Many know Polish food for its comforting soups and stews in the winter months. But in fact, the summer is really a shining beacon for the Polish culinary scene because it means one thing: bountiful fresh fruits and vegetables.
In fact, tons of Polish dishes are centered around summer crop offerings, from sweet and tart blueberry pierogi, to cold and refreshing (and delightfully pink!) beetroot soup.
Most of the time, you’d have to rely on a Polish babcia for some authentic, homemade summer dishes. But in Warsaw, we’re in luck because this city is home to one of the most authentic, tasty Polish kitchens in the country: Specjały Regionalne.
The restaurant, which has been at Nowy Świat for 15 years, is run by Arkadiusz Szymczak, who makes sure to specialize in locally sourced ingredients. His kabanosy is made with goose meat, his handmade pierogi with wild mushrooms, his berries picked from local forests.
In short, it's the real deal. There are many reasons to visit the delightful restaurant this season, but among them is the chance to try – and learn about – authentic, traditional Polish food.
So where do you start? We have the go-to guide on what to try when you get there.
Start with Juicy, Fresh Fruit
One of the biggest reasons to visit Specjały Regionalne this season is for their exceptional summer dishes made from fresh fruit. As Arkadiusz puts it: “Poland is a country of fruit”. It’s also a country of mushrooms and during the restaurant’s seasonal summer menu, those are both highlighted in tasty dishes.
Let’s start with apples: one of Poland’s biggest offerings. In fact, 30% of apples in Europe come from this country. But of course that’s not all! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, plums, cherries and sour cherries are some of the country’s other specialties and they can be used in a variety of ways.
Though Poles often eat their fruit raw, you can also find them in some delicious meals: berries are often used in sweet dumplings like blueberry pierogi. Apples are used to make delectable apple pancakes. Desserts shine this season with dishes like jagodzianki—yeast rolls filled to the brim with fresh forest berries. Blueberry cakes are also jam-packed (pun intended) with the lovely blue berry.
Apple pies are also beloved, and the best ones are made with local Gray Reneta apples. Here, you can try the restaurant’s summer specialty: apple pie and cherry and plum cake. If you really want to become as Polish as possible while you’re here, then compote is a must. Compotes, warm fruit drinks, are traditionally prepared for dinner by boiling fresh fruit with water and a little sugar to make a healthy kind of juice (with pops of fruit) that kids and adults alike love! This restaurant also specializes in juice, which they make by squeezing fresh berries (or, another specialty, ripe cherries without any added sugar). And don’t forget to pick up some fresh plum jam from the Vistula Valley, which is available at their store and restaurant.
For the adults, alcoholic fruit tinctures and wines are also a favorite – and a great, authentically Polish, treat to take home for your friends!
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Mushrooms and More!
Poland is known around the world for their mushroom harvesting. In fact, many Poles spend early summer mornings out in the forests, picking a variety of fresh mushrooms. It’s a tradition so engrained in Poland, that many residents learn which mushrooms to pick and where to go to find them from an early age.
Of course, Arkadiusz loves to highlight these Polish delicacies at his restaurant, too! During August, the biggest mushroom (without a doubt) is chanterelles.
These little yellow-orange mushrooms are packed with so much flavor that they’re frequently used to highlight sauces and stews, giving an earthy note to an already tasty dish. At this restaurant, you can try mushrooms in savory sauces atop fresh potato pancakes, or poured over potato dumplings.
For non-mushroom offerings, we have to recommend a Polish summer staple: chłodnik, which is a cold beetroot soup that takes on a lovely pink color and is oh-so-refreshing (think of it like a Polish gazpacho but, we believe, even better). It’s made of a mixture of yogurt and buttermilk and finished with an organic egg. It will fill you up but leave you feeling light and the flavor is truly unmatched!
Traditional Polish Food
Putting aside all those mushroom and fruity dishes for a moment (though we know that’s hard to do!) there are other delicious reasons to stop by Specjały Regionalne this season.
Namely, you can get some of the most authentic Polish food in the entire city – something that the owner and manager say harkens back to the cooking their mothers and grandmothers have been doing for centuries.
For starters, you can’t go wrong with beef tartare, a traditional Polish dish with beef tenderloin, a gooey egg yolk, bread and pickled vegetables. Or try herring in linseed oil with onion and boiled potatoes. Traditionally eaten at Christmastime, herring is beloved by Poles year-round and it’s a must when trying authentic Polish food (plus, it’s surprisingly refreshing on a hot summer day!)
Moving on to soups, there are several that Poles consider staples (and eat year-round, even in the hot months!) One of these is Żurek, a white, sour soup with a boiled egg and white sausage, which is often served in a bread bowl. Though it’s traditionally eaten at Easter, this soup can also be enjoyed year-round. This is a good one to try for newbies to Polish cuisine, because you get a great idea of the importance of sour and fermented flavors in Polish food.
For the main dish, there are so many good options to choose from, but we recommend Specjały Regionalne’s selection of three traditional grilled sausages (at least for your first trip). Kiełbasa is, of course, wildly popular in Poland and commonly enjoyed seared on a stove—or over a campfire during warmer months—but there are a variety of types. Some are spicier, others smokier. Some use pork or beef, others use turkey or lamb. Basically, it’s not a try-one-you’ve-tried-them-all situation.
That’s why the three-sausage idea at Specjały Regionalne is so popular – it gives anyone eager to try Polish cuisine a chance to get a better idea (and taste) of some of the country’s most popular varieties of sausage!
Finally, when it comes to food, you would be making a mistake if you don’t try one of the restaurant’s pierogi types (or a mix, if you can’t choose!). The pierogi here are made by hand and the fillings, which include duck, spinach, wild mushrooms and potatoes, all come from farms around Poland.
More than dine-in
One of the best things about Specjały Regionalne is that the beloved restaurant on Nowy Świat 44 is not the only one! In fact, after 15 years of operation, Arkadiusz has opened multiple stores and restaurants selling fresh, regional Polish products available for both dine-in and to-go all over the city. If you can’t stop by for a full meal, at least you can grab some mouthwatering kiełbasa, fresh and tasty pierogi, authentic cheese and much more at one of the many shops:Gagarina 4 (Mokotów), ul. Dąbrowskiego 3 (Mokotów), ul. Płochocińska 195 (Białołęka), a deli and shop at ul. Felińskiego 52 (Żoliborz). Shops at Potocka 2A, ul.Zawiszy 16 and ul. Jagiellońska 56
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