In honour of our 25-year anniversary, we are taking a look back at that historic first edition and highlighting some of those rare, remarkable venues that have stood the test of time. With its short, directory-style format, the first issue of
Kraków In Your Pocket
listed an incredible 50 bars and clubs on just 3 and a half printed pages. Of those 50 venues, exactly 11 remain open today - an impressive result, if you ask us, in a field with extremely high turnover. [Alongside those 11 veteran venues, we've included a couple others that were covered in other sections of the July 1999 edition (cafes, restaurants) that today profile more as bars.]
We're hardly suggesting that these are the best places for a drink in Kraków, in fact a couple of them are downright dreadful, but there is certainly comfort to their familiarity, and we've nothing but respect for any business that can survive as long (
longer!
) than we have. If anything, this exercise suggests how often we overlook some of the city's most authentic, well-loved venues in the effort to describe new places and chase down trends. It also emphasises the power of Kraków's student population, the main demographic keeping most of these storied venues in the green. Without further ado...
Even 25 years ago we were writing about this establishment as "one of Kraków's oldest institutions," and indeed it is. In fact, Piwnica Pod Baranami first opened in 1956 and is one of the most legendary and historic places for a drink in town. Back then we were writing about it being an underground disco, but under this editor's tenure, Pod Baranami has been just the opposite - a cluttered, rickety dive bar full of theatre props and actor portraits, where the old vanguard of the city's art scene retreat to exchange ideas, discourse and inebriated barbs, and/or catch the cabaret or a jazz concert. Right on the
market square
, despite being ancient, this place really feels like a discovery, and is the perfect place to retreat from the elements into a quixotic vodka-fuelled flourish of brilliant ideas barely-remembered. One of Kraków's most timeless bars, and worth a visit now more than ever.
Listed under Cafes in the 1999 edition, this tiny Cracovian cult classic skirts the boundaries of cafe, bar and gallery, and has ably weathered the challenges of the smoking ban and the pandemic by consistently finding new generations of jaded artists and academics to cash in their chips at the bar. Home to a small, but perfectly-situated seasonal patio, inside the dark walls host changing art and photography exhibits, and the old school glow emitted from the few candlelit tables seems to attract a mix of modern-day hipsters and Raymond Chandler types, who depend on this stalwart venue to lend a romantic patina to their unhealthy habits. Still one of our favourite bars near the
market square
, Dym ('Smoke') is a Cracovian habit we never want to quit.
One of Kraków's most famous bars, and deservedly so, since Singer essentially established an entire
aesthetic of moody candlelit cafes in Kazimierz
that seamlessly transition into boozy fairground funhouses after midnight. The fact that this also the only Kazimierz venue on our list is indicative of the fact that in the '90s, Kazimierz was practically a no-go zone for tourists; in the 1999 edition of KIYP, only 2 of the 50 listed Nightlife venues were located in Kazimierz, the other being a long-defunct (and likely very dodgy) dance club. The success of Singer changed all that, while also spawning dozens of copycats. In the late '00s, Singer distinguished itself again, becoming legendary for wild Slavic danceparties on top of the rickety tables that lasted until dawn. With the turnover of the staff and clientele over the past decade, Singer has mellowed a bit; in fact the staff sometimes seem to take an antagonistic attitude towards the venue's reputation for out-of-control revelry, but hit it on a weekend and you can still have a long night here unlike any other. If this place ever closes its doors for good, we'll know it's time to stop publishing.
One of our most faithful supporters over the years, Pod Papugami takes everything good about a traditional Irish pub - namely Guinness, Murphy's, cider, sports, billiards, darts, good pub grub and a friendly atmosphere - and transplants it into a Cracovian cellar setting. In fact, this veteran dram-house is the kind of place you'll hear the Irish lamenting there aren't enough of back on the Emerald Isle any more. If you're looking for an English-speaking crowd and the comforts of home, look no further; of all the places on this list, Pod Papugami is certainly the most tourist-friendly.
