WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

52 NIGHTLIFE
Nightlife at a Glance
COCKTAILS: Way too many to mention, but notes of
distinction go to Wrocław stalwarts Paparazzi, Novocaina
and Pod Papugami. Bed Club and Stardust
are currently the most exclusive catwalks for celebrity
spotting and being seen.
STUDENTS: The courtyards off ul. Ruska, particularly
Pasaz Niepolda, are full of student bars and clubs with
Niebo standing out as the area’s most damn-thetorpedoes
dawn-breaker. Szajba and Manana are two
of the best locales for spontaneous booty-shaking, or
visit Mleczarnia to mingle with a more civilised crowd.
LADS: Guinness for football and a pint of Black Gold,
while for rowdier revelry Spiz and Bierhalle ably
serve their roles with extra sausages. Head to Pasaz
Niepolda off ul. Ruska (E-3) for the easiest insider pub
crawl in town.
COUPLES: Paparazzi is not the poseur paradise it
sounds, but a perfect place to kick off your evening with
a romantic drink. A glass of wine and panoramic views
at La Terazza is also a smart move. Head to Salvador
as things get more intimate before finishing the night
with jazz at Ragtime or a turn on the dancefloor at
Schody Donikąd.
ALTERNATIVE: Wrocław has an admirable indy/alt
scene with Niskie Łąki being the choice for new wavers,
Kultowa for grunge rockers, and Stefa Zero the ultimate
dive for tattooed head-bangers. Drop in Złe Mięso (see
Restaurants) to join the vegan activist crowd.
Smoking
After holding out to be one of the few remaining EU countries
with no prohibitions on smoking, a new law put into
effect on November 15th, 2010 finally limited smoking
in public places. Smoking is now completely banned in
Poland on public transport, transport stops and stations,
schools and universities, workplaces, sports arenas and
other places where the public gather. Owners are obliged
to place a clear and visible ‘No Smoking’ sign and anyone
caught smoking by either the police or local city guards
(Straż Miejska) is supposedly subject to a 500zł fine.
However, in the case of bars, clubs, restaurants and
other public places, the law states that there can be
a separate room for smokers as long as it is properly
ventilated and closed off from the other public areas. In
response to the controversial legislation, many owners
have exercised their right to create a small smoking
room, however others have made the majority of their
establishment smoker-friendly with only a small area set
aside for non-smokers. Due to a lack of enforcement,
some establishments openly flout the law by allowing
smoking wherever they want. As such, while smoking
in public places in Poland has been greatly reduced, it
still continues in many places. To help you find or avoid
places which continue to allow smoking on the premises
we have used the following symbols throughout the guide:
G This place has a complete smoking ban on the
premises
X This place has a smoking section on the premises
Wroclaw bars are flexible - no matter what the official closing
times are, most will stay open until the last customer has
crawled out. The lion’s share are concentrated around the
Old Town market square, but for more alternative drinking
destinations also check out the tippler’s strip below the
ul. Bogusławskiego train tressle (F-5), and destinations
west of the market square, namely ul. Włodkowica (A-4),
the courtyards off ul. Ruska (E-4) and the secrets of the
old train station on Plac Orląt Lwowskich (E-4). Happy
hangover.
Bars & Pubs
Casa de la Musica A-3, Rynek Ratusz 11/12,
tel. (+48) 71 343 72 62, www.casadelamusica.pl.
Recently doubling its size to take in a second floor, this fun
Cuban-themed music club takes all the best aspects of
Cuban culture, sparing patrons glorified portraits of Che
in preference for colourful framed cigar labels, an antique
cash register and proper mojitos. With Latin DJs playing
passionate salsa, rumba and merengue music, the lack
of a designated dancefloor upstairs doesn’t stop anyone
from cutting a rug; in fact the smooth DJs often leave their
station to take local lasses in hand and put on a dancing
clinic. If you know how to move to this music, consider yourself
money in the bank; if not, be careful - or your girlfriend
will have the time of her life while you sit and shrug down a
beer. Chump. QOpen 14:00 - 03:00, Fri, Sat 14:00 - 05:00.
