listings / nightlife Bar Wieczorny ul. Wiśniowa 46, barwieczorny.pl Preparing for their first summer, it’s going to be one helluva’ place to visit once the weather heats up: that garden is going to get naughty! The cocktails are serious here, with top quality spirits (Vestal, Baczewski, Woodford Reserve) used with equally big name mixes (Fentimans, Big Tom, etc.). Further, you’ll find it’s the right products in the right hands – the staff really know their game. Bazar (F1) ul. Jagiellońska 13 There’s Krusovice, Bernard and Staropramen on tap, and the Czech slant is lent added meat by a series of evenings held in cahoots with the Czech Cultural Centre – it’s during boozy disco nights the party spills into a shadowy cellar with light retro hints. On ground level its raw and industrial with asphalt colors and overhead pipes. You wouldn’t expect it, but the margaritas are smashing. Beirut (D5) ul. Poznańska 12, beirut.com.pl As hip as ever, Beirut has walls dusted with cult album covers, documentary posters and witty graffiti inspired by Banksy. Busy in the day, and absolutely packed at night, order unconventional beers (Noteckie, English ale, Erdinger) from androgynous staff standing behind a sandbag bar decorated with silver hand grenades and a model tank. Berlin-Warszawa Express (D5) Most Poniatowskiego (corner of Kruczkowskiego and al. 3 Maja) Set up a flight of stairs, a concrete footbridge at the top links the two bars either side: Berlin and Warszawa. It’s a Matrix moment, the red pill or the blue? Berlin’s the better, with industrial cage lights, and salvaged DDR memorabilia. Surveying the scene, it’s all wobbly tables, sticky surfaces and tight little alcoves fitted into impossible spaces. A great dive bar, the friendly nature of Berlin gets even friendlier after a few craft brews. Bierhalle (A1) Al. Jana Pawła II 82 (Arkadia), ul. Nowy Świat 64, ul. Marszałkowska 55/73, bierhalle.pl Having tapped their first beer six or seven years back, their microbrewery have morphed into a national phenomenon with outposts across the country. All three Warsaw locations have a cut/paste Bavarian atmosphere, hefty wooden fittings and waitresses dressed like mountain frauleins.
Bollywood Lounge (D4) ul. Nowy Świat 58, bollywoodlounge.pl Now on Nowy Świat, the team have used the opportunity to upgrade their offer: gone is that low-rent feel of old, replaced in favor of a more classy look and a slicker crowd. What has remained constant is the energy. Ace cocktails (recommended: Jim Ban Chili), tottering talent and a range of sheesha pipes make it a weekend must, though the big news is the completion of their downstairs club: check it out for the bright, banging beats of the Bollywood sound. British Bulldog (D4) ul. Aleje Jerozolimskie 42, bbpub.pl In terms of aesthetic it’s the most accurate replica of an English pub you’ll find. And they get a further nod for a brilliant covered terrace that’s great in all weather. Not that you’ll find many British expats in here, they’ve been boycotting the place ever since the dismissal of the original British manager. Judging by the poor standards of beer and food, you might want to follow their example. What could have become an expat legend is, in essence, a big wet plop of disappointment. Browarmia (D3) ul. Królewska 1, tel. 22 826 5455, browarmia.pl A brewery first and foremost – and an average one at that – full of pipes, valves and mysterious gauges. They still do their own brewing, but conscious of the shift towards artisan beer they’ve now also added around twenty taps to their offer. The choice is a little more pedestrian than the competition, but is nonetheless a pleasant sign of changing times. That it looks, feels and smells like a brewery makes it all the more welcome. Bubbles (D2) Pl. Piłsudskiego 9, tel. 512 540 913, open Mon-Thu 12:00-23:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-24:00; Sun 12:00-18:00, bubbles.com.pl Despite sounding like a 90s small town nightclub, Bubbles is in fact a worthy place of note: a small, warm venue with a slow food menu and a design that incorporates lots of upturned crates and dusty bottles. Champagne is the main draw here, with many labels that are exclusive to Poland. Some come with terrifying prices, but on the whole the price points are widely accessible: wine from zł. 10 and a flute of champers from zł. 29. Ceska ul. Chmielna 35, ceska.pl Having promised to never return following an incident with a
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