Warsaw - Restauracja Ceprownia

Dearest sweethearts,

Last December I took my dear friend, who was visiting us for a week, for a short one - day trip to Warsaw. I love these kind of trips because you see something new and change the environment and you don't even have to pack for it. You can be as free as a bird! Ioana never visited Warsaw before so I thought I would show her around the main sites in the Old Town. Now in case you have not visited Poland (Warsaw) during wintertime, you might not know that you need to layer up like an onion. It gets chilly and even though it may be sunny and bright, you may have howling winds that can tear you down! Be prepared! The awesome part is that from Kraków to Warsaw you can have a very comfortable high-speed train that would take you to the Warsawa Centralna station in around 2 hours and 30 minutes! Perfect for a small nap or watching one movie or reading a few chapters of your "ongoing" book. We took the train that gets to Warsaw at a bit after 8 am and the first thing we had planned was a short trip to the Palace of Culture - the Communistic monument that sits right outside the Main Train Station ;) and that is a landmark of this city. Some think it's odd and old and outdated and certainly not beautiful, but I think it holds a certain charisma. Not to mention it provides one of the best birds eye views over Warsaw - 360 degrees! ;) the viewing platform opens at 9 am daily, and that was the first place we went. Downside for this trip during wintertime: it's bloody cold and even more windy than downstairs!!! We were all layered up and still we could not handle more than 15-20 min up there! Make sure you visit this place in warm weather! It's much nicer and last time I have been there, in august, I even used the relaxing chairs and basked in the sun. Oh! Summer...

After getting mortified by the serious winds in Warsaw we immediately felt hungry as a wolf! (As one does when it's bloody cold outside!). We did not want the fast food, that is usually open 24/7 so we tried to find a restaurant that would be open. To my amazement all restaurants/pubs/shops would open up only after 10 am... hence we headed towards the Old Town, the Palace, hoping that in the meanwhile we will find something good open. Sincerely speaking we had no contingency plan and we did not even Google it. We went with the flow, and very close to the Bristol Hotel we found this one Restauracja  (=restaurant, in Polish language) that just had opened its doors to the cold customers outside. It was the Restauracja Ceprownia! I sincerely never heard if this place but we thought we should give it a go. It looked cozy and pleasant and it somehow reminded me of Babcia Malina in Kraków. The restaurant here, although, as far as I could see, is not self service but I am confused how only one lady can manage the upstairs and downstairs when the restaurant is full... maybe extra staff... and I saw some pictures on their Instagram and Facebook accounts that in the summer they have also a bit of outdoor seating! :) Anyway... the place is cozy, done on highlander style: all wood and decorated with old fashioned instruments to help around the house (like buckets for milk and doing butter, made out of wood). It was decorated with soft lights for Christmas/New Year's Eve time and the place had a soft morning glow about it...

We settled down to a couple of wooded benches decorated with handmade yarn covers and soon the waitress came to us and handed in the menus in Polish - English. We went with the "Breakfast continental platter" as we were hungry as wolfes and we asked for hot tea to warm ourself inside out. The serving time was around 10-15 min but we had a good time chatting in the meanwhile and defrosting ourselves with the hot tea, that came in first. I would not say it was the best breakfast I ever ate but we were very hungry and we ate everything, to the last morsel! The cheese and ham went well with the bread and we made sandwiches with the onion and cucumber on top. That was well done ;) but I was really dissapointed on the amount of scrambled eggs received! I think it was barely one! It was a nice idea though to serve it with onion tails. My granny used to cook scrambled eggs like that, and it reminded me of her. Downside to the butter and jam: not homemade! :( I am sorry, but ever since Charlotte (in Kraków) I keep having high standards when it comes to being served with bread/butter/jam! So... verdict: I was NOT content but my stomach was full and happy. I guess you can't win them all... can't you?! 

The location: Krakowskie Przedmieście 7, Warsaw - that would be in the Old Town ;) 

The ranking on TripAdvisor: 53 reviews gathering 4 out of 5 points; #305 of 1574 Restaurants in Warsaw, with the average price of 7 - 14 GBP. 

Opening hours: Sunday and Saturday from 11 am to midnight; Monday to Thursday from 10 am to 10 pm & Friday from 10 am to midnight.

The prices:
- tea (simple, of your choice) - 8 zloty
- espresso - 7 zloty
- tea with vodka or cherry vodka or rum - 14 zloty
- hot wine (150 ml) - 12 zloty
- lemonade (200 ml) - 10 zloty (it can be "cloudy" or classic)
- breakfast continental = scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, bread, butter, jam, coffee or tea - 22 zloty

Would I recommend this place? Only if you can't make it for the Charlotte in Warsaw... or if there is nothing else around open, with a better option than this... I did read a couple of nice reviews (after) of this place, about the lunch options. Maybe one day I will come back and give it a go, but until then... Charlotte is still my "lover" when it comes to breakfast options. If you know a good breakfast place in Old Town Warsaw, around the Palace, I would love to hear it from you. Maybe I would try that next time :) 

Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug that loves breakfast