Top Bars in Poland

Flisak '76 ★ 4.6 · Gdańsk

ul. Chlebnicka 9, 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. Classic technique, Polish spirits, the city's most-cited drinks list.

Tip: Closes 02:00 Friday and Saturday; reservations recommended after 22:00.

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. Buzz-to-enter door, a 50-Best Discovery listing and a rotating menu of bartender-made spirits and bitters.

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. Strong spirits, coffee from Nieczapla, herbal infusions and house cake until late.

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. Soft jazz, classic prohibition cocktails, off-menu pours on request.

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. Polish spirits drive the house list.

Tip: Door has no signage; look for the small Piwna 56 plaque between two Old Town townhouses.

Mercy Brown ★ 4.5 · 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 on the back bar.

Tip: Walk-up policy: ring the bell and ask for the table. Closed Monday and Tuesday; opens Wednesday through Saturday from 19:00.

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 with a quarterly-rotating menu.

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.

Cuda na Kiju ★ 4.5 · Warsaw

ul. Nowy Swiat 6, 00-497 Warszawa

Cuda na Kiju on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw was the city's first multi-tap craft bar, inside the former communist party HQ next to the De Gaulle statue. Three floors, 15 taps, a glass-walled main room and a courtyard terrace.

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. Tiki classics and bartender's-choice off-menu pours.

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, half of them house, the rest small Polish craft.

Tip: Cellar pub, hidden behind the Garnizon development; follow Grunwaldzka and look for the door behind the offices.

Piwnica pod Baranami ★ 4.4 · 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. Saturday cabaret, Polish vodka and the original room run weekly.

Tip: Saturday cabaret nights need booking ahead. The cellar room is also open as a regular bar most weeknights.

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 sandwiches on the bar menu.

Tip: The summer garden takes barbecue events; check the tap list online before the visit to time a small-brewery showcase.

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, low-waste serves, and a tower view over Plac Grzybowski.

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, and 1-zl tasting pours for every beer on the wall.

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. Cocktail-led drinks, kitchen open through the evening.

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. House beers named for the Wrzeszcz district's old name, plus tapas and meze in the restaurant.

Tip: Happy hour every day 12:00 to 15:00 halves the price of every house beer.

Alchemia ★ 4.3 · Kraków

ul. Estery 5, 31-056 Kraków

Alchemia on Kraków's Plac Nowy in Kazimierz has run candle-lit, antique-furniture rooms since 1999. Polish vodka, local beer, live jazz in the back room most nights.

Tip: Five rooms across two floors; the back-room piano is the better seat after 22:00.

Weźże Krafta ★ 4.3 · 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. Located in the Tytano old tobacco factory complex.

Tip: Wood-fired pizzas to share; the outdoor seating in the Tytano courtyard runs in summer.

Harris Piano Jazz Bar ★ 4.3 · 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.

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. A second outlet, vis-a-vis, sits across the street.

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. Recreations of pre-war Gdańsk beers like Jopen and Krollinger plus seasonal pils and rauchbier.

Tip: Tasting flights of five 100ml pours cover the whole house list for around 30 PLN.

Singer ★ 4.2 · 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 with candles and absinthe.

Tip: Cash only. The mulled wine is the autumn order; absinthe shots after midnight.

Wódka Cafe Bar ★ 4.2 · 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, late opening hours.

Tip: The four-shot tasting flight at 30 zl is the order; the apple-cinnamon flavoured pour is the easy entry.

Multi Qlti Tap Bar ★ 4.2 · 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 ★ 4.2 · Kraków

ul. Świętego Tomasza 35, 31-027 Kraków

House of Beer on Kraków's Świętego Tomasza pours 25 rotating Polish craft taps. Tasting flights, an English-speaking team, a cellar room with a quieter back bar.

Tip: A four-glass flight at 25 zl is the way to taste through; the back-cellar room is quieter.

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 rotating taps.

Tip: The seasonal Pinta cards rotate weekly; the IPA is the brewery's defining beer.

Barka ★ 4.2 · Kraków

ul. Podgórska 16, 31-068 Kraków

Barka in Kraków is the riverside-barge bar moored on the Vistula at the Kazimierz-Podgórze footbridge. Polish craft beer, summer DJs, the city's best sunset table.

Tip: Open summer only, roughly May to September. Cash and card; queues form at sunset.

Just Friends ★ 4.2 · Poznań

Stary Rynek 80, 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 and a gluten-free-friendly menu.

Tip: The pavement tables on Stary Rynek face the town hall; book one in summer for the view of the Koziołki at noon.

Minister CAFE ★ 4.2 · Poznań

ul. Ratajczaka 34, 61-816 Poznań

Minister CAFE on Ratajczaka 34 in Poznań runs as speciality coffee by day and a craft-beer counter from Ministerstwo Browaru by night, with vegan-friendly plates and natural wines after dark.

Tip: After 18:00 the room shifts; the speciality coffee is daylight only, the bar list is evening.