Bar Mleczny Familijny

Located on probably the most famous street in Warsaw - Nowy Świat - Bar Mleczny Familijny or the Milk Bar is a mandatory place to stop by if you are in the city. The place is not actually a bar as its name says but a small restaurant, cafeteria-style serving traditional polish food. Nothing fancy, but a nice and cozy atmosphere. Many other similar restaurants can be found all around Warsaw, but this one is very central and easy to find. The restaurant is open from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 8 pm and from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

As a student, with not so much time at my disposal nor the mood for cooking I found it to be the perfect place to have lunch after a day at university. But the place is a great choice for tourists as well as for the locals, since the food is always fresh, very cheap and most of the time is not worth spending the time and effort on cooking at home when there’s this option. I mentioned lunch, but the restaurant serves breakfast as well.

It is very important to mention that this is not a place to have lunch and a long conversation, but the place to quickly eat the food and get back on the road. That means that there are no waiters, instead there’s a line, you pay at the casher (cash only is accepted) and wait at the food counter for your order.

The place is not very spacious so it might be sometimes a problem to find a free table the moment you get there. If that’s the case just wait for a few minutes and study the menu carrefully, because it’s a real struggle to decide what to take with so many goodies available. Sometimes, especially during lunch time there’s also a queue, but usually things are moving fast. If after picking up your order it’s still crowded, be ready to share the table with strangers.

The menu is displayed on the wall next to the entrance. The disadvantage for foreigners is that the menu is in polish only. So is better to check the name of a few dishes before going there or have a dictionary at your disposal. If not, there’s also the option to count on the kindness of a polish speaker.

The menu is very diversified and all the traditional polish dishes are available. The prices are for sure the most affordable I have found in the whole Warsaw and no more expensive than 4 euro for one meal. And given the variety, many different tasty combinations can be made.

As a person who could happily live only on sweets I declare my favorite dish to be by far the pancakes with sweet cheese and cream and I confidently recommend it!