Background

Who doesn’t love a restaurant with a story. Created by an Indian-Ukrainian couple, Ashwin and Alina, the idea behind Coconut started life whilst the pair were working in the corporate world. Missing the tastes of his home, Ashwin began cooking up delicacies from his hometown of Bengaluru and delivering them to those on his WhatsApp group. As word began to spread, the need for a bricks-and-mortar address became all the more pressing.

Opened last year, this restaurant is the result. The PlaceSat a dart’s throw from Płocka metro station, you don’t need a pair of eyes to find Coconut, just a keen sense of smell – drawn in by the rich, pungent aroma, enter to discover a small-ish space that’s a little bare bones in its aesthetics: tiled floors, a stone-clad bar, Edison light bulbs and floor-to-ceiling windows. The design doesn’t go much further than some potted plants and a wall mural of an Indian deity.

The Crowd

It’s not the interior you notice, but the people. Visit in the evening and you’ll find it buzzing with Indian custom. Whereas the Western expats tend to gravitate towards more premium eateries for their Indian fix – such as Guru or Bombaj Masala – the Indians themselves flock here. A good sign, surely.

On The Menu

Warsaw now has a jillion Indian restaurants, but few that feel truly unique – generic mediocrity has taken over. Coconut buckles this trend to provide a truly one-off menu without even a naan bread in sight. Dedicating itself to the tastes of Southern India, standout dishes include the chicken pepper fry starter and, for mains, the chettinad – a curry thick with the tastes of chilli, coconut, ginger and garlic. Further underscoring the authenticity, the laminated menu holds a host of other best-sellers, for instance the doughnut-style lentil vada and a wide range of pancake-style dosas.

Inside Tip

The menu is far-removed from Warsaw’s standardised take on Indian food. Lacking familiar favourites such as Madras, vindaloo or butter chicken, this place reveals a completely different side to Indian cooking. As such, for a smooth introduction then ‘the south Indian meal’ is a smart choice: order that and you’ll receive a poori, coconut chutney, sprout salad, potato masala, a sambar vegetable curry and a tamarin rasam curry among other bits and pieces.