Milk Bars : Budget meals in Warsaw

The milk bar, or ‘Bar Mlecznys’ in Polish, offers simple and hearty food made for the masses. The first milk bar was opened in Warsaw in 1896 and sold mainly dairy items. After the first world war, they were subsidised by the government and developed as a place that offers nutritious and cheap foods for workers.

There are several milk bars in Warsaw and we visited 3 during our 3 days stay in the city. Some are more modernised, others made us feel like we were back in time in the 1980’s, but they all offered inexpensive and tasty home style dishes with a very fast turnover.

Here are the well-known (probably now slightly stereotyped) 3 golden rules of Milk Bars:

1. Don’t expect a smile
2. Have cash
3. Learn Polish

Let’s see how we went, and find out if the above rules still apply…

Rusalka

This was our first Polish milk bar experience ever, and frankly, was a baptism of fire. Rusałka, for us, was the most traditional milk bar in this Warsaw trip – the decor, the vibe, the surly staff…

Thankfully, they had an English menu, so I just pointed at what I wanted to the lady at the till who did’t speak English. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I first turned the menu around so the till lady could see it the right way up, but she turned it around back to me with lightning sharp almost aggressive speed with a tinge of anger. I was touched and surprised at the same time as I saw it as a sign of hospitality. Or did I offend the pride of the true professional milk bar lady? We didn’t see any card machines or anyone paying by card. We didn’t ask, but this place might be cash only.

I handed my order on a piece of paper to a kitchen lady and all kitchen ladies stared at us, as if we did something wrong.

We had krokiety (fried pancake rolls filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms, 6.50PLN), krupnik (barley soup, 4PLN) and Bigos (meet stew, 6.50PLN). Everything was really tasty, I could eat their pancakes and the barley soup everyday!

Verdict: All 3 milk bar rules still strongly apply in Rusałka. I do recommend people to come here to experience that ‘authentic’ vibe. The kitchen ladies are positively intimidating, but they sure can cook true comfort food. The till lady appears stern, but she patiently helped me with my ordering and my attempt to use a few polish words were warmly appreciated.

Prasowy

If you are a tourist and have never been to a Polish milk bar before, Prasowy might be a good place to start. They have a very casual, modern and cafe-like appearance with staff members wearing black T-shirts. As with all other milk bars, their menu is on the wall. Their English menu is a poster next to the door and does not show all items (for example, no pierogi). However, what’s tourist friendly about their English menu, is the ‘set menu’. Normally, you’ll have to order each item all individually, but their set menu already puts typical main+sides combinations together and saves tourists and the restaurant lots of time. A girl at the till spoke a little English and helped us with our orders. You can pay by card here.

C ordered a pork schnitzel with potato mash and salad (15.90PLN), I ordered potato pancakes with mushroom sauce, no salad (6.90PLN), but they added the salad anyway (only extra 3PLN). We also shared a bottle of lemonade (3.50PLN), tomato soup (3.90PLN) and spinach pierogi with onions (9.50PLN). They cooked the potato pancakes and pierogi to order. Everything was plentiful and tasty, the only thing we weren’t too impressed by, was the spinach pierogi which lacked in flavour.

Verdict: People were friendly here, but in a not over the top, straight talking Polish way, which I like. This is a modern milk bar where tourists can experience the same hearty Polish meal for the same affordable price without worrying about the 3 golden rules.

Familijny

Familijny is located on fashionable Nowy Swiat street, yet, as soon as you step in, you go right back in time. It is a very traditional looking milk bar. The menu on the board shows how much each item costs and if it’s available.

They have an English menu which seems like a translation of an entire menu. It does not show the prices, but we would have been lost without it. The girl at the till spoke a little English and was very kind. They take cards. The kitchen lady spoke to me in Polish and made sure I get all of my orders with a reassuring smile.

C had a tripe soup, a cabbage roll with meat inside and kefir (a yogurt drink). I had a beetroot soup with beans and pancakes with egg. We paid by cash and our receipt was taken to the kitchen, but I think the soups were around 4PLN, the pancakes and the meat dish were around 6PLN. For C, the dishes here were the best in our Warsaw trip. I was really happy with my foods also.

Verdict: None of the golden rules apply for Familijny, specially the No.1. People were warm and welcoming here. This, perhaps might be the best place for tourists who have time to squeeze in only 1 milk bar during their Warsaw visit. They tick lots of boxes in terms of location, payment options, friendliness and authenticity.

Plus one: Mleczarnia Jerozolimska

Apparently Polands’ first ever milk bar which has gone through a few closings and re-openings. We went in, but the small restaurant was completely packed and we decided to go to Familijny instead. They also had exactly the same English menu as Prasowy, so I won’t be surprised if they were under the same management.

I don’t know how milk bars are going to develop and change from now on, but I thought, as a tourist, they were rare and fantastic places to visit and experience as they combine culture, history and very affordable food all in one.