Warsaw
Restaurants & Cafes
Kebabs: Do's and Dont's
Warsaw has a kebab stand on every corner, and most of them will do their level best to poison you. Do not expect the British kebab experience; you’ll find no lemon sauce, and many places will insist on stuffing your pitta with gherkins, cabbage, beetroot, carrots and any other nasty vegetable that may be at hand. If that’s not your scene ask for a kebab bez surowki (without condiments), or bez warzyw (without vegetables). If you want something nuclear ask for your kebab to be served bardzo ostry (very spicy). If you’re not up to the task then ask for łagodny (mild). Couple of places to keep an eye out for: Bar Efes (ul. Francuska 1, open 10:00-20:00). Other side of the river, but they carve up what is commonly accepted as the best doner kebab in the city. Open hours mean this is not a post-pub option. Bar Turecki Zgoda (ul. Zgoda 3, open 24hrs). Decent snack-size kebabs served around the clock to post-club casualties. Al Jazeera TV plays in the background, and the staff like to talk football with English customers. Bosfor (Central Station, open 24hrs). Only to be visited in case of extreme emergency. Possibly the nastiest kebab in town, and popular with the sorts who hang around the train station. Best option in the area: go to the Syrian owned Bar Turecki in the underground tunnel between the Marriott and the station. Few years back when George W. Bush was in town this is where his security team could be spotted getting their midnight feed. Bar Ali Baba (corner of Świętokrzyska and Marszałkowska, open 10:00-03:00). You’ll able to identify this place by the crowd gathered outside. They’re not waiting to get into the next door sex shop, they’re queuing for the best kebab in the city centre. Two windows, one serving Turkish-style kebabs, the other Greek. Kebab (ul. Marszałkowska 8). Crap name, decent kebabs, including one that comes loaded with cheese. Incredibly erratic open hours – we’ve been served here at 6am, and by the same rule have seen it shut on some nights by midnight.
