Tastes of Toronto in Warszawa
Toronto is a diverse city with a huge range of tasty North American and international cuisines weaved throughout the city. Can this be found in Warsaw? Find out below!
One of the best parts about growing up in Toronto is getting exposed to so many different cultures. At school, your friends can be from all sorts of backgrounds as Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. According to a 2021 census, 42.5% of the city’s residents spoke a first language that wasn’t English or French. Toronto is an English-speaking city so this number shows you just how diverse Torontonians can be.
What comes with such a diverse city? Well, a lot of good things, but in my opinion, one of the best things is the incredible array of markets, restaurants, grocery stores, fast food spots, street food vendors, etc. Living in Warsaw, I often crave specific things from Toronto - proper American cheeseburgers, a slice of cheese pizza (just a slice or two - not a whole pizza), Chinese food, breakfast from a greasy spoon diner, Mexican, Korean BBQ, or an Indian curry wrapped in a roti. This is quintessential Toronto food to me.
Warsaw has amazing food options and there are a lot of great restaurants, but the things I listed above don’t often taste like they do back home. After 5 years of trialing and erroring in Warsaw, I am happy to share my “Tastes of Toronto in Warszawa”! These are my favourite spots that I think are making authentic food that is gosh darn delicious and reminds me of home.
This place almost serves the perfect burger for my taste. I say almost because while the burgers here are smashed beautifully with crispy edges and simply dressed - a slice of cheese, pickles, white onions, ketchup, and mustard - they use a brioche bun. I prefer a potato roll which is how smash burgers are often served back in Toronto. Brioche bun and all, I am still a huge fan of this spot.
In Toronto, we have a rich pizza-by-the-slice culture. Late at night, it’s the best snack after a few drinks or when you want a quick and inexpensive meal. This place brings me back to slice shops in Toronto. Located on Nowy Świat, it’s a great place to eat out front and people-watch.
This is exactly the type of Chinese restaurant I love. A place where they have a wide array of tasty options so you can come with your friends, order a bunch of different things, and share it all. The interior of the restaurant reminds me of Chinese restaurants back in Toronto. A little tacky, but in a charming way. My two favourite dishes are the dumplings with pork and chives and the eggplant with ground pork. The sauce for the eggplant dish is so damn tasty and I love dipping the dumplings into it. I am often in a food coma after eating here :)
This is the best Korean fried chicken in Warsaw - I said it! Crispy chicken with a well-balanced sweet and spicy sauce. Their banchan, the small side dishes often served in addition to your meal, are delicious. We always ask for refills. There are lots of other tasty dishes here but I always come back to the fried chicken. What can I say? I am a glutton :) The restaurant itself doesn’t have the best vibe so we mostly order takeaway.
Here you will find tasty Mexican tacos and burritos. The tacos come in a freshly-made corn tortilla and the burritos in a delicate wheat tortilla. The wheat tortilla tastes great but it’s a little too delicate which makes eating it a tad bit messy so be warned! Their salsas are perfectly acidic cutting through the richly flavoured meat and cheese. You’re sure to be well-satiated after.
If you’ve been reading carefully, you will have noticed that I haven’t been able to find a couple of Toronto staples in Warsaw - a good Indian spot and a greasy spoon diner. For those wondering what a greasy spoon is, it’s a place where you can get a proper breakfast. By that, I mean a place where you can order eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries (pan-fried potatoes), fluffy pancakes with maple syrup, and a side of buttered toast. If you know of some places in Warsaw that you think are a good option, please share in the comments below. I would be grateful.
Have you been to any of these places? If so, let me know what you think!
