite cozy and enjoyable to spend time in. The free access to the wireless Internet connection enables you to surf the web on your laptop or mobile phone while sipping your cup of coffee.

Chlodna Cafe is a great cafe to just take it easy and enjoy life, drink something warm and eat one of their freshly made sandwiches. On Sundays after 12:00 they offer great and affordable brunches which I highly recommend.

The café is located on the corner of Zelazna and Chlodna street which once connected the two parts of the Warsaw ghetto during the second world war. Recently the Isreali writer Etgar Keret moved into the world’s narrowest apartment just at that corner, so if you are there, you should definitely take a look and see the apartment’s exterior.

The café is also a great place to meet people who are interested or somehow connected to culture or music. If you visit their blog, you’ll see dates and details of upcoming events which are frequently organized in the café. As they recently remodeled into a late night comedy club, I would definitely recommend checking out their schedule as some events are also in English.

I also highly recommend visiting the cafe during late evenings as it’s full of interesting people and good beer!