Restaurant Scams in Warsaw, Poland
Inflated bills, hidden charges, tourist menus, and food service tricks. Below are the restaurant scams scams reported in Warsaw — how they work and how to avoid them.
For broader context, compare this scam type with nearby destinations like Mykonos, Barcelona, and Krakow.
Last updated: April 2, 2026
2
Restaurant Scams Scams
10
Total in Warsaw
How it works
Friendly strangers — often posing as fellow tourists — approach solo travelers and invite them to bars with hidden pricing. The bill can be enormous, and some venues have added unauthorized card charges. If you refuse, bouncers may intimidate you into going to an ATM.
How it works
In and around the streets adjacent to the Old Town Market Place and Nowy Świat, men are approached by attractive individuals who invite them to a nearby bar for drinks. Once seated, heavily marked-up bills arrive — sometimes thousands of zlotys — for drinks that were never ordered or that cost a fraction of the charged amount. Bouncers or staff then physically intimidate customers into paying. This scam is well-established in Warsaw and has been reported to police repeatedly with limited recourse for victims.
See all scams in Warsaw
10 total warnings across all categories