Last weekend, after a late night of carousing, my friend Murph introduced me to Warsaw's answer to Taco Bell. Located near the Palace of Culture and Science, which dominates the city skyline, is the legendary Food Bus. I'm sure it has some other more descriptive moniker in the native language, but for me "Food Bus" was all I needed to hear. With opening hours from midnight 'til dawn, it was the type of cuisine any not-so-discriminating (i.e. intoxicated) palate would crave.
Upon entering the vintage 70's chariot of mass transit, we were greeted by a no-nonsense pani (older woman) who took our order (be ready with your Polish). A man who probably drove the bus when it was in service feverishly worked the grill where the dashboard of the bus once was. I had heard tales of singing drunks and vomiting foreigners but, regretably, only a few old bums were there to entertain us at 4:30 AM.
Two bowls of zurek, a kielbasa, schitzel, and a plate of peirogies only set us back about 30 zloty ($10). Now try satiating your appetite with a couple 7-layer burritos after dining on this early morning Polish feast. You'll never look at another drive-thru again folks. There is a distinct lack of late night drive-thrus in Poland anyway. This could have something to do with the zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving. One drop of booze when you're behind the wheel and you are doing time in the Polish pokey.
For those making the trip to Poland this year, make sure we make a journey to the food bus. It might not be on the tourist maps but it certainly is one of the more unique icons of Warsaw night life. As for the rest of them, I'll let you figure those out when you get here.
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