Firing warning shots all over Warsaw, a humble burrito bar is showing the big boys exactly how it’s done…
The game is up. The Big Con is over. After years of being peddled mostly second-rate Mexican, a revolution is underway in Warsaw and its assault has been swift and sustained. Leading it all is Gringo Bar, a ground floor corner unit down a Mokotów side street. Revolutions, after all, have humble beginnings…
That the footprint is small only heightens the buzz: there’s a constant in-out motion as diners come and go. None leave unhappy. That’s down to the menu, a succinct choice of options that marries local produce with imported extras. The resulting tastes meet with blanket approval.
Created by hip hop artist Maciej Bilka, a.k.a Bilon, Gringo’s informal look has a casual undercurrent that feels resoundingly inclusive. Regulars exchange nods and fist bumps with gloriously inked chefs, before settling around a communal table to unravel their food.
It’s a proper bite so it is. Take the burrito, for instance: melty cheddar, Sicilian avocados, cooling yogurt, organic beans and a generous spread of chicken. There’s variation in there, sparky tastes and zippy flavors. It’s not the boring pile of rice and beans endured elsewhere: this is the real deal. A friend once described one high profile venue as being The Mexi-Can’t. Well, here’s the polar opposite: this is The Mexi-Can. Seems the rest of Warsaw agrees. (AW)
Gringo Bar
ul. Odolańska 15, gringobar.pl
