Best of Warsaw: Family Achievement

There’s a clutch of restaurateurs that can claim to have built a ‘dynasty’ in Poland, yet none can match the Kręgliccy family in terms of scope and substance.

Or longevity, even. It all began with the now defunct Mekong, launched by Marcin Kręglicki in 1989. Inspired by the Asian cookbooks he would collect and covet as a youth in the 80s, Mekong was something an icebreaker in post-communist Poland.

Over time, he was joined by his sister, Agnieszka, who originally cut her teeth in the restaurant world working as a waitress in Mekong. Together, the brother and sister team have since gone on to open scores of successful restaurants, among them Santorini, Chianti, the legendary El Popo and Opasły Tom – rated by many foodies as their favorite Warsaw restaurant.

Awards and accolades have been numerous, yet perhaps the ultimate honor arrived last year when they were picked to host a 500-person dinner to celebrate 25 years of Polish ‘freedom’. The star guest? Barack Obama. A true family enterprise (interiors of their restaurants are apparently designed by Marcin’s wife, Beata, while business advice comes courtesy of their parents), the Kręgliccy family are the personification of the modern day Polish success story.