What to bring, ship, pack for our move to Warsaw

TGIF, Hard Rock Cafe, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Coca Cola... yep they got all that crap here. Why leave America?

No wonder they won't stock it, who wants to drink and eat American food? ;)

Certainly will. There are three places that do excellent pizza in Warsaw. My current favourite has a wood-fired oven, which makes sitting outside and getting faint wafts of wood smoke very enjoyable. There's also cracking Tex-Mex on offer at the Warsaw Tortilla Factory. The only time that place has ever served cabbage was the world cup before last when they had a special Polski burrito (with cabbage and kielbasa) as a joke.


Yes there is one in the city centre(although the history of the place features at last two gangland slayings) and one out at Janki (which means you can do TGI and then Ikea!). The company which runs them also runs (or at least used to run, I'm not sure that they still run) the restaurant in the American embassy.

Nowolipki by any chance ??

No. That place has electric ovens (although it still serves the best pizza in the city). I'm talking about Palestra on Solidarnosci.

frd
I ate at Anker the day I wrote what I did about pizza here. I stand by my original statement. I haven't found good pizza in the trojmiasto.

Well, Everybody has their own preferences... I loved the pizza there :) And many people I recommened that pizza shop to were delighted : o

That explains why the "food" in TGIF is so horrible.


What is wrong with buying a jar of olives and cutting them yourself?


I find WTF highly overrated and overpriced. One of these places which a foreigner in Warsaw has to adore, so to speak. Well I do not...

28zl for a main course is overpriced?! Admittedly, despite the food costing nearly twice as much WTF's is not as good as what used to be served by the Tortilla Factory at Zloty Tarasy and the live music is both too loud and too boring, but I'd still be gutted if the place closed down.

Chipmunk, not exactly San Diego but Carlsbad. Didn't think anyone here would know it so I used SD instead.

I doubt that I'll be in Warsaw anytime soon but when I am I'll try the places Harry recommends. It's worth a shot.

I'm not a fan of the fast food joints like McDonald's but TGIF was always yummy! Never been to a Hard Rock Cafe before though.

We use to live in Oceanside bordering Carlsbad, off of College!! Hope relocate back there after Warsaw. I could go for some Pizza Port. Great beer and grub! :)


Nothing, as long as they're pitted I'll slice them myself :) Other wise I'm too lazy for that. I mean after-all, I am an American! LOL

Everything sounds quite nice. I can't wait to get there! Really appreciating all the tidbits of information!

Speaking of getting there.. We're looking at either staying in Mokotów and Ursynów. Are those pretty decent areas to live?

I found a school in Mokotów, which I am leaning towards but am also debating about the American School. I just don't like how far out the American school is and I wasn't a fan of the American school here either. I'd like him to attend a school where he'll get a lot of influence in Polish and the culture. Any mom's/dad's here have an opinion/advice there? He'll be in Pre-K this year and then a Kindergarten before we depart! Sniff, sniff... growing up so fast!

Thank you!

They are both just fine. Mokotow is slightly closer to the centre and slightly nicer too. Ursynow is a bit 1970s.

The American school of Warsaw is superb. It's by far the best International school in the country. If I had kids (and the money to send them to the American school), they would go there, absolutely no question at all about that. My knowledge of the schools here is based on knowing teachers at all of them and all those teachers also agree that the American school is hands down the best of the lot. What's the name of the school in Mokotow which you've found?

My kids have been in the British School for 5 years now . The standard of teaching is hit & miss depending on which teacher you get & their level of experience ( & I found that it also depends on how long the teacher has been in Poland, with the new ones hardly being able to cope with the culture shock themselves let alone manage a class of 20 kids ) .

What I would say is that the British School kidergarten/pre nursery which is on the smaller Dabrowskiego site ( in Mokotow when considering housing ) is a well run school with a warm & friendly atmosphere . Both of my kids loved it there .

When I first arrived in Warsaw I also had the school dilemma & gave serious consideration to the American School . I eventually decided on the Brtish School as it was smaller & I felt less intimidating for my kids .

( The American school also has a lot of super rich & super spoilt Polish kids who attend , making it difficult for 'normal' kids to fit in.) ( Traffic in & out of konstancin is also hell.)

Lastly,I do know of some parents who have moved their kids from the British school to the American school ... I don't know of anybody who has moved from american to British ...

One word of warning though, both schools are difficult enough to get your kids into , so the sooner you make contact & get on a waiting list the better.

