Vegan in Warsaw

Warsaw, Poland may not spring to mind when thinking of vegan cuisine, but in the last few years the East European city has seen a near explosion in plant based eateries. The turning point for all of this might have been in the year 2013 when a major Warsaw newspaper held a poll for the best local burger establishment in the city. Krowarzywa, a vegan burger restaurant, ranked the highest winning the poll. What is more remarkable is this ranking put Krowarzywa up against other meat based burger establishments and beat them all. This caused a surge in popularity for Krowarzywa as many citizens wanted to visit and try the burgers for themselves. This incident totally changed the local perception about vegan food and more vegan restaurants started to rapidly appear in Warsaw.


Many of the locals were at first resistant and critical to the rise of vegan restaurants in Warsaw. The common assumption that old Polish favorite foods could not be enjoyed. Thanks to some skilled local chefs many of the standards of Polish cuisine have been “veganized” to great acclaim. Perogies, borscht, even fried pork chop have been successfully transformed into plant based versions and are available in many local eateries. What’s more is the plant based popularity has revived many vegetables traditional to Polish dishes that were nearly forgotten in recent years.
Typically veganism leads to the creation of new dishes that people get reaccustomed too, but in this case veganism has perpetuated traditional Polish gastronomy. This has made the Polish vegan food scene especially unique.

Compared to many other cities where veganism is popular Warsaw seems to see more new vegan establishments appearing than any other city. The citizens of Warsaw seem to view veganism as more than a health fad but as a holistic approach to eating that benefits everyone no matter what sort of eating habits they have. Citing the health benefits as one of the driving forces behind this new passion for plant based cuisine. This may speak to the open mindedness of the local people willing to try a different kind of food.

Many of the restaurants are small businesses and locally owned so there is often an attention to detail through the use of quality and locally sourced ingredients. The prices are also reasonable as many owners want to welcome all customers and provide food that most people can afford.

Marta Dymek, a local food blogger, was a major force in the promotion of veganism in Warsaw. After transitioning her blog to an exclusive vegan focus she went on to write a vegan cookbook. The book was immensely popular and sold out in less than a month. Like many of the vegan chefs in Warsaw, she realized that working with just plant foods forced her to open up her culinary literacy exploring uncharted territory. She was able to create innovative and creative dishes that embraced a wide range of local and exotic flavors. She emphasizes veganism does not require fancy ingredients, rather all that is required can be found in local grocers and farmers markets. Now Dymek teaches vegan cooking workshops helping other Warsaw locals re-adapt their food preparation skills and embrace a healthy way to cook and eat.

Warsaw is definitely a worthwhile visit for vegan food tourists. Aside from the vegan restaurants popping up everyday Warsaw also hosts vegan festivals and events. Ready to book a trip to this east European city? Be sure to take this list of vegan restaurants along for a quick reference. Be sure to tell them Gorilla Picnic sent you. 

Popular Vegan Eateries in Warsaw Poland:

Krowarzywa

 Youmiko Vegan Sushi

Vege Kiosk

Lokal Dela Krem

Edamame Vegan Sushi

Chwast Polski