You’ve been on a vegan diet for years? You don’t eat meat, but you won’t say no to cheddar cheese (or any kind of cheese for that matter)? You usually eat meat, but don’t feel like it today? There’s something for everyone! In today’s blog post I put together a list of 11 different restaurants and cafes in Warsaw focused on plant-based food. There were supposed to be 10, but I can’t count. Plus I was hungry.
Some of the spots appeared on the blog already, so I’ll link all of the previous blog posts as well. I thought it would be useful to gather together all of the vege options that I’ve described already, as well as the new ones I’ve just checked out now. I believe that most of the places described in this blog post are vegan (not all of them though!), but just to be on a safe side I’ll use a broader term – ‘vege’. This way we won’t have to get into discussion about whether honey is vegan or not. Deal? Ok, so let’s jump into it.
1. Vege Małpa
Let’s start our vege adventure with a little place located in Mokotów district that I visited last. Vege Małpa has been on my list for months now, but it was always way out of my regular route. Finally I decided that I have to go there if I’m writing this blog post. It’s a good thing I did that – this place is great! It looks great (I love the colours and the wallpaper with crazy monkeys on it), the staff is nice and the food is really good. I went there with my friend to get lunch. We decided to check out their lunch option, which is different every day, so you won’t ever get bored. Lunch consists of soup, a main and a little dessert. I was not really a fan of the soup we got (it was a bit bland), but I quickly forgot I had any complaints when I got the main which was really well-seasoned and interesting. The fruity dessert was great and fresh as well. And it was not too sweet which I really liked. But since it took me so long to get to Vege Małpa I decided to try something of their regular menu as well. So, I ordered a burger. And not just any burger. A burger made of Smurfs. I don’t know how else to explain how blue the bun was. I’ve tried black burgers, green burgers, even pink burgers before, but a blue one? That’s a first. Waht’s important the contents of the bun where just as interesting as the bun itself. I’d go as far as to say it was one of the best vegan burgers I ate in Warsaw. And the portion is sufficient for you to feel full for hours. I highly recommend you to check out this place!
2. Jaskółka
Staying on the topic of lunch, be sure to check out Jaskółka in Żoliborz district if you’re ever around here. I used to go there for breakfast quite frequently, so I already knew they serve some great food. This time, however, I needed to eat something good and healthy before a few-hour session at a tattoo parlour located a few streets away, so I thought lunch at Jaskółka will be the best option. Lunch menu is different every day, the set includes a soup and a main. Oh, and before you make far-reaching plans such as “what a beautiful cake, after lunch, I will definitely devour a piece!”, Wait until the portion arrives. I barely managed to eat the entire lunch, and I don’t often leave any food on my plate (hello, have you ever read this blog ?!). Pinks decided she would not give up, but after finishing the cake (just to prove she can) she almost died 😉 She claims, however, that it was so delicious that it is worth suffering. The lunch itself was also very tasty. I’ll be coming back whenever I’m in the area.
3. Momencik
The last vegan lunch option I’ll be describing in this blog post is hidden in a basement on Poznańska street, in a city center. It’s a place recommended to me by a friend, known mostly for the burritos they serve. Personally I came to try their tacos (my favourite dish of all time), but they were out of small tortillas. Turned out there’s the same filling in the burritos, so we may consider my mission ‘almost complete’. I must admit the filling really is good and resembles the taste and texture of meat pretty well. I ordered the al pastor option, which I know in it’s original meaty form, so I wanted to see how it would differ. It was good, but a bit salty. However the jackfruit option that my friend ordered was really delicious. I would definitely go for this one if I ever come back. If you order the lunch set you’ll get a burrito, a soup and a lemonade. However the smaller burrito was sufficient for me, so you can skip the soup. Especially since it was very, very salty. The thing we liked least about MOmencik is the fact that they serve everything on dispossable plates. We asked, they’re supposed to be biodegradable, but still.
4. Falla
You will get way better tacos, however, in Falla, a restaurnat located on Obozowa street, that I’ve written about before. Be sure to check out the previous blog post for more detailed information. This is a place I keep coming back to. I have never been disappointed by the food they serve. While eating eating tacos with jackfruit I just couldn’t stop smiling. Seriously, they were that good. There’s photo evidence available on our Facebook page 😉 Menu in Falla changes seasonally, so it’s never boring. In addition, the multigenerational Sriracha family will protect you from boredom. I have not seen so many flavours of hot sauce anywhere else. Even if you decide to order the same dish every day, you can diversify it for a good dozen or so days just by adding a different Sriracha sauce every time. As far as I know lunch options are not available here, but prices are not high anyway. I definitely recommend this one!
5. Eden Bistro
And since we are talking about the best vegan tacos, I can not fail to mention the Eden Bistro, which I’ve already written about, so I invite you for detailed info HERE. Personally, I would classify Eden as a place for special occasions, mainly because of the prices. It is not cheap, but in my opinion it is worth spending more once in a while for such quality and overall great restaurant experience. I through my own birthday dinner in Eden, so that might be why I associate it with special occasions as well. I liked everything in Eden – from the design, the decor, and the plates, the drinks and flavored lemonades, to great service and excellent food. Here the menu also changes seasonally, so I’m happy to come back here every few months to try out new products. You can find exotic ingredients in some of the dishes, that you might not have tried before. Oh, if you can, be sure to sit it the greenhouse. It’s beautiful!
