Revolution in Warsaw! In the Polish capital there is a bakery – and the Christmas market is also delicious

Cocktails poured from trophy-shaped pitchers, hollow chairs, tables covered in actual soccer goals: welcome to Warsaw with a sporty twist, courtesy of David Beckham’s own version of Poland, who will compete in the World Cup next week.

Nine’s bar and restaurant in Browary Warszawskie – a former brewery converted into dining halls, shops and restaurants – is the work of Poland and Barcelona star striker Robert Lewandowski is about to score, along with the statement ” Get ready for the game!”

By that he means nibbling on fondue-covered pretzels, tucking into huge piles of barbecue ribs and craft ales and vodka concoctions while watching the latest games on a series of giant screens.

Poland and Warsaw are perhaps best known for their bar mleczny (or “milk bars”), nondescript and often bland communist-era canteens that survive into the 21st century thanks to cheap fare such as pork liver, dumplings and borscht (beetroot soup). has. ).

But something is changing on the food front in Poland’s capital, and the reason is simple: the rise and rise of the Food Hall.

Both Browary Warszawskie, with its collection of lively food stalls and bars, and a microbrewery opened this year, as well as the long-awaited Elektrownia Powisle in an old power station on the Vistula River, billed as Warsaw’s version of London’s Borough Market.

Warsaw’s foodie revolution is turning the capital into a year-round destination. In winter there is a Christmas market and an ice rink in the old town (photo)

Here, Vietnamese noodles are served alongside stands full of spicy Indian curries, Middle Eastern hummus and Philadelphia cheesesteaks. “This is not the place if you want Polish food,” says an American student sitting at our table, hidden in a dim sum box.

She’s right – there is an international push, almost as if Warsaw is reacting to its former communist cuisine. Even the drinks and music have a worldly twist: Negronis and Long Island iced tea cocktails starring the Beatles and James Brown.

It’s a culinary revolution that’s making the capital a year-round destination – and there’s a fantastic Christmas market with an ice-skating rink in the Old Town’s main square. This year it is from 25 November to 6 January.

Among the other food halls, Hala Gwardii is a cave-like market that sells sausages, pickles and local cheese. And Hala Koszyki is a lovely Art Nouveau building where you can get beef ribs and craft lager while listening to Chopin.

With the Raffles Europejski hotel, where the Rolling Stones stayed after being swallowed, and the opening of Warsaw’s Nobu, there are now two first-class hotels in the city.

So no more gloom from the communist era. The Warsaw revolution is a kind of revelation.

Hala Koszyki is a lovely Art Nouveau building that serves beef ribs and craft lager while listening to Chopin

Housed in an old power station on the Vistula River, Elektrownia Powisle is billed as Warsaw’s version of London’s Borough Market