In the evening, everyone in Kraków heads to Kazimierz. Two of these bars, Eszeweria and Dragon Tail, come from my own list of saved spots; the other six are recommended by travel guides, 34travel first of all; I checked the new ones on Google: still open, rated 4.2 or higher. The descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews; I haven't added my own notes yet.
Prices are Google's average spend per person, valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 1 zł ≈ $0.26.
In short
- An evening in Kazimierz: Eszeweria, Alchemia and Mleczarnia, five minutes from each other and open late.
- A garden: behind Eszeweria there's a big garden straight out of an old novel, with umbrellas against the rain.
- Cocktails: The Artist in the Old Town, a Gatsby-era bar, sometimes with live vocals.
- In the Old Town: vodka flights at Wódka Café Bar, beer at House of Beer and the Mercy Brown speakeasy behind a restaurant.
- Shisha: Dragon Tail next to Nolio, with shisha made to your strength and taste and a small inner garden.
Where to drink
Eszeweria
Kazimierz · bar with a garden · 20–40 zł (≈$5–10) · daily 10:00–2:00, Fri–Sat until 3:00
Google Maps · website · Józefa 9
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 3,200+): one of the must-visit bars of Kazimierz. Inside are antiques, candles and incense; out back is a large garden that feels like something from an old novel, with umbrellas for rainy days. It's quiet in the daytime, lively at night. Good drinks, fair prices; Żywiec on tap, for example.
Alchemia
Kazimierz · bar & café · 20–40 zł (≈$5–10) · daily from 9:00 until 2:00, Thu until 3:00, Fri–Sat until 4:00
Google Maps · website · Estery 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 6,800+): a Kazimierz classic on the corner of Plac Nowy, with several cosy rooms, art on the walls and a terrace looking out on the market stalls. It runs from morning to the small hours: hot chocolate and cake in the daytime, beer and a seasonal menu with vegetarian dishes at night, in big portions. It's self-service: you order and pay at the bar.
Mleczarnia
Kazimierz · café-bar with a garden · 20–40 zł (≈$5–10) · daily 10:00–0:00, Fri–Sat until 1:00
Google Maps · website · Beera Meiselsa 20
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 3,400+): a cosy café-bar next door to HEVRE. In summer everyone sits in the garden under a big chestnut tree, with the cocktail room across the street. Mornings bring breakfast and coffee with cake; in winter, mulled wine and hot cider. Many come back several times in one trip. If you pay cash, check your change.
The Artist Cocktail Bar
Stare Miasto · cocktail bar · 40–60 zł (≈$10–16) · Mon 17:00–0:00, Tue–Wed 18:00–0:00, Thu & Sun 16:00–0:00, Fri–Sat 16:00–2:00
Google Maps · Facebook · św. Marka 11A
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 570+): an intimate Gatsby-era cocktail bar in the Old Town, with a carefully styled room, good music and sometimes a live singer. Reviewers praise the signature cocktails and bartenders who happily mix something off-menu to your taste. Many call it the find of their trip. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Dragon Tail
Kazimierz · cocktail & shisha lounge · 60–160 zł (≈$16–42) · Mon–Thu 14:00–23:00, Fri 14:00–1:00, Sat 13:00–1:00, Sun 13:00–23:00
Google Maps · website · Krakowska 30
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 3,300+): a shisha lounge with an inner garden, next door to Nolio. The shisha is made to your strength and flavour, and reviewers praise the signature cocktails and attentive waitresses; some evenings there's a live violinist. It's the priciest place on this list, and guests say the 180 zł snack platter isn't worth the money.
Wódka Café Bar
Stare Miasto · vodka bar · 20–100 zł (≈$5–26) · Sun–Thu 12:00–0:00, Fri–Sat 12:00–1:00
Google Maps · website · Mikołajska 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 2,500+): a tiny bar off the Rynek for tasting Polish vodkas and flavoured spirits — fig, wild rose, elderberry, pear, salted caramel. Order single shots, a preset flight or build your own tray of six; it costs a fraction of a paid tasting tour. The bar staff know their range inside out and help you choose. Downside: it's very small, so getting a table for a group is hard.
House of Beer
Stare Miasto · beer bar · 20–60 zł (≈$5–16) · Mon–Wed and Sun 14:00–0:00, Thu until 0:45, Fri–Sat 13:00–1:45
Google Maps · website · Św. Tomasza 35
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 9,400+): a central beer bar with a big tap list and an even bigger range of cans and bottles from Poland, Belgium, Lithuania and Germany. The staff know their beer, prices are fair for the centre, the snacks are generous (the sweet-potato fries get praise) and you order at the bar. Downsides: it's loud and hard to find a seat at peak times, and there's only one toilet per gender.
Mercy Brown
Stare Miasto · speakeasy with cocktails and jazz · 40–140 zł (≈$10–36) · Tue–Thu 18:00–0:00, Fri–Sat 18:00–1:00, Sun 18:00–23:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Floriana Straszewskiego 28
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 2,200+): a 1920s-style bar hidden behind a restaurant — go in at the Google address and ask the first staff member for Mercy Brown, and you'll be led through the cloakroom. You don't pick a cocktail by name but by a picture that speaks to you, and the bartender builds a drink around it. Live music from 20:00 on Sundays, and sometimes burlesque. Downside: it's not cheap.
One last thing
Kazimierz runs late: Alchemia stays open until 4:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, Eszeweria until 3:00. Start the evening in the Mleczarnia garden and move on to Alchemia when Mleczarnia closes.
More on Kraków: where to eat, what to see, breakfast, cocktail bars near the Rynek, Kazimierz bars.