Wandal: A One-of-a-Kind Restaurant Reinventing Polish Cuisine

There are very few restaurants in Warsaw that feel as solid, as confident, and as uncompromising as Wandal. And damn, it really is a one-of-a-kind place.

A year ago, sommelier and co-owner Piotr Pietras, chef Adrian Bęben and the rest of the team didn't just create one of the city's most original restaurants – they kept refining it in every possible direction. To the point where Michelin's Opening of the Year award feels fully deserved even to people who didn't agree with the results of the ceremony itself. 

And, of course, that Michelin trophy gave me the perfect excuse to return to Wandal for another review.

The interior by Michał Jagiełło still looks just as stunning: raw concrete, pale wood, metal, huge floor-to-ceiling windows framed by grey curtains, sculptural vases, and wonderfully unusual lighting. It's the kind of visual language you recognize on an almost instinctive level.

Once you've seen Wandal in person, you simply won't confuse it with anywhere else. I'm willing to guarantee that.

The food was already impressive when the restaurant opened. Now, it has somehow drifted off into the stratosphere. This is remarkably intelligent, elegant and mature Polish cuisine – free of pretension, yet with an extraordinary sense of style.

Their version of potato pierogi is as elegant as it is striking: beautifully delicate dough, salted twaróg mousse, and a generous dusting of vadouvan spice. The flavour of vadouvan instantly brought back the last time I'd tasted it in Warsaw: at Epicurien – where one of Wandal's newer faces, Piotr Komorski, worked before joining the restaurant. Coincidence? I don't think so.

The steak tartare is, quite simply, one of the best in the city. Inspired by post-war Polish culinary traditions, it's served with smoked sprat mousse, wood sorrel, and horseradish. The balance of flavours and textures, the concept, and its flawless execution create one of those rare dishes that changes not only the way you taste food, but even the way you think about Polish cuisine.

The same goes for Wandal's signature dish – pyzy with 36-month-aged Bursztyn cheese cream, Polish summer truffle, and a crunchy topping made from crispy potato scraps. It's pure greatness – a dish that has already inspired homages at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Kyoto. Thank you for keeping it on the menu.

The chicken with koji mushroom sauce and a foam made from six different peppers is just about flawless as well. Cooked sous-vide before being finished over the grill, it has a remarkable texture while bringing together creaminess, acidity, umami, and delicate peppery notes in perfect balance.

And then there's «Strawberries and Cream». Such a simple name, yet such a brilliant dessert. Chewy bread sponge, exceptional cream, fresh strawberries, and strawberry sorbet creating a beautiful contrast of temperatures – one of those desserts where deeply familiar flavours take on an entirely new (and absolutely wonderful) form.

The only things that caught me slightly off guard were the service priorities (for some reason, newly seated guests who haven't ordered yet seem to end up at the bottom of the list) and the overall unhurried pace of service. 

But, damn, those are such tiny details compared to how monumental Wandal feels as a restaurant that I don't even want to dwell on them. I'd much rather come back for the pyzy, order the tartare again – and continue recommending Wandal to everyone who finds themselves in Warsaw

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