By the way , fees in the British School are PLN 55k per year ( similar in American School ) .

That's not exactly true, there can't be more than 25% of any one nationality (other than US) in any one year group!


Same here.


From memory at least, children of US govt employees go straight to the front of the queue.

It only takes one to disrupt a whole class.., put two of them together & you have absolute chaos ( & I'm speaking from experience .)

I've heard well-travelled diplomats' kids say that the American School in Warsaw has some of the nastiest kids they've been to school with, talking only about money and possessions.

A word of warning about schools. The British School is near Sadyba, and is run by a company called Nord-Anglia, who for many years have run schools round the world, and are generally considered respectable.

A school with a very similar name operates near Piaseczno, but is run by a private local company and has standards which fall very far short of the minimum one might expect. So much so that a few years ago many of the parents (including most of the expats) withdrew their kids en-masse.

The International Preschool of Warsaw. preschool.pl

The tuition is another reason I am leaning towards this school right now.

I am very fond of the montessori approach to learning, especially for my son and his learning styles. But I didn't get a good vibe from the one montessori school I was in touch with. He attends a montessori school now which is ran by Korean Missionaries and it is hands down the number one thing I will miss the most about our stay here.



That was one of the main reasons I went with the school I did. He was 1 of 8 in his preschool class last year and is 1 of 10 this year in Pre-K. Both classes have 1 teacher 1 assistant and then two helpers. The American school here had 23 preschoolers to 1 teacher and 1 assistant! That said my son is a social butterfly and has been trying to leave the nest since he could walk so I think he'd fair well in either envirnonment. I just can't wrap my mind around sending him possibly 20-40 minutes from me. I'm not one of those ultra paranoid mothers but he's only 4 and on top of that he's an only child. If he had an older sibling that would be ideal. So I will have to add the British school to my list to check out when we arrive. The British school wears uniforms, correct? That could be adorable :)


That is very good to know. Thank you!


Thank you! Noted!

Chipmunk, before I moved to Carlsbad I lived in Oceanside. I had a condo near the DMV off College, 3463 Seabreeze to be exact, then a house on Temple Heights farther inland just off Oceanside Blvd. And yes, I was a Marine at the time.

When I dis pizza in Poland it's because I think about Pizza Port and the microbrewery beers available there, not to mention Roberto's and Alberto's and all the other great Mexican places in the area. Did you ever go to Garcia's in Carlsbad? You won't find that here. More's the pity.

I talked to another American tonight who's been living in Warsaw for 6 years and he's been to all the so called Mexican restaurants in Warsaw. They're marginally OK but certainly not up to SoCal standards.

Don't let that influence your decision. I miss Mexican food but I've learned to live without it, and Poland offers so much to replace it but in a different way. I love this place.

browse on here, there must be a thread on that:). Good luck:)

ya, he probably couldnt figure that one out for himself Miranda?

I love how you have an answer for every thread, youre just soooooo intelligent:)

scottie1113


Oh it won't! I don't have a choice regardless. HAH I think it'll be quite nice there. Every place has things to get use to and so forth. I just have to keep telling myself it won't be anything like it is here, which I must admit sort of sets the mood as far as expectations go. Once I get back to the states and enjoy some of my mommy's cooking I'll perk back up!

I remember before here I couldn't stand Indian food. And when my friends would insist on Indian for dinner before going out I'd have to eat prior just so I wouldn't be a lush later in the night. Now I can't believe what I was missing. I can't consume enough Indian. And sadly I doubt it'll even be a fraction as yummy back in the States as it has been here.

I've never been to Garcia's.. but I've been to quite a few mexican places in CB so it could have changed names. There was a joint, not the chain but similar off of Coast HWY right after the state beach that had breakfast burrito's... ohhh I miss those and then there was Juanita's off of Coast HWY just a little further South down by the damn record store which name now escapes me. Nothing tastes better after a night of drinks and music than a breakfast burrito with Frank's sauce to dip it in! :)

What brought you to Poland? I mean being a Marine and all I know you guys like travel and adventure so you probably won't shock me with your reasons. I can imagine. Between what I've read here and can google, Poland sounds like a hidden gem in all of Europe. I'm really anxious to get there but trying not to get too excited so I can still enjoy our trip home!

After my first trip to France in 1986 I wanted to live and work in Europe. I shelved the idea for many years until I met a woman who had taught English in Prague for two years. She loved it but said the winters were cold. When you live in San Diego, that's true for almost everywhere, so I wasn't concerned about that.

