Travel /
Warsaw to Mlawa - Fastest Mode of Public Transportation on a Sunday in April? [15]
I suppose it depends what sort of place you like - one (very cheap) restaurant/bar is called Carina on ul. Nowowiejska - it's a bit like stepping into the past. Set meals only, and most popular in the afternoon. There used to be lots of places like that but they've been closing down one-by-one over the past few years. I used to have a late lunch there when I worked nearby. The cafe about 50 yards away on pl. Zbawicela is good - a bit more modern but relaxed and friendly - though a bit trendier than the places I normally go to.
Walking down Marszalkowska towards plac Konstitucji there are some decent places - not touristy. The Intercontinental is between the station and the finance district, so there are plenty of places round there, but most of them generic. Hard Rock Cafe, sushi chains, etc.
There's a Polish/Czech place at the bottom of plac Konstitucji called u Szweika, very popular and on Mondays when they do special offers it's hard to get a table Nevertheless it's very worth a visit - the little place at the back, Chłopski Jadło (looks better inside than out) is traditional to the point of kitsch but very authentic food and not touristy. Rather family-oriented though.
Ul. Nowy Swiat has become the main 'going out' area, with a lot of pavement cafes - some of the places in the alleyways off, near the bottom end of the street, are worth visiting.
In the Old Town, some of the best places for going out (and the least touristy) are in the bit called the New Town (a misnomer because it's not at all new), especially round ul, Freta. That is where the Poles tend to go - the tourists tend to stick to the places nearest the Old Town Square, some of which are real tourist traps.
Near the Intercontinental, on ul. Swietokrzyska, there's a little Vietnamese place that people rave over - I've been a couple of times and the food is good, but round the hotel, I personally like the park by the Palace of Culture - there are a couple of Cafes there. Daytime only.
There are some nice Jewish places nearby in pl. Grzybowski - but a bit touristy. Ul. Próźna, off pl Grzybowski has one or two decent places, and the street is a 'must see' but if you go to any of the bars in the pavillions at the end, it's better to do so earlier rather than later - not the safest bit of Warsaw.
Near the hotel, one of the more interesting places is Drink Bar on ul. Wspolna - small and intimate, a bit of a legend and popular with English-speaking Poles, but off the tourist radar. Make sure you have low-denomination notes and some coins - they're hopeless at giving change. It's the type of place where you easily get talking to strangers - not a very Warsaw thing, reallyl. I recommend it. Generally good from 9pm until very late.
I'm not up to strength on the Warsaw nightclubs - not really my scene - maybe someone else here would know.