PAEXW
Chopper Bar F-4, ul. Kotlarska 42, tel. (+48) 71 330
65 54, www.chopperhostel.pl. We typically steer clear
of this sort of place - and with a tacky design approach
that basically involves covering everything, including the
facade of the building, in motor collage wallpaper, Chopper
Bar looks about as dreadful as you can imagine - but we’re
willing to admit we enjoyed the experience. Attached to the
hostel of the same name, Chopper Bar offers good food
(including decent chili), great beer (including Czech Primator
and Litovel on draft) and the ability to watch manly pursuits
(like bull-riding) on the TV while enjoying the sounds of Guns
N Roses. If that’s not up your alley, well what did you think
coming in here? If you order a large beer prepare for it to be
1lt, and each one comes with a free chicken wing. Though
the industrial decor of license plates and bike parts is hardly
original, the bathrooms are practically a museum and the
weekends host concerts and jam sessions. QOpen 12:00
- 24:00. (15-39zł). AGBSW
Graciarnia Pub A-3, ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 39,
tel. (+48) 71 795 66 88, www.graciarnia.com.pl. If
you want to drink among students wearing big beads and
striped stockings, then head to Graciarnia, where decoration
surely comes courtesy of an abandoned ship. Here it’s
all tables that shake and wobble, sofas where every spring
is felt, headless mannequins, theatre costumes and scarlet
walls throughout an endless series of unique rooms where
an obscure musical menu matches the beatnik mood.
If you like Mleczarnia, you’ll love Graciarnia - perfect for
cuddling your date on an antique loveseat and looking like
the heights of hip indy culture at the same time. QOpen
15:00 - 01:00. ABXW
Guinness A-3, Pl. Solny 5, tel. (+48) 71 344 60
15, www.pubguinness.pl. This Polish-owned Irish pub
isn’t the most authentic place in the world, but it plays
its role just fine as flypaper for foreigners and football
fans thanks to being just about the only place in town
where you’re likely to find your match on the tube. True to
its name they do serve the Black Nectar, but there have
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
been times when we’ve wanted to give the staff a hand
by pouring it ourselves; at a hefty 17zł we feel like we’ve
paid for the right. Set over two levels serving up decent
pub grub and live music some evenings, Guinness is a
solid choice for a successful night out, as surely proven
by the common sight of grown men crying and hugging/
holding each other up outside the front entrance. QOpen
12:00 - 02:00. PJAEBXW
il Gusto A-3, ul. Św Mikołaja 8-11, tel. (+48) 71 342 00
11, www.ilgusto.pl. Perfectly located to catch the spill-off
from the ever-popular Mañana upstairs, Il Gusto is up to the
challenge with a likeminded playlist of funk, Bowie remixes,
MJ and other danceable hits. With a makeshift dancefloor
in front of the long bottle-lined bar, the crowd kicks it out
amidst a large, modern space of frosty mirrors and plush
black booths. The interior is a balance of industrial, rustic
and straight chillout - the only regret being an overabundance
of close-up photos of guitars being wanged. Serving as a
relaxed restaurant during the day, with a seasonal summer
garden when the sun appears, after hours il Gusto attracts
a slightly more mature crowd, though they hardly behave that
way. QOpen 17:00 - 02:00, Mon, Sun 17:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat
17:00 - 04:00. PAGB
John Bull Pub A-3, Pl. Solny 6/7a, tel. (+48) 71
344 25 20. A classic British pub in style and intention
from the wooden bar to the wallpaper, framed fox-hunting
scenes and wainscotting, this is a perfectly decent place
for a drink, and surprisingly free of tourists and expats
thanks to their favouring of neighbouring Guinness and its
precious TV sets. No ales on hand save for the pricey but
satisfying John Bull Bitter and Blonde, but here you’ll find
the largest selection of whiskeys in Wrocław. Small, intimate
and cosy, stop in for a quiet drink, but don’t expect a social
atmosphere. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Sun 10:30 - 02:00.
PJAUGBW
Kredance A-3, ul. Szajnochy 11, tel. (+48) 601 75 74
11, www.kredance.eu. Remarkable for having taken a step
backwards in terms of taste - from the assured bohemian
atmosphere of ‘Kredens’ to the brainless Drunk Olympic time
trials of ‘Kredance’ - this underground space is more popular
than ever before, packed with students barking over each
other to be heard and no spare seats in sight. The random
interior is virtually unchanged save for the disappearance
of one of the bars and the two large cabinets angled across
what used to be the dance-floor (a curious innovation given
the name is a play on the Polish for ‘cupboard’). With some
kind of musical act each night including DJs Thursday to
Sunday, this is a lot of fun. QOpen 12:00 - 04:00. Note that
once the summer garden closes they will be open from 16:00
each day. PAEBXW
Kultowa B-3, ul. Wita Stwosza 16, tel. (+48) 71 794
92 91, www.kultowa.pl. As far as tributes go, this underground,
alternative rock bar is a lot better than most cover
bands. An homage to legendary Polish anti-establishment
rockers ‘Kult,’ this namesake bar is covered in classic
rock posters and paraphernalia which literally reverberate
on the brick walls to the wail of grunge and rock anthems.
