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Welcome to the Summer edition of Warsaw In Your Pocket! This is THE best time of year to drop into the capital and “Love Warsaw” (cover translation). It has long been this editor’s favorite time of year to put paper to pen as well. I only mention this dear readers, as alas, this is the last issue of Warsaw in Your Pocket I will be editing. It has been an extreme pleasure and an honor editing this guide for the past 5 years. Not an issue has gone by where I haven’t looked forward to hitting the streets to see what’s new, or to dig into another corner of the city’s multilayered history for one of our features. I am waxing more than a little nostalgic as I’ll also be leaving behind the best marketing, editing, graphic, research and publishing team in the business. I’d like to personally thank Gosia and Garret for entrusting me with the almost sacred task of editing this fantastic guide and for being so patient and supportive over the years. Also, a final tip of my hat to our graphic designer extraordinaire Tomáš, thanks for putting up with all of my shenanigans over the years! And a big thank you to YOU, dear readers! Keep reading Warsaw in Your Pocket for another hundred issues.
Sto Lat! Kocham Warszawę 🙂 Thymn Chase
Cover photo by Poland IYP Warsaw photographer, Mat Fahrenholz.
Main Feature: Warsaw by Ligth
One of Warsaw’s best kept secrets is where half the city disappears to in the summer. From May-October, when the sun is shining Varsovians can be found beating the heat down by the river. Check out where to eat and drink when the sun is bright and the weather just right.
New reviews in this issue
Bubble Waffle 
Waffles (gofry) have been a staple of Polish ‘quick eats’ for as long as anyone can remember and one doesn’t have to go far before spotting someone munching on a golden waffle smothered in fruit puree and a K2 sized mountain of whipped cream.
Porca Miseria Bar & Osteria 
Small and quaint Italian restaurant which takes you on a trip around the regional tastes of Italy. Not a place to worry about the bustling city outside, they’re more inspired by the casual ambience of small restaurants you may stumble across by chance while touring the Italian countryside. Multilingual waiting staff, a chef from Rome, a fine wine list, and an open kitchen.
The Bell
Under the ownership of elegant ladieswear designer Monica Nera, there is no questioning the stylish and attractive interior of this eatery and it’s fabulously designed outdoor garden area. The mainly Polish/European signature menu is a seasonally adjusted, short and perfectly managed affair.
Casa Ristoranti
As it’s located in the modern Atrium 2 office building, close to the ONZ roundabout, perhaps Casa (home) should have been called Ufficio (office). The menu tends to stick to the classics of Italian cuisine but in the hands of star chef Marcin Piotrowski, dishes are executed in an exemplary manner – why mess around with classics?
Biała – zjedz i wypij
The latest in a long line of projects by art, culture and gastronomy whizz kids, The Warsaw Group, sees the superb, modernist Łepkowski white villa in Saska Kępa (built in 1935, architects: Lucjan Korngold and Piotr Lubiński) awaken from its many years of slumber. During the summer months, the garden is one of THE places to be seen in Warsaw.
6 cocktails 
Taking the idea from the New York fad for ‘covert bars’, 6 Cocktails enforces its exclusivity by asking potential customers to email them prior to visiting – they then send you an invitation (or not?). Turn up at the iron gate, push the buzzer and waltz up to the second floor apartment to spend an evening sipping classic and signature cocktails, lounging around staring at the beautiful people or dancing to some of the best local and international DJ’s.
Gemba 
Nice little retro bar, fitted out with all manner of ever so slightly kitschy 1970’s-80’s bits and pieces. The downstairs room looks like they’ve looted their gran’s apartment and hidden it all in the basement. A fun and casual venue with a fine selection of regional beers/cider on tap, a good range of bottled beers, toxic spirits and even some wines from Polish vineyards. The munchies are taken care of with a selection of Polish tapas.
The Taps
Once upon a time, in the long and distant past, ul. Sienciewicza was possibly the coolest street in town for a rollocking night out. Hopefully, with the opening of this fine, three levelled multi-tap, craft beer emporium, this little street is set to be picked up on the ‘cool radar’ once again.
Smolna
This sparse and bunkerlike club based on the Berlin underground techno model is situated in a grand old city centre townhouse, just seconds away from the landmark ‘palm tree’. The music delves deep into the murky world of all aspects of electronica but they’re a pretty radical and experimental group of folks, so you never know what musical journey they’ll whisk you through.
Warsaw Museum 
After a long and exhaustive renovation, one of our favourite museums in Warsaw finally reopened in grand fashion at the end of May. The revamped museum’s storied permanent collection (consisting of 300,000 items total) now consists of three new curated sections: The Things of Warsaw, The Warsaw Data and The History of Tenement Houses.