I began researching teaching English and found that as a US citizen, not EU, it was hard to find a job teaching legally in countries like France, Spain or Italy so I began to look at Eastern Europe.

I've been interested in Poland and its history since I was about 11 years old (that was a LONG time ago) and decided to come here to experience it for myself. I love being in a country which is still in transition from the communist era to the capitalist mode, and I love wrestling with the Polish language. It's a bear.

My story is much longer than that, but that's the gist of it. I love it here and I think I've finally tossed out my anchor. I plan to stay here for the rest of my life unless something truly amazing happens.

BTW, I know the record shop you mentioned and the Mexican place south of it. In Leucadia on the coast highway? Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

Oh, as an aside, I wonder if anyone besides me knows what BFE stands for.

You've got me thinking about Mexican food again. Garcia's is on State Street in Cbad. It's been there for at least two generations. Everything's made on site. Small and little in the way of decor. Awesome place. Then there's Fidel's Norte. There was a place on the Coast Highway between San Clemente and Dana Point that served the best carne asado burritos I've ever eaten. And carnitas in Old Town Mexican Cafe in SD? Out of this world.

And unfortunately not available in Poland.

Scottie, can you make your own Mexican dishes? Are the ingredients readily available?
(We are moving to Sopot soon!)

Scottie - HAHA you're right about "BFE". That perhaps is a little harsh for the city, but close enough. Suppose at least I can say I got the "real African experience". :0)

YES! Del Norte (Fidel's Norte) is still there. Great place for Margarita's, probably some of the best I've ever had there. Garcia's is slipping me. I don't think I've been there. But when we return, I will have to seek them out. The other one, Juanita's is the one out in Leucadia. I get the whole strip there between Solona Beach and Carlsbad confused as they all seem to run in together. I hate to say, I don't think any Mexican anywhere else would ever compare to to what you can find down there, just a skip and a hop from Mexico!

I am excited to hear that there is live music in Warsaw. That's another great pass time I enjoy. I just love a nice meal and music in the background. Although I have to say living abroad has made me quite the delicious cook so I am sure we won't do much dining out. Once we get settled and if you're ever up in Warsaw we'll have to have a dinner party! I was lead to believe I needed a bunch of hosting ware and the likes when we moved here. Which I never use. So I always am looking for excuses to have people over for dinner.

I'm really looking forward to the cold and snow. We've lived only in warm places outside my childhood in the Pacific Northwest. I know it's insane but I can really only handle one possibly two seasons for so long! I may say other wise after Warsaw :)

Lou's records! It finally came to me.

Thanks. I had forgotten the name as well. Did you ever go to Pannikan?

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NO CILANTRO!!!!! Oh that is going to suck. I will have to find seeds, I suppose, and see if I am able to bring them in. Yes salsa MUST have cilantro as well as a lot of my fav mexican dishes!

Maybe if I gorge on mexican while in the States I'll have no desire for it for a good while. At least then I won't crave it as much.

Never went to Pannikan. Heard about it though. That's another thing I miss about the States. Nice cafe's that make delicious cold cuts sandwiches. Had a lot of those back in Washington and San Diego. Doesn't even have to be a cafe even just those hole in the wall joints that seem to excel in mouth watering sandwiches. I'm sure I'll have better access to this in Warsaw though.

Time is flying. Getting so super excited about this move!

You'll be pleased to know that there are a couple of stunningly good Indian restaurants in Warsaw (and two fairly good ones, two acceptable ones and two which are not worth visiting). Both Namaste and Namaste Clay Oven serve curry which is far better than anything I ever had in the UK (which is one of the main centres for modern Indian food now) and both charge less than 25zl for a full meal.


For things for your salsa try ostrakuchnia.pl

Fresh cilantro - kolendra in Polish - can be found at outdoor markets, so maybe at Hala Targowa in Gdynia?


Coriander - dry kolendra in Polish - is found in all health/bio food stores and most supermarkets.

@ Harry

If you think Namaste serves better curry than anything you've had in the UK I dread to think which restaurants you've been to or where you lived.

They do serve a decent & cheap curry but it doesnt compare to what's available in London, not by a long shot.

highly highly highly overrated! I never ate curry in London but I lived in India... I ate at Namaste once. The staff are unfriendly and the food was horrible. Just my experience... Better off paying the 8zl for the premade packaged Indian food from India and cook some rice. Much tastier.