Italian cooking in Warsaw
Bottegas is two Italian restaurants in Warsaw: Bottegas Śródmieście at ul. Oboźna 9 in Powiśle and Bottegas Saska Kępa at ul. Francuska 24. They were founded by three Italian friends: Antonio and Roberto from Naples and Matteo Liscaio from Tuscany. We serve contemporary Neapolitan pizza and a short Italian menu with many DOP ingredients, with pasta, ragù and desserts made in house.
Italiano vero
“Semplice. Fresco. Italiano vero.” It isn't a slogan for the wall; it's how we build the menu. Simple means a few ingredients on the plate, each one you can taste. Fresh means ragù cooked from scratch every day, and pasta and desserts made in house. Truly Italian means no “Italian-style” reinventions. Where the phrase comes from, and how to spot a real Italian restaurant: Italiano vero, what it means.
The menu is short, because only a short menu can be cooked well every single day. We buy what we would buy in Italy: San Marzano DOP tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala campana DOP, pecorino romano DOP, Prosciutto di Parma DOP aged 24 months, Taggiasca olives and extra virgin olive oil.
Bottegas was founded by three Italians — two from Naples and one from Tuscany. We take care over the things Italians will argue about at the table: carbonara without cream, cacio e pepe with three ingredients, pasta al dente.
Every guest who sits down gets a small piece of hot, tall focaccia with a drop of olive oil. On the house, as any good host would do.
Come riconoscerlo
Everyone picks their own best Italian restaurant in Warsaw. At the Wolt Awards Warsaw we won the Italian category, “Dobre, bo włoskie”, and Warsaw Insider named us Best Pizza in Best of Warsaw 2024 – it's all on our Bottegas press and awards page.
You can tell a real Italian restaurant by a few simple things, before you even taste the first dish. These are the signs we hold ourselves to:
Where the phrase comes from, and why it is our motto: Italiano vero, what it means.
Antipasti
In Italy dinner starts with something in the middle of the table. Antipasti are ordered for everyone: you reach for a piece and talk while the rest is on its way.
Arancini della Bottegas (3 pieces, 32 zł) are a Sicilian classic: rice balls filled with our 4-hour ragù and a mozzarella heart. Polpette al Sugo (3 pieces, 42 zł) are veal and pork meatballs braised in San Marzano DOP tomatoes. Sfizi di Mozzarella are mozzarella in panko, fried and served with tomato sauce.
In winter, try the Burrata con Friarielli (46 zł): burrata on warm friarielli with garlic and chilli, with bread made from our dough. It comes from Puglia. To warm up there's also the Zuppa di Pollo e Porcini (24 zł) – our broth with chicken and porcini.
For two, the Tagliere Bottegas (79 zł) is the one to order: Italian cured meats and cheeses, Taggiasca olives and focaccia. A good start to dinner, and a proper plate for aperitivo hour.
I primi
Our Rigatoni Carbonara (59 zł) is made the Roman way: guanciale, egg yolk, pecorino romano DOP and black pepper. No cream, no bacon. The creaminess comes from the yolk bound with pecorino and the fat of the guanciale. We explain why in our piece on real carbonara. With truffle it's 69 zł.
Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe (51 zł) is potato gnocchi, pecorino romano DOP and black pepper. There is nowhere to hide. What matters is the balance and the moment the cheese turns into a smooth sauce.
Our ragù simmers slowly for 4 hours, fresh every day. It goes into the Tagliatelle all'Uovo al Ragù (54 zł) and the Lasagne al Ragù (52 zł), and into the arancini. For most pasta dishes you can choose the shape: spaghetti, rigatoni, tagliatelle, mezzi paccheri or gnocchi.
In winter we make Tortellini in Brodo (58 zł) by hand and serve them in a capon and beef broth. It's an Emilia-Romagna classic, made for cold evenings. Mezzi Paccheri al Salmone (56 zł) come with salmon, cherry tomatoes and a touch of cream.
