Martin: I was born in Switzerland, in a mixed Polish-Swiss family. Having graduated in Basel with the support of my mum’s relatives, I moved up here, to Warsaw. I had long dreamed of my own place, where I could infect people with my passion for parlour games. In the beginning I was surprised by the unusual openness and sociability, particularly of the younger residents of Warsaw. I decided to take a closer look at the characteristics of the local market and soon discovered a niche I wanted to fill. It was then that I made a final decision to go into the games business, because I know it very well. But before my dream could become a reality, I joined the staff at Nowy Wspaniały Świat, the venue opened by Krytyka Polityczna, a left-wing circle of intellectuals and activists. That’s where I met Aleks, who was also thinking about starting his own place…

Aleks: I’ve been connected with Warsaw since I was born. Here I sprayed walls when I was younger, which brought me closer to the Academy of Fine Arts, where I was giving vent to my creativity at the Department of Sculpture. I was also searching for contexts and relations to art at the Institute of Art History of the University of Warsaw. However, it turned out that I wasn’t made for the academic education system. That’s why I decided to look for inspiration abroad. I spent four years in the UK and finally found my destiny – cooking. Then I thought it was time to go back to Warsaw. Soon I started to feel at home with the fascinating recipes of Polish cuisine. I planned the first menu at the well-known Warsaw venue Nowy Wspaniały Świat from scratch. But it wasn’t enough – I understood that only my own kitchen will give me the opportunity to reveal the full range of flavours and aromas. Then appeared Martin. And with him came the idea…

Together at Solec: After numerous debates, we came to the conclusion that combining our forces will give us greater opportunities. Especially because we had similar ideas about many important aspects of the venue. A long search, both frustrating and surprising, finally led to the place at Solec 44 which we fell in love with the second we saw it, despite dark, gloomy walls, the floor painted over with black oil paint, and over twenty boarded windows! Luckily, our friends and families rushed to the ‘construction site’ and after 2.5 months we gathered together to celebrate the opening of Solec.

SOLEC tempts guests with a friendly atmosphere and simple, genuine, fresh food prepared with seasonal produce, without the unnecessary ‘twist’ or cheap tricks, available until late.
SOLEC also recommends a wide variety of parlour games that can meet even the highest expectations of the tournament and level of difficulty, without discouraging the people who hadn’t played games since they were children. The rules are explained on the spot, making it easier both for beginners and for advanced players.

As there was no place like this in Warsaw, it is an even greater pleasure to offer an alternative way of spending your free time – an opportunity to learn and play new games on the spot and to try dishes from all over the world, different every day and cooked with local ingredients. We imagine this place as pleasant both for the younger residents of Warsaw and for the older generation, but also for families with children, and this is the vision we will try to turn into reality.