30 bars worth the trip across Poland, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Poland guides.
Mercy Brown ★ 4.8 · Kraków
ul. Straszewskiego 28, 31-110 Kraków
Mercy Brown in Kraków is the city's most editorial speakeasy: unmarked door on Straszewskiego, candlelit cellar, classic cocktails and Polish whiskey.
Tip: Walk-up policy: ring the bell and ask for the table. Closed Monday and Tuesday; opens Wednesday through Saturday from 19:00.
Alchemia ★ 4.7 · Kraków
ul. Estery 5, 31-056 Kraków
Alchemia on Kraków's Plac Nowy in Kazimierz has run candle-lit, antique-furniture rooms since 1999. Order the polish vodka shots. At ul. Estery 5.
Tip: Five rooms across two floors; the back-room piano is the better seat after 22:00.
Piwnica pod Baranami ★ 4.7 · Kraków
Rynek Główny 27, 31-010 Kraków
Piwnica pod Baranami on Kraków's Rynek Główny is the cabaret cellar that ran the city's literary-cabaret scene since 1956. Order the polish vodka.
Tip: Saturday cabaret nights need booking ahead. The cellar room is also open as a regular bar most weeknights.
Flisak '76 ★ 4.6 · Gdańsk
ul. Chlebnicka 9/10, 80-830 Gdańsk
Flisak '76 in Gdańsk has run on Chlebnicka since 1976, a Tri-City cocktail-bar institution now under the third generation of the same family.
Tip: Closes 02:00 Friday and Saturday; reservations recommended after 22:00.
Weźże Krafta ★ 4.6 · Kraków
ul. Dajwór 16, 31-052 Kraków
Weźże Krafta in Kraków's Kazimierz on Dajwór pours 25 Polish craft taps and serves wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. Order the polish craft ipa. At ul. Dajwór 16.
Tip: Wood-fired pizzas to share; the outdoor seating in the Tytano courtyard runs in summer.
El Koktel ★ 4.6 · Warsaw
ul. Wojciecha Gorskiego 9, 00-031 Warszawa
El Koktel in Warsaw is the basement cocktail bar with emerald walls and filament bulbs, established 2014. Order the house-made gin dobry tonic.
Józef K. ★ 4.5 · Gdańsk
ul. Piwna 1, 80-831 Gdańsk
Józef K. in Gdańsk is the Kafka-named Piwna Street cult bar, retro lamps and mismatched books on the walls. Order the strong spirits and herbal infusions.
Tip: Quieter on weeknights; arrive after 18:00 for the candlelit version.
Gatsby Gdańsk ★ 4.5 · Gdańsk
ul. Mariacka 1, 80-833 Gdańsk
Gatsby Gdańsk works a 1920s Art Deco room near Mariacka, the only Tri-City bar with 30-year Macallan on the back wall. Reservations advised.
Tip: Book the booth tables at the back; the bar runs through the centre.
Craft Cocktails Piwna ★ 4.5 · Gdańsk
ul. Piwna 56, 80-831 Gdańsk
Craft Cocktails Piwna in Gdańsk hides behind an almost-anonymous door on Piwna, a dark speakeasy room 1920s in look and bartending. At ul. Piwna 56.
Tip: Door has no signage; look for the small Piwna 56 plaque between two Old Town townhouses.
Singer ★ 4.5 · Kraków
ul. Estery 20, 31-056 Kraków
Singer on Kraków's Plac Nowy in Kazimierz, named for the sewing-machine tables that double as bar tops, runs the late-night Kazimierz drinking room.
Tip: Cash only. The mulled wine is the autumn order; absinthe shots after midnight.
Harris Piano Jazz Bar ★ 4.5 · Kraków
Rynek Główny 28, 31-010 Kraków
Harris Piano Jazz Bar in Kraków's Rynek Główny cellar has run live jazz nightly since 1996. Whiskey-heavy bar, candle-lit cellar, free entry on weeknights.
Tip: Live jazz nightly from 21:30; weekend slots fill by 22:00. Reservation by phone.
Dram ★ 4.5 · Poznań
Stary Rynek 92, 61-773 Poznań
Dram on Stary Rynek 92 in Poznań is a cocktail bar, kitchen and live-music room with a Wroniecka-street entrance, run by bar manager Damian Dylewski.
Tip: Live music starts around 20:00; book a side table over a bar seat if you want the kitchen menu to land in proper order.
Zamieszanie Cocktail Bar ★ 4.5 · Warsaw
ul. Nowy Swiat 6/12, 00-497 Warszawa
Zamieszanie on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw runs a backstage-prep cocktail programme served from freezing taps and bottles. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
Mała Sztuka ★ 4.4 · Gdańsk
ul. Powroźnicza 13, 80-831 Gdańsk
Mała Sztuka in Gdańsk runs a basement-cocktail room near the Green Gate, with the biggest rum collection in town. At ul. Powroźnicza 13. Booking recommended.
Tip: About fifteen seats and a no-standing policy; arrive before 21:00 or expect to wait for a table to open.
Pub Browar Spółdzielczy ★ 4.4 · Gdańsk
Aleja Grunwaldzka 190, 80-266 Gdańsk
Pub Browar Spółdzielczy in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz is the Tri-City flagship of the Co-operative Brewery from Puck on the Baltic coast. Twenty rotating taps.
Tip: Cellar pub, hidden behind the Garnizon development; follow Grunwaldzka and look for the door behind the offices.