Pasta starts at 51 zł. Gluten-free penne can be swapped in for any pasta dish (+6 zł).
Secondi e insalate
After the pasta, or instead of it, come the secondi. Orata alla Siciliana (99 zł) is sea bream baked the Sicilian way with datterini tomatoes, Taggiasca olives and capers. Tagliata di Manzo (105 zł) is grilled beef tenderloin, sliced and laid on rocket with parmigiano DOP, cherry tomatoes, lemon oil and a balsamic glaze.
Tartare del Re (95 zł) is beef tenderloin tartare with egg yolk, capers, Dijon mustard and parmesan crisps. Fritto Misto (72 zł) is squid and prawns with ajvar mayo and lemon. And there is Pollo alla Milanese (58 zł).
We take salads seriously. In winter there's the Insalata di Rucola, Pere e Gorgonzola (44 zł): rocket, marinated pear, walnuts and Gorgonzola DOP. Meat-free, not flavour-free. Insalata di Cesare (52 zł) comes with chicken marinated for 12 hours.
I dolci
All our desserts are made by hand, in house. There are three, each at 35 zł. Tiramisù, the Italian classic. Semifreddo con Nocciolata Bio, a half-frozen dessert with hazelnut-cocoa cream. Panna Cotta al Caffè, an espresso panna cotta from Piedmont with warm coffee sauce and cocoa.
Finish with an espresso or a marocchino, the way dinner ends in Italy.
L'aperitivo
In Italy aperitivo is an hour, a ritual and a bitter taste. Between work and dinner you sit down with something bitter in a small glass, plenty of ice, a slice of orange and a little dish of olives. That's how we serve it at both restaurants. We explain where the habit comes from in our piece on the Italian aperitivo.
Aperitivo always comes with something to nibble: Taggiasca olives, a piece of focaccia or a board of Italian cured meats and cheeses for the middle of the table. The drinks card is brought to your table.
At Oboźna, aperitivo also means fresh lemonades and freshly squeezed orange juice. Before dinner it's a good stop for aperitivo after a walk along Krakowskie Przedmieście.
In Saska Kępa, at Bottegas on ul. Francuska 24, there is a full Italian bar. The card comes to your table, and the staff will help you choose something before dinner.
An Italian dinner ends without hurry: dessert, an espresso, a little more talk at the table. At Francuska, ask at your table about a digestivo.
Prima la pizza
Bottegas is first and foremost a Neapolitan pizzeria, in its contemporary form – “contemporanea”. The dough is 80% hydration and matures for 48 hours, the oven runs at 485°C, and a pizza bakes in a little over a minute. The rim is tall and full of air, the centre soft.
Pizzas run from 39 zł (Margherita) to 62 zł (Sole di Napoli), and any of them can be made on gluten-free dough (+20 zł). Warsaw Insider named us Best Pizza in Best of Warsaw 2024. The dough, the oven and the full list are on our page about Neapolitan pizza in Warsaw.
Due ristoranti
Bottegas is two Italian restaurants in Warsaw, on both sides of the Vistula: one in Powiśle, in the City Centre, the other in Saska Kępa.
Both restaurants share the same food menu and the same prices. What differs is the neighbourhood, the feel and the drinks. You can book online or by phone, and orders are taken by staff at your table.
Bottegas Śródmieście at ul. Oboźna 9/104 is the original Bottegas: Powiśle, between Nowy Świat and the University of Warsaw, right by Krakowskie Przedmieście. Teatr Polski is a few minutes away, which makes it an easy pre-theatre dinner. Open daily 13:00–22:00, Fridays and Saturdays until 23:00; tel. +48 780 457 080.
Oboźna is where most things happen. Every Wednesday there's a bilingual pub quiz with Rozkmina, and on selected Thursdays from 19:00 Bottegas Canta – live Italian music at the tables, free entry. In summer the garden is open, dogs are welcome and the entrance is step-free. We run our own delivery, and takeaway too.