6. Vege Kitchen
Since the photos from Eden are my favourites, now let’s get to a place I visited completely by accident, so I did not have a camera with me. Excuse me for the quality of the photos I took on a calculator, eee… I mean on an iPhone. I was taken to Vege Kitchen located on Chmielna street by my friends, when after Sunday’s walk we were looking for a place for lunch. The atmosphere here is like in a typical joint serving pho soup (I think there was one before Vege Kitchen in this place as well), so we decided to order soup. We went for a WonTon and the other that was probably some variation on Tom Kha (or whatever it’s called). The larger portion is really big, so you definitely won’t leave this place hungry. However, when it comes to the taste, it was not terrible, but definitely could have been better. Both soups were rather bland, and when we tried to “fix” them with some soy sauce, we found… maggi in a soy sauce bottle. Oh well. If you do not have to go there, maybe try some other place.
7. Chwast Food
And if you prefer vegan burgers over soup, check out a small container-restaurant at Plac Konstytucji. In my opinion, the burgers served in Chwast Food are much better than those from popular Krowarzywa (though I do eat there as well there, especially when I need to eat something quickly before Monday’s cheap movie screening at the Luna Cinema). There’s nothing more to write about Chwast Food to be honest. Their burgers are tasty, so if you need a quick bite check it out.
8. SHUK
Of all the restaurants described in this post I am definitely the most frequent visitor at SHUK on Grójecka street. This is my favourite breakfast spot and I tend to go there at least once a month. Just remeber that the breakfast is available only on the weekends and is therefore very popular, so the reservation will be needed. You can read more about their awesome breakfast sets in a separate post, which you can find HERE. Since I wrote it, my experiences as far as their menu goes, have not changed – I still have not been there for lunch or dinner. But I’ve heard they have a very good lunch option as far as the price goes, so I’ll definitelyhave to check it out one day. And if their dinner options are just as good as breakfasts, then I expect it to be amazing. Oh, and the place is dog friendly and baby friendly which means you can spend many hours here.
9. Mezze
And if we’re talking about SHUK, than we must mention its older sister (brother?) – Mezze. I’ve been visiting this small building, located on the same green square as Limoni and Warburger, for years now, and I have to admit that they keep the same high level of quality! Since the moment I visited Mezze first, the restaurant has ‘grown’ significantly (they added a container-extension to the building), prices also jumped a bit (I remember when pita falafel and sabich cost magical 10 złoty (2,5 euro), nowthe first one costs 14 złoty, and the second one 16 zloty), but the portions are still huge and the ingredients fresh. Their pita falafel is definitely my favorite one in all of Warsaw, so I’m never tempted to try anything else. However, over the years I have tried every single thing on their menu, by stealing a tiny bit of my friends’ plates 😉 It seems that the food served in Mezze is not just my favourite, because usually there’s quite a crowd and getting a free table borders on a miracle. In the summer, additional tables appear outside. I highly recommend you their pita falafel!
10. Vegan Ramen Shop
Of course I have to mention the place which has already become a vegan classic – Vegan Ramen Shop, which Mięta once wrote about (but only in polish, sorry). Since then, a lot has changed in the Vegan Ramen Shop. First of all, they opened a second place, this time in Mokotów district (the first one is located in Saska Kępa). However, I do not have photos of it, because when I went to check it out, it turned out that you have to wait a bit in the queue (just like in the spot in Saska Kępa). They have four regular ramen option on the menu, but there are also experiments with ramen constantly going on here. Once in a while, you can try some weird invention like ramen with crisps (I remember it from around Halloween, but I can be wrong because I didn’t get to try it). I enjoy their soup very much, and it have even inspired me to try and make my own vegan soup at home (well, mostly my friends did it, but I ate it, so I won). It is a pity that there is no table booking option availablr, as I like to plan my life ahead to avoid queuing.
11. Youmiko Vegan Sushi
Last, but not least, another ‘special occasions’ option. This time I invite you to try vegan sushi in Youmiko located in Hoża street. If I’m being completely honest, I was a bit prejudiced before visiting this place. Mostly because of the prices. I always assumed (and I still do) that the price of sushi is high due to the price of fresh fish and seafood. I cannot justify the price of plant-based sushi, to be honest. But they do serve some exotic ingredient and lots of marinated vegetables, which takes quite some time to make. So my verdict is: you can spend more for vegan sushi once in a while. What changed my opinion? Well, it’s just really fucking good. To make the most out of our visit, we went for a medium set for two. The cost of this one is 80 złoty (~20 euro), but you really get quite a lot of food and a good variety of it.
You won’t find detailed information about the ingredients of the rolls, cakes (their specialty) and balls of rice. They change daily, depending on the season, the mood of the chef, and what’s available in the shops. During our visit we tried some fusion options with asian mushrooms, algaes as well as sweet potato, avocado and eggplant. I’ve heard from my friend that their marinated tomato is supposed to be something out of this Earth. I guess I’ll have to come back to Youmiko when the tomatos don’t taste like plastic, to try this one. What I liked about the experience is that you get elements of the set you ordered made fresh, every few minutes. Every time the waiter will explain what appears before your eyes. I’d definitely recommend you to try vegan sushi at least once, just so that you can make up your own mind about the whole thing.
And that’s it for today’s blog post. Let me know if you’re aware of any other great vegetarian and vegan spots in Warsaw that I should check out. There’re more and more apeearing all the time, so it’s impossible to describe them all, but I’m sure at least one more blog post like this can come into existance.
