Enoteka

After three days of non-​stop Polish cuisine (underrated though it is), I was hellbent on broadening my culinary horizons. Where better than at an acclaimed Italian spot with an on-​site wine shop? This choice assured a dizzingly diverse array of high-​quality, reasonably priced wines alongside (and to be absorbed in part by…) the homemade pasta and fresh bread, all the makings of a fine evening. Once we got there…
The restaurant isn’t terribly easy to find, stuck in the basement of a courtyard building a little bit outside the main drag of the Old Town. As we ducked inside out of the famous Polish cold, it was immediately clear that we were in for a casual, homey, and laid-​back atmosphere, perhaps facilitated by the cozy, subterranean setting. The servers are friendly, and despite a large conference going on in town there were plenty of open tables of the large, square, farmhouse variety, including one that sat all 11 of us with room to spare.
Fortunately, the large group meant lots of plate-​passing. I focused most of my first-​course attention (what was left after bread-​gorging) on two excellent and very different appetizers: a rich and creamy goat cheese tart with a flaky, buttery crust, resting atop a bed of arugula and raspberries (with a little raspberry syrup for good measure!), and a salty, savory arugula salad with large shards of Parmesan and uncured pancetta. If I hadn’t been on a semi-​hunger strike earlier in the day, this would have been more than enough. Alas…
Then came the grilled sea bream, served with a large mound of garlicky, salty spinach, a puddle of creamy saffron sauce and a half-​dozen rock shrimp. The fish was a little on the dry side but had a good flavor, and the overall taste was complex (lots going on!) but satisfying. Beside the sea bream was a plate of chestnut-​ricotta ravioli with butter and arugula, which, I can assure you, was just as good as it sounds.
Despite cries of mercy from the crowd, we ordered a round of the most appetizing-​sounding dessert: a poached pear with (what Americans might call) winter spices, candied orange rind, and a bitter dark chocolate mousse in a mini-​tart shell. Wow. First of all, the pear was skinned and poached but retained a perfect shape, upright on the plate, stem intact, and the spice blend was intriguing — you could spend all day guessing even 3 of the 6 distinct spices in evidence (I’m going with saffron, cloves, and cardamom). The dark chocolate mousse was intense and, as advertised, bitter, but paired excellently with both the pear and the tart, sweet orange rind.
The restaurant staff graciously helped me pick a few wines within a modest budget, and all were delicious. If ever my travels take me back to Warsaw, I’m sure to find my way to Enoteka.

Enoteka Polska is a wine shop you can eat in. With tables scattered about the somewhat cavernous space, it looks initially like it won’t work but as you settle in you realise the atmosphere is rather warm. And as you might expect, the wine list is extensive both by geography and price point as well as offerings by the bottle and the glass.
Service is informative: when I asked our server to help me decide between two dishes her descriptions of each lead me to something I ended up loving. And she indulged my dinner mate with a larger spoon when he joked he wanted to get more of the tiramisu than me.
Enoteka Polaska’s pappardelle with chicken, sun-​dried tomatoes and spinach was far and away the best thing I ate in Warsaw. The pasta was awesomely al dente, the chicken savory and the dish as a whole light and perfect by my estimation. Perhaps not the most exciting entrée in the world, it’s one I could happily eat once a week and never grow tired of. I enjoyed it so much that my dining companion commented with surprise, «I think this is the first time I’ve seen you finish a meal entirely.»
An easy walk from Warsaw’s Old Town, Enoteka Polska is not a restaurant you should miss!

Wir waren hier an einem Samstag Abend, ohne Reservierung, und hatten keine Probleme einen Platz zu bekommen. Es war allerdings auch schon etwas später. Eingang des Restaurants über einen Hinterhof (versteckt) und von außen auch schwer erkennbar. Man geht ein paar Stufen und befindet sich dann mitten im Weingeschäft, durch das man gehen muss, um ins Restaurant zu gelangen. Alles ist sehr einfach eingerichtet, Holztische– und –stühle, das wars. Es sieht trotzdem gemütlich aus und man fühlt sich willkommen. Wir hätten auch im Garten sitzen können, allerdings ist dort zu wenig Licht vorhanden, so dass man sein Essen nicht gut hätte sehen können. Wir bestellten Roséwein und Wasser und als Vorspeise Garnelen in Knoblauch, dazu kam warmes Brot. Als Hauptgang hatten wir Lachsfilet mit Spinat und Kartoffeln. Es war alles sehr schön angerichtet und schmeckte uns. Wir fühlten uns sehr höflich betreut und würden dieses Lokal auf jeden Fall weiterempfehlen! Küche italienisch, mediterran!