Bottegas Saska Kępa at ul. Francuska 24 sits on the main street of Saska Kępa, a green neighbourhood of pre-war villas and cafés on the right bank of the Vistula. You can see the oven from the door, there's a terrace and a full Italian bar. Weekday lunch runs 12:00–16:00. Open daily 12:00–22:00, Fridays and Saturdays until 23:00; tel. +48 780 465 194.
In compagnia
Italian food is meant to be eaten in company. At Oboźna we host groups of up to 80: birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings, team and client dinners, presentations followed by dinner. Your group sits together in a reserved part of the room, and for a bigger event you can book the whole room.
We have a projector and a microphone, and we can put on an evening with live Italian music, a DJ or a quiz in Polish or English. We've been organising events for more than 6 years and adapt the menu, layout and timing to you. We prepare a tailored offer quickly, based on the date, number of guests, type of event and dietary needs.
December is Christmas party season – we explain how we plan them in our piece on an Italian-style Christmas dinner. Full details are on our events and private dining page. At Francuska we host smaller groups for dinner, with the same kitchen.
Domande
Bottegas runs two Italian restaurants in Warsaw: Bottegas Śródmieście at ul. Oboźna 9 in Powiśle and Bottegas Saska Kępa at ul. Francuska 24. They were founded by three Italian friends — Antonio and Roberto from Naples and Matteo from Tuscany — with the same food menu and prices.
Two: Bottegas Śródmieście at ul. Oboźna 9/104 in Powiśle and Bottegas Saska Kępa at ul. Francuska 24. The food menu and prices are the same at both.
At Bottegas, at ul. Oboźna 9 in Powiśle and ul. Francuska 24 in Saska Kępa. Our Rigatoni Carbonara (59 zł, 69 zł with truffle) is made the Roman way: guanciale, egg yolk, pecorino romano DOP and black pepper, no cream. More in our piece on carbonara without cream.
At both Bottegas restaurants, in Śródmieście and Saska Kępa. Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe (51 zł) is potato gnocchi, pecorino romano DOP and black pepper. Our Lasagne al Ragù (52 zł) is made with a ragù that simmers for 4 hours, fresh every day.
At Bottegas, at ul. Oboźna 9 and ul. Francuska 24. We make our tiramisù by hand, in house, and it costs 35 zł. Finish with an espresso or a marocchino.
Yes. Alongside contemporary Neapolitan pizza there are antipasti, pasta, mains, salads and desserts. Pasta, ragù and desserts are made in house.
No. Our Rigatoni Carbonara is made the Roman way: guanciale, egg yolk, pecorino romano DOP and black pepper, no cream. It's 59 zł, or 69 zł with truffle.
Pasta runs from 51 zł (Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe) to 59 zł (Rigatoni Carbonara); carbonara with truffle is 69 zł. The winter Tortellini in Brodo are 58 zł.
Yes. Gluten-free penne is available for pasta dishes (+6 zł), and any pizza can be baked on gluten-free dough (+20 zł). The Vegan Capricciosa is fully vegan. More: gluten-free and vegan pizza in Warsaw.
Bottegas Saska Kępa at ul. Francuska 24 has a full Italian bar with wines from Italy. The drinks card is brought to your table.
It's the hour before dinner: a ritual and a bitter taste – small glass, ice, a slice of orange and Taggiasca olives. We serve aperitivo at both Bottegas, and the drinks card is brought to your table.
Bottegas Śródmieście at ul. Oboźna 9 is a few minutes from Teatr Polski. The menu is short and a pizza bakes in a little over a minute, so dinner fits easily before curtain-up; booking is best.
Yes. Bottegas Śródmieście hosts groups of up to 80, with a projector, microphone and the option of live music; we prepare a tailored offer quickly. Send enquiries to info@bottegas.pl or use the form on the events page.
Yes. Bottegas Saska Kępa serves weekday lunch from 12:00 to 16:00. Bottegas Śródmieście opens at 13:00, so it suits a late lunch, aperitivo and dinner.
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