One of Kraków's most evocative bars, aptly named Alchemia perfectly captures the smokey sepia candlelight, forgotten photographs and antique intrigues of the former Jewish district. A dim bohemian cafe by day with square-side outdoor tables, in the evenings Alchemia's murky mystique metamorphoses blood into beer for the ruddy regulars and increasing number of tourists queuing before the indifferent barstaff. The cellar plays host to some of the best concerts in town and is a prime participant in annual jazz and klezmer festivals. Quintessential Kraków.
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This cocktail bar has high ceilings, high tables, high chairs, Fashion TV and a bathroom that looks like it's been painted in gold leaf. That said, the interior is comfortable, classy and refined without presuming too much about the size of your wallet. The stock of liquers is standard and the menu [...]

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Similar to the bar of a nightclub Baraka play loud hip hop noise to a backdrop of exposed pipes, spongy synthetic seating and dizzy blue circles painted on every surface. The crowning glory is a huge window filled with thousands of copper coins. Crass and loud, that doesn’t stop the fake tan [...]

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Every available space on Pl. Nowy appears to have been utilized to serve as a bar, even its once cobwebbed courtyards. Find Camera in one of these converted back spaces, with a huge canopy-protected terrace deck to lose your summer on. On the inside it’s a bit of letdown, pleasant enough but not nearly as edgy as the other bars in the vicinity. Here it’s a sterile mix of stage lighting, metal pipes and red sofas, invigorated by splashes of modern art. Vast, which makes the absence of customers all the more noticeable. If you need reserve a space for a big group, this is a good bet.
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With a small shot bar upstairs and a piano dangling precariously over the descending stairs, Funky is another underground sweatfest, this one lined with red fur. Broken vinyl records and screenprints of Stevie Wonder, James Brown and company make up the rest of the decor, but not enough of the play [...]

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Zero ventilation and crowds of smokers conspire to make this spot hotter than the sun. Strings of glass beads hang over each doorway, broken-spined books lie on a trolley and, for good measure, a comedy wig and a pair of pantomime rabbit ears dangle next to the bar. [...]

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Some of the best cocktails – test the Bahama Mama - in Kraków served inside a series of rooms that throng with Bond girls and people who look like they may well be minor celebs. Canvas sheets cover the ceilings, and the curtained off rooms are home to low-level sofas and the occasional Persian rug. This is modern Kraków at its strongest. You may not want to leave. [...]

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One of Kraków's most unique venues, Lokator is a veritable independent culture centre for art, film, music and publishing. Despite being a bit on the fringe of the city's nightlife scene, Lokator has nonetheless survived thanks to an insular, yet perseverant creative community that organises a [...]

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Here’s the deal, on the right side there’s the restaurant, on the left the bar. Both look superb, making use of black shiny surfaces, huge plants and dimmed lighting. Though mere seconds away from plac Nowy, chances are you’ll be one of the only customers in here, particularly if you head to the bar, divorcing yourself from the food which is actually quite good. Unfortunately the cocktails are rather average with above-average prices. A vast list of fruity margaritas are available, all of which come rimmed with half the salt in the Dead Sea, creating thirst rather than satisfying it. We know nearby alleys we'd rather drink in (that's where our friends are, anyway...).
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Opened by the owners of a retro interior decor store by the same name, Miejsce instantly established itself as Kraków's hipster headquarters. With half the patrons not hesitating to go behind the bar themselves, here you've put yourself at the centre of a closely-knit social scene, which a flapper dress or oversized spectacles and tight pants will ease your integration into, if that's the goal. Decked out in a rainbow of chairs and lamps of different shapes and sizes, offset by hastily painted white walls and fantastic Polish film posters, Miejsce is effortlessly original with a post-industrial artsy atmosphere that makes a nice departure from the brooding, gloomy nostalgia of the district's other offerings.
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From local couples to tourist groups, laptoppers to hipsters, they take all kinds in Moment and seem to know how to please them all. The dark walled interior with a checkered black and white tiled floor gets lots of light and offers plenty of reasons to lose track of time, including solid breakfast and lunch offerings, evening drink specials, wifi and, during our visit, an issue of Polish Playboy peeking out of the magazine rack. That and the clutch of inaccurate clocks lining the walls, from vintage antique efforts to digital relics from the 80s Casio age, give you a handy excuse for missing your next day rendezvous with last night's club conquest. Though this would be an ideal place for it.
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Dark and atmospheric, Opium comes bathed in erotic red hues and moody tunes. Attracting a trendy crowd of thin girls and media twits the latest bar of the hour has low sofas and a splendid courtyard and rooftop terrace. Drink cocktails and effect a look of studied indifference, and bingo, you’ [...]

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Thanks to engaged management, a great soundsystem and intimate downstairs stage, Ptasiek has emerged as one of the best live music venues in Kraków, and subsequently a primary hangout for Kraków's young maestros and melodymakers. Thurssday night jam sessions show off the best of the music academy with tunes grooving well into the morning. The aviary decor is a bit off the mark, but fares better upstairs where you'll find the usual Kazimierz knick-knacks amongst black and white photos and a couple sofas. With a great atmosphere and good people, it's always a letdown when Ptasiek closes.
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This place – often with all the atmosphere of a wake – becomes boisterous and loud when there is live music on (quite often)as local belt-em-out acts of varying quality get the crowd going. At other times it can feel a bit lonely here, the only facts worthy of note being the half-decent [...]

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Promoting Polish microbrews, Smocza Jama features unpasteurised ales from the Fortuna brewery on draught, or help yourself to the wide selection sealed inside the cooler, including the seldom seen Boss Bier and Mocne (Strong) Boner (we couldn't resist). A disorienting maze of underground rooms - or [...]

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A cosy place for a quiet drink and a bite to eat, Szynk is designed for those who appreciate great beer and good conversation. The labels claim it's their own, but we suspect the dark and amber beers dispensed on draft hail from none other than the Stary Browar brewery - either way, it's delicious [...]

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A refreshing oasis of comfortable seating and quiet conversation, this small chill out bar makes a relaxing stop before hitting the drunken madness of Kazimierz's main square. Dominated by a long arching bar, art that tips its cap to Toulouse-Lautrec and a playlist almost exclusively of female voca [...]

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A jumbled crowd of students with sideburns and the new rich throng this outstanding spot for a drink or a bite to eat. The bar is constructed out of an old piano, accordions and trumpets clutter the walls and ceiling, and every lampshade is plastered with sheets of music. Again, only in Kazimierz...
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A labyrinth of stone-walled rooms decorated with 12-inch vinyl and a collection of old sofas lends a nice and relaxed atmosphere to this Eden Hotel-located bar. Aimed at a distinctly younger crowd, this is a fairly decent place to knock back beer at any time, especially during the weekend when live [...]

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Decorated in caramel colours this is a fashionably kitsch drinking den, with low-slung sofas permanently occupied by pin-up blondes. The music is rubbish, the food looks better on the menu than on the plate, and the staff vanish at critical drinking moments – nonetheless, Zbliżenia r [...]

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