Wódka Cafe Bar ★ 4.4 · Kraków
ul. Mikołajska 5, 31-027 Kraków
Wódka Cafe Bar in Kraków keeps 100+ Polish vodkas behind the bar and pours flights of four for 30 zl. Counter seating, small Polish snack carte.
Tip: The four-shot tasting flight at 30 zl is the order; the apple-cinnamon flavoured pour is the easy entry.
Piwna Stopa ★ 4.4 · Poznań
ul. Szewska 7, 61-760 Poznań
Piwna Stopa on Szewska 7 in Poznań pours 16 rotating taps and over 200 bottled beers, with a Czech-tavern interior, a beer-garden in summer and pulled-pork.
Tip: The summer garden takes barbecue events; check the tap list online before the visit to time a small-brewery showcase.
Vandal Cafe ★ 4.4 · Poznań
ul. Józefa Strusia 9, 60-740 Poznań
Vandal Cafe on Strusia 9 in Łazarz, Poznań pours speciality coffee by day and craft beer plus wine by night, with vintage-meets-houseplant interiors.
Tip: The freshpresso, espresso with fresh grapefruit juice, is the house signature; ask for it before defaulting to the bar list.
Cosmo Bar ★ 4.4 · Warsaw
ul. Twarda 4, 00-105 Warszawa
Cosmo Bar in Warsaw lives in the Cosmopolitan tower on Twarda, a sustainable cocktail room from the Bar Wieczorny team. Local-foraged ingredients.
PiwPaw Beer Heaven (Foksal) ★ 4.4 · Warsaw
ul. Foksal 16, 00-372 Warszawa
PiwPaw on Foksal in Warsaw runs roughly 80 taps of Polish, Czech, Belgian and German craft. Bottle-cap walls, the peacock mascot in the window.
Vertigo Jazz Club & Restaurant ★ 4.4 · Wrocław
ul. Oławska 13, 50-123 Wrocław
Vertigo on Oławska is Wrocław's biggest jazz club, 200 seats and 300 standing, professional stage and sound. At ul. Oławska 13. Booking recommended.
Tip: Tickets via the club's own website are cheaper than ebilet; book the cocktail seats stage-side.
Browar Vrest at Stary Maneż ★ 4.3 · Gdańsk
ul. Słowackiego 23, 80-264 Gdańsk
Vrest in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz brews inside Stary Maneż, the restored 19th-century military riding hall now a concert venue. At ul. Słowackiego 23.
Tip: Happy hour every day 12:00-15:00 halves the price of every house beer.
Multi Qlti Tap Bar ★ 4.3 · Kraków
ul. Szewska 21, 31-009 Kraków
Multi Qlti Tap Bar on Kraków's Szewska pours 18 rotating Polish craft taps and runs a pizza counter through the night. Open until 02:00 weekends.
Tip: Half-pints to mix-and-match; the pizza window runs the cheap-and-cheerful food backup.
House of Beer ★ 4.3 · Kraków
ul. Świętego Tomasza 35, 31-027 Kraków
House of Beer on Kraków's Świętego Tomasza pours 25 rotating Polish craft taps. Order the polish ipa flight. At ul. Świętego Tomasza 35. Booking recommended.
Tip: A four-glass flight at 25 zl is the way to taste through; the back-cellar room is quieter.
Same Krafty ★ 4.3 · Warsaw
ul. Nowomiejska 10, 00-261 Warszawa
Same Krafty on Nowomiejska in Warsaw is the Old Town craft tap, eight rotating beers a day in a whitewashed arched room a block from Rynek Starego Miasta.
Klubokawiarnia Mleczarnia ★ 4.3 · Wrocław
ul. Pawła Włodkowica 5, 50-072 Wrocław
Mleczarnia on Włodkowica in Wrocław's former Jewish quarter has anchored the Four Temples scene since 1998. Bohemian by day, candlelit jazz bar by night.
Tip: Friday-Saturday open until 03:00; live music or stand-up most evenings.
Browar PG4 ★ 4.2 · Gdańsk
ul. Podwale Grodzkie 4, 80-895 Gdańsk
Browar PG4 in Gdańsk works the brewery-restaurant beside the central station, named for its Podwale Grodzkie address. At ul. Podwale Grodzkie 4.
Tip: Tasting flights of five 100ml pours cover the whole house list for around 30 $.
Viva la Pinta ★ 4.2 · Kraków
ul. Floriańska 13, 31-019 Kraków
Viva la Pinta on Kraków's Floriańska is the dedicated taproom of Browar Pinta, the Polish craft brewery that started the country's IPA wave in 2011. 14.
Tip: The seasonal Pinta cards rotate weekly; the IPA is the brewery's defining beer.
Just Friends ★ 4.2 · Poznań
Stary Rynek 80/82, 61-772 Poznań
Just Friends on Stary Rynek 80/82 in Poznań is a cocktail bar with full kitchen on the Old Market Square, with a long signature-cocktail list.
Tip: The pavement tables on Stary Rynek face the town hall; book one in summer for the view of the Koziołki at noon.
Święty Jan ★ 4.2 · Wrocław
Rynek 19, 50-101 Wrocław
Święty Jan on Wrocław's Rynek runs the city's largest rotating tap selection: 34 lines pouring Polish and international craft, the move on a slow Tuesday.
Tip: The cellar room downstairs gets the better acoustics on weekend nights.