CRAFT

Kufle i Kapsle

Nowogrodzka 25

Ten years old this summer, KiK stands out as one of Warsaw’s original tap bars. Respectful of the building’s pre-war heritage, the interiors feature a warming back room with low-slung armchairs, but the real action is out front where note-taking nerds and international pissheads join as one to clamour around a bar serving some of the best beer in Poland.

Hopito Chmielna

Chmielna 24

Opened in January as the younger sister of Hopito’s Żurawia venture, this branch feels a little more grown-up in its target audience, though every bit as fun in its beer selection - radicalized drinkers will love Hopito’s own wacky brews, though these are supplemented by more standard craft swigs. Being Chmielna, expect a lively terrace.

Uwaga

Set in a row of mews-like buildings, duck under a photogenic neon before entering an area filled with carpenter-style workbenches and plush, comfy seats in eclectic clashing colors. As engaging as it is in winter, summer is all about embedding yourself on the terrace and twisting like a meerkat as you watch the good lookers file past.

Syty Chmiel

Marszałkowska 10/16

Though undeniably large, intimacy isn’t short in supply, and that’s down to the comfortable armchairs, framed pictures, atmospheric lo-lighting and some personal trinkets to reflect the passions of the owners (skateboards, for instance). There’s twelve taps in total, but the great triumph here is how they’ve succeeded connecting the beer with owner Pan Tasak’s modern Polish cuisine.

Browar Warszawski

Haberbuscha i Schielego 2

Browar Warszawski’s winning summertime feature is a terrace in the deeply shaded plaza of this swanky development. Beyond the glass frontage, it’s the most swish of Warsaw’s tap bars with the selection brewed on-site. Recognizing that not everyone likes beer (!), they also fix a mean cocktail – the Browar Sour, based on Ostoya vodka, is brill.

Best of the Best

Jabeerwocky

Nowogrodzka 12

Good old Jabbers will never let you down. A Warsaw institution, the adventurous choice of beers gives nods to international pioneers, domestic talents as well as their own house beers. Pre-war floors and the welcome smell of spillage give it a great atmosphere that becomes a boisterous babble of international voices the later it gets. The street patio catches the sun perfectly.

Pinta

Chmielna 7/9

Bearing the hallmarks of the previous tenant (Mikkeller), the minimal but primrose-coloured Scandi-design keeps the attention on the beer which comes, mainly, from the namesake brewery. Considered the founding fathers of Poland’s craft adventure, the beers are brilliant and fairly priced. Reassuringly cosmopolitan in its crowd, it’s become our runaway favourite of Warsaw’s craft pubs.