Best of Warsaw: Casual Dining

Nominees: Bibenda, Dom, Kaskrut, Kitchen, Tapas Gastrobar

Winner

Tapas Gastrobar
ul. Grzybowska 63, tapasbar.pl

Located on the Hilton’s flank, the location isn’t one that’s always worked – since the building’s inception a number of restaurants have tried their luck here before quietly falling flat on their face. But Tapas has had no problem in attracting customers, a point underlined by the increasing need to book ahead – just in case, you understand. The reward is a space that’s a homage to Iberian peasantry: reclaimed rusting metal, cottage-style floor tiles and heavy bits of timber. But this is not some dark, coastal tavern, and the floor-to-ceiling windows lend nice accents of light and modernity: it’s the sort of place you want to stick around in.  

As for the tapas menu, that’s so far-reaching in choice that repeat visits are never boring – in fact, they become mandatory. Popular practice demands you order so many dishes that the scuffed wooden table becomes a colorful puzzle of kaleidoscope colors: from there, enjoy a meal that’s as much about sharing and connecting with the rest of your group as it is enjoying pedigree flavors that sing with authenticity. This is the ultimate in good mood dining.