I already mentioned in one of the old blog posts that I rarely visit the same place twice. I’m constantly on the lookout for new content. There’s way too many things to write about. If I do come back regularly, it means I really am infatuated with the place, be it because of the food, the aesthethic, the location or the atmosphere. Until now my list of favourites was rather short (there were more but some closed and some are too far now that I’ve moved), it consisted of Cuda na Kiju and La Sirena. This year two new spots were added to it: Eden Bistro and Shuk, which I’m going to write about in this blog post. As it turned out Shuk is owned by the same people who own another place I’ve been a fan of for years – Mezze on Różana street.
The first time I ever visited Shuk was on the particularly difficult sunday morning in September. It was right after a rather intense birthday party and we were all hanging hard. Our main reason for leaving the house in this state was to get some good food inside us and lots of fluid so that it can magically cure us. The mission was a success! We did not expect portions so big and atmosphere so chilled. We spent a few hours trying to devour everything that was served on huge silver platters, while drinking liters of grapefruit-rosemary lemonade and contemplating the meaning of life. I enjoyed this particular breakfast so much that I decided to make my own ritual out of visiting Shuk on the weekends. Since then I’ve been at least once a month. Always for breakfast.
Plate full of good stuff
I have to get one thing straight – I’m a regular customer at Shuk but only on the weekends and in the morning, when they serve breakfast (during the week they open at 12 so there are no breakfast options available). I’ve never tried anything else off their menu, but I did hear different opinions about their lunch and dinner options. Some were more harsh than others. I’m not going to get into that as I don’t have a necessary experience. What I’m going to talk about in this blog post is breakfast. And there’s quite a few options to choose from when it comes to breakfast menu in Shuk. What I recommend the most are the mezze sets consisting of several different things. There are three different kinds: the lebanese one, the turkish one, and, as of recently, the moroccan one. My favourite one is definitely the lebanese one served with hummus, halloumi cheese and falafels among other things. But I usually steal dolmas from the turkish one that one of my friend orders. I enjoyed the moroccan one the least, but that may be because there’s quite a few sweet elements int here, and I’m more of a savory kind of girl. In my opinion the best option is to gather your friends and order all three of them so that you can make a little picnic on your table and try a bit of everything. Just remeber that the portions are huuuuuuuge so don’t overorder.
As far as breakfasts go, we’ve also tried their fried eggs with za’atar that are amazing, as well as different variations of shakshuka (we enjoyed all of them). The one thing I wouldn’t recommend is the breakfast set for two people. It looks cool because it’s served on a three tier platter, but the ingredients are not that special. There are definitely better things worth ordering in Shuk.
Be sure to book a table… and some time!
Just remember that Shuk is a popular place so on the weekends it’s always crowded. When I visited the restaurant for the first time I didn’t know the reservations are necessary so I had to wait a bit in a line outside. Fortunatelly it was still summer so I didn’t wait long as they had more tables (there’s an outside sitting area in the summer). No I know that it’s best to book a table beforehand. Last week I went for breakfast at 10 o’clock, as soon as they opened. I had my reservation, so I was fine, but some people were turned away fromt he door. It turned out every table was already booked.
Another thing you need to know is the waiting time. The restaurant is quite big and popular so you need to be aware that you might wait a bit for your food to be served. How long is ‘a bit’, you might ask. That depends. There were days when I waited over an hour for breakfast, but other times I got my food in less than 30 minutes. I don’t really mind the wait, myslef, as I use this time to chat with my friends whom I don’t see that often. I just like to be warned before hand, so now I’m warning you. Order lots of coffee so that you don’t fell hunger and you’ll be fine.
Dog friendly space
One of the main reason why we keep on coming back to Shuk, apart from the food of course, is their positive attitude towards dogs. Even the big ones. There’s no problem with sitting inside with a dog next to your table. A lovely waitress will ever bring a bowl of water for your pet. Personally, I do not own a dog, but usually when I go to Shuk I meet up with my friend who lives a couple building away on Grójecka street. She has a big dog and therefore feels excluded most of the times when we go out on the town. Here she feels welcome so we’ll definitely keep coming back.
