These are Old Town bars, all inside the Planty ring, from Rynek Główny itself out to Podwale: ten minutes' walk at most. None of them is from my own saved list: all ten are recommended by travel guides and bar guides (34travel, Goodtime Monty and others), and I checked each one on Google: still open, rated 4.5 or higher. The descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews. Kazimierz bars have their own article, and the overview of the city's bars is here.
Prices are Google's average spend per person, valid as of 11 October 2026. Rate: 1 zł ≈ $0.26.
In short
- Most inventive cocktails: TAG on Podwale, with its vinyl-record menu, and Mr. Black on Szewska, with a menu built on tarot cards.
- Speakeasy: Mercy Brown, entered through a restaurant cloakroom; you pick your cocktail by picture.
- Cheap: IVY on Św. Tomasza, cocktails at 20–40 zł, karaoke and board games.
- Jazz: three cellars, Piwnica Pod Baranami and Harris right on the Rynek, Jazz Club u Muniaka on Floriańska; concerts cost extra, in cash.
- Not cocktails, but worth it: herring and vodka at Ambasada Śledzia, and the Wilczy Dół fantasy tavern.
Cocktail bars
TAG
Stare Miasto · cocktail bar · 40–120 zł (≈$10–31) · Tue 19:00–0:00, Wed–Thu 19:00–1:00, Fri–Sat 18:00–2:00, closed Sun–Mon
Google Maps · website · Podwale 7
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 590+): a concept bar whose current menu is a hip-hop vinyl record: the Old School side reworks the classics, the New School side has new creations, with ginseng or Sichuan pepper, for example. The alcohol-free cocktails get praise too. Friendly bartenders, loud music, a concept that's close to over the top, but the drinks are said to be excellent.
Mr. Black
Stare Miasto · cocktail bar · 40–60 zł (≈$10–16) · Sun–Thu 17:00–1:00, Fri–Sat 17:00–2:30
Google Maps · website · Szewska 21
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 1,000+): a small bar on the second floor, reached through a passage off the street and up a staircase. The look is gothic meets Victorian, the menu is built on tarot cards and every cocktail has a story; one is a tribute to czernina, a Polish soup. The bartenders pick a drink to suit your taste. 34travel recommends it too (article).
IVY Cocktail & Karaoke Bar
Stare Miasto · cocktail & karaoke bar · 20–40 zł (≈$5–10) · Sun–Wed 18:00–0:00, Thu 18:00–1:00, Fri–Sat 18:00–3:00
Google Maps · Instagram · Św. Tomasza 31
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 320+): a small bar a couple of minutes from the Rynek, run by a young couple. The list of cocktails and shots is long, and at happy hour it's very cheap. Evenings bring karaoke and board games, the music is good, and it's rarely packed. The cheapest bar on this list.
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+): a bar designed down to the last detail, the bathroom included. Sometimes there's a live singer. The bartenders invent off-menu drinks around what you like, and reviewers single out the hospitality of the owner, Jakub; the bar even hosts weddings and private parties. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Mercy Brown Cocktails Jazz & Burlesque
Stare Miasto · speakeasy · 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 dark, stylish 1920s speakeasy at the back of a restaurant: walk in at the address and ask for Mercy Brown straight away, and you'll be led through the cloakroom. You order by choosing a picture from the menu, and the bartender builds a drink around it; classics like a Paloma come out well too. Live music on Sundays from 20:00. The most expensive bar on this list.
Jazz cellars
Piwnica Pod Baranami
Rynek Główny · cellar bar & cabaret · 20–40 zł (≈$5–10) · Mon–Thu 11:00–0:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–1:30, Sun 11:00–23:30
Google Maps · website · Rynek Główny 27
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 4,700+): the legendary cellar of a literary cabaret, open since 1956, right under a palace on the Rynek. Down the steps are three vaulted rooms with a bohemian feel; cocktails, beer and coffee are cheap. Concerts are in a separate room with a ticket, the other rooms are free to enter. Packed on Friday nights; come early for a show.
Harris Piano Jazz Bar
Rynek Główny · jazz bar · 20–100 zł (≈$5–26) · Mon–Thu 12:00–2:30, Fri 12:00–3:00, Sat 11:00–3:00, Sun 11:00–2:00
Google Maps · website · Rynek Główny 28
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 2,400+): a jazz cellar on the Rynek with concerts of jazz, blues and funk. Book a table for a show; some nights there's a small fee for the band, cash only. Without a booking you sit in the next room and watch the concert on a screen. Reviewers praise the staff and the pizza; the downside is weak cocktails.
Jazz Club u Muniaka
Stare Miasto · jazz club · 20–100 zł (≈$5–26) · daily 19:00–2:00
Google Maps · website · Floriańska 3
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 900): a jazz club in a cellar on Floriańska; the music usually starts around 21:30. Come 30–60 minutes early for a good seat: the club is split into three small rooms, the stage is in only one, and latecomers stand right in front of the tables. Entry costs extra, in cash; table service stays fast even when it's full.
Vodka, herring and a tavern
Ambasada Śledzia
Stare Miasto · herring & vodka bar · 20–40 zł (≈$5–10) · Sun–Wed 10:00–1:00, Thu 10:00–1:30, Fri–Sat 10:00–2:00
Google Maps · Facebook · Stolarska 8/10
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 2,400+): a hole in the wall opposite the US consulate, serving herring in a dozen styles, bread with lard and pickles alongside your shot. Order at the counter and wait for your number; fair prices, and the sharing platter is huge. You can also try 70% śliwowica. The décor is bare, and some guests weren't happy with how clean it was.
Tawerna Wilczy Dół
Stare Miasto · fantasy tavern · 40–120 zł (≈$10–31) · Mon–Thu 13:00–23:00, Fri–Sat 13:00–0:00, Sun 12:00–22:30
Google Maps · website · Szpitalna 22
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 11,300+): an underground fantasy tavern where the staff stay in character and you pay in the house currency; leftover coins are yours to keep. Generous portions, pleasant prices, and the atmosphere is the real reason to come. You often wait for a table. 34travel recommends it too (article), linking it to The Witcher.
One last thing
TAG and Mercy Brown are closed on Mondays, and TAG on Sundays too: on those nights go to Mr. Black or IVY. Carry cash for jazz: both Harris and u Muniaka take entry fees in cash only.
More on Kraków: where to eat, breakfast, bars, Kazimierz bars, what to see.