Featuring a summer patio bar, cheap beer, red-varnished
candlelit tables and an interpretation of the smoking ban
that favours puffers, Kultowa is essentially a dingy, dive bar
of the best kind. For a different kind of dance party, hit the
‘Rockoteka’ on Friday and Saturday nights. The steep stairs
leading back up to daylight read “Ja tu jeszcze wróce” (‘I will
come back here again’) and have proven prophetic time
and again. QOpen 17:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 04:00.
PAEBXW
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
Breakfast
NIGHTLIFE
Not a popular meal in Poland, breakfast means a
cigarette and coffee to most, or if you’re lucky a plate
of ham, cheese, tomato and bread. The concept of
cooking a hot meal in the morning has yet to get this far
east, but Soho (see International restaurants) claims to
serve breakfast all day, BLT & Flatbreads offers proper
American pancakes and we are partial to starting the
day at Mleczarnia. What sadly has made it this far is
Starbucks - now open from 06:30 on the Rynek - and
old McDonald’s, serving their McBreakfast from 07:00
to 10:30 on the McMarket square.
Art Restauracja i Kawiarnia A-2, ul. Kiełbaśnicza
20, tel. (+48) 71 787 71 02, www.arthotel.pl. The
Art Hotel’s Swedish-style breakfast buffet offers hot
dishes along with plenty of ecological, organic products
and traditional Lower Silesian specialties. Open to
walk-ins, they will also gladly organise special business
breakfasts. Q Breakfast served 06:30 - 10:30, Sat,
Sun 07:00 - 10:30. (60zł). PTJA6UGBSW
Bernard B-3, Rynek 35, tel. (+48) 71 344 10 54,
www.bernard.wroclaw.pl. On offer find scrambled
eggs, sausages, muesli with fruit, grilled sandwiches
and more. Q Breakfast served 10:30 - 12:00. (14-27zł).
PTA6UBXSW
BLT & Flatbreads A-3, ul. Ruska 58/59, tel. (+48)
71 796 33 44, www.blt.wroclaw.pl. Okay, so it’s not
open early exactly, but BLT has some of the best breakfast
options around. Choose from American-style pancakes
with strawberry sauce and maple syrup, French toast with
crispy bacon, omelettes and toasted sandwiches. A great
deal any time of day. Q Breakfast served 10:00 - 13:00,
Sun 11:00 - 13:00. (10-15zł). PAUGBSW
Cafe de France A-3, Rynek 20-22 1a, tel. (+48)
785 99 86 64. This Parisian cafe has delicious coffee
and a light menu including some limited breakfast offerings
like scrambled eggs, crepes, croissants and toasted
sandwiches. Not as great as it could be, but better than
most by having something that passes as breakfast at all.
Q Breakfast served 08:00 - 22:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 08:00 -
02:00, Sun 08:00 - 24:00. (8-35zł). PA6UGBW
Mleczarnia E-4, ul. Włodkowica 5, tel. (+48) 71
787 75 70, www.mleczarniahostel.pl. Find a range
of well prepared breakfast sets including egg breakfast,
sausage breakfast and a cream cheese breakfast. Q
Breakfast served 08:00 - 13:00. (9-18zł). TABXW
Moloco B-2, ul. Więzienna 21, tel. (+48) 71 341
01 32, www.moloco.pl. Another offering a series of
breakfast sets named English, Polish, Country, French
and Champion. Q Breakfast served 07:00 - 13:00,
Sun 09:00 - 13:00. (15-20zł). PTAUGBSW
Złota A-3, Rynek 6, tel. (+48) 71 716 59 29. A nice
range of options here including omelettes, ciabattas, and
larger breakfast sets. The English breakfast is admirable
with two large fried eggs, two kinds of sausage, toast
and bacon. There’s also a ‘Gigant’ breakfast for those
who need an extra ration to fully soak up the previous
nights liquids, and the market square seating is sublime.
Q Breakfast served 08:00 - 12:00. (15-27zł).
PTA6UGBSW
September - December 2012
53