Fukier: Magda Gessler - restauracje Warszawa

Ambiance makes this Old Warsaw restaurant special

Fukier Restaurant Warsaw, situated in the quaint Old Town district, is lavishly decorated, luxuriously furnished and sumptuous spread with Polish and international delicacies. The rococo-esque atmosphere created by proprietor Magda Gessler may be considered by critics as gaudy, even kitsch, yet the hall, dining rooms, inner garden & cellar have been carefully designed for indulgence befitting monarchs and the who’s-who of the silver screen.

During summer months there’s a terrace across from the restaurant’s entrance that opens onto the central square of old Warsaw. Fukier Restaurant’s exclusive outdoor terrace area is adorned with potted trees and flowerpots around hardwood tables with overhead umbrellas; and the same setting at night, but with wrought iron street lanterns and the glow of candlelight. Inside Fukier Restaurant are some of the most luxurious rooms, decadent halls (and a well-appointed basement lair), in which to be served a meal. The opulence of the hall begins with curved ceilings, archways, antique doors, cornices, mirrors, wall mountings, cushions, draperies, and elaborate chandeliers with intertwined flowers & dangling ribbons around circular frames that mimic Wianki garlands of the Polish midsummer solstice festival: Noc Świętojańska (St. John’s Night).

Eclectic artwork is everywhere. There are china cabinets with crystal goblets and show tables overflowing with flowers, wine, bread & pastry in arrangements resembling Caravaggio still-life paintings. Guest tables are positioned for comfort and views – toward the window facing the old town square or in a nook amidst art. There are rooms accented with floral pillows and rose-coloured table settings; areas with crisp linens and white peonies; private chambers outfitted for intimate banquets and parties of eight or ten; a small hideaway secreted in the inner courtyard where a few tables have a unique reverse view of the picturesque windows…and one more space…the basement.

Although the basement is part of Magda Gessler’s signature Fukier establishment, it feels like an old Warsaw restaurant all its own. Down below the deluxe rooms and regal hall is a brick cellar with domed ceilings and arched doorways with vaults adorned by relics, an old armoire, a ship replica, and lots wine. Tables are set beneath brick columns; chairs are hardwood and wicker; linens are starched white; lighting comes from candles in old wine bottles, and the floor has an antique rug – nothing more. It’s the right environment in which to taste Polish food…down in the wine cellar underneath one of the most historic old Warsaw restaurants; a delightful way to savour Poland if you’re not as fortunate (as a certain Sambawalker writer) to have a Babcia-in-law and a Teściowa with whom to dine at home.

The Menu: Exploring the original, Magda Gessler, restauracje Warszawa

At Restauracja U Fukiera (or as it’s also known: Restauracja Gessler Warszawa), the menu primarily consists of Polish food. However, it also offers international treats like Lithuanian chilled crayfish & veal soup; Hungarian goulash with peppers & potato noodles; Russian Chatka crab pancakes; Italian papardelle; Matjes herring tartar with honey on rye bread (Gessler’s version of the Swedish/Dutch/German classic), Provence salad with baked goat’s cheese & honey-rosemary sauce; Tsar’s Russia salad with crab & tomato dressing; Spanish prawns with olives, garlic & peppers cooked in clay dishes, and Andalusian Gazpacho. There are fusion Sephardic combinations like Foie gras on toasted chola bread (a Jewish sweet roll often braided) with calvados (French apple brandy) and apples; Halva Parfait with pistachio meringue & orange sauce, and Cheesecake from Krakow traveling to Vienna. These are a few items on the international menu of this exclusive Old Warsaw restaurant.

Polish dishes include Polish smoked salmon with red caviar; tenderloin steak tartar with egg yolk; herring; smoked lake eel with honey-dill sauce; potato pancakes with red caviar, boiled egg & onion; Warsaw style tripe on veal shanks with dumplings; sour soup with white sausage; red borsch; baked carp; whole marinated trout; forest-style tenderloin with wild mushrooms; roast duck with baked apples, pierogis, and crispy goose with black glaze & Silesian potato noodles. The menu reflects the handiwork of Chef Magda Gessler, recognized for having founded or re-birthed some of the top Warsaw restaurants – many strategically situated in the Old Town Warsaw district; others in places like Żelazowa Wola – famous for being Chopin’s birthplace, and Łódź (135 kilometers from Warsaw), birthplace of acclaimed Polish-American pianist Arthur Rubinstein.

Magda Gessler Warszawa – Secrets to her success

Chef Magda Gessler not only knows how to design menus to delight eyes and taste buds, but delivers poignant, no-nonsense, recommendations to flailing restaurateurs via the sizzling hot television series: Kitchen Revolution, created in the style of British chef (and thirteen-time Michelin star recipient) Gordon Ramsey and his Kitchen Nightmares.

Despite controversy over having kept the prominent last name after her divorce from Piotr Gessler, Magda Gessler (born Ikonowicz) has gone on to become one of the top Polish restaurant moguls; her name linked to the original Fukier Restaurant Warsaw in the old town; Zielnik Café on Odyńca in Warsaw; Gar Italian Restaurant on Jasna Street (róg Sienkiewicza), as well as  the first Magda Gessler Polka Restaurant Warsaw on Świętojańska Street; the second Polka Restaurant in Żelazowa Wola about fifty kilometers west of Warsaw - famous as the birthplace of composer Frédéric Chopin; and a third Polka on Ogrodowa Street in Łódź. Other eclectic Magda Gessler Warszawa restaurants include Słodki Słony on Mokotowska Street & Restauracja AleGloria in Plac Trzech Krzyży. Of all her venues, she’s best known for Fukier and the Magda Gessler Polka Restaurant in Żelazowa Wola. New York Times “Dining & Wine” writer Ginanne Brownell said: “It seems as if every other restaurant in Warsaw these days has some association with her. She owns two patisseries and two traditional Polish restaurants and she is a partner in 12 others that have franchised her name and use her as a consultant on everything from the menu to the décor.”

Sambawalker map of Warsaw

Let Sambawalker walk you through the streets of one of Eastern Europe’s most historic cities; tasting Polish food by day and partying at night. Sambawalker participated in the Euro 2012 European Football Championship by featuring themed Warsaw maps such as: Warsaw Clubbing – a printed map published in June 2012.