Wine & Cocktails

Where lie our favorite wine bars and cocktail lounges? Look no further… here that summons the age of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Karim Bibars, the man behind it all, is one Poland’s best-known cocktail kings, and his drinks are the personification of liquid elegance.

El Koktel

Wojciecha Górskiego 9

Such is the standard, it’s impossible to call out Warsaw’s best cocktail bar, but somewhere towards the top invariably stands the intimate El Koktel. Starlit with Edison bulbs, and touting a palm-sized mezzanine over which you can peer at the bar, the rich midnight colors of El Koktel are paired with a sublime drinks offer that takes you down almost impossible twists and turns.

NOLA

Wilcza 43

Niewinność

Zgoda 5

If Niewinność sounds familiar then so it bloody well should – present in Hala Gwardii since about Year Dot, it was this original joint that helped popularize wine with Warsaw’s younger drinkers. Completely lacking in that frosty formality that defines many wine spots, the welcome here has more in line with entering your favorite local bar. Casual and comfy but never short of chic, it looks more like a trendy loft apartment with its communal table, poster art and zaps of neon.

Aura

Hoża 27

Aura’s Moroccan-style design is mysterious and engaging – promoting the heavy use of swivelly chrome stools and Persian rugs, the heavy hint of retro glam is balanced out by a crowd that strays into the head turning category. Making them a real one-off is an exhaustive collection of bourbons.

Back Room

Koszykowa 49A

Opened at a time when Warsaw was going through its speakeasy phase, Back Room owes its continued success to more than just its jazzy, Prohibition era vibe. True, its decadent interior doesn’t half cast a spell with its plush fabrics, muted lighting and flickering fireplace, but it’s the drinks that have the final word.

Charlie

Mokotowska 39

Occupying the first floor of a pre-war tenement, there’s a magic

NOLA: as in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz! Hedonism! Etcetera! Almost identical to its predecessor, Koko & Roy, the intimate interior has seen a few nips and tucks – vinyl records, cymbals and some black and white pics added to the walls. Dark and shadowy, its proved popular with the younger expat generation who gather here for drinks that include the Americanized version of Pimm’s and exotic creations with names like Absinth Frappe.

Paloma Inn

Poznańska 21

Inspired by The Jetsons, the moon landings and the atom, Paloma Inn is a groovy blast of lunar lines, pea green colors and furnishings and fittings that are retro-futuristic. The experience is compounded by easy listening muzak, 70s menu faves like fondue and mega fun cocktails like the Green Bubble (melon liquor, cognac, tarragon, lemon juice and fizzy water).

Rascal Bar

Moliera 6

One of the year’s hottest openings, Rascal is reputedly Europe’s largest bar specializing in natural wines. Looking stripped down to maximize the original accents, what was once reputedly a canteen for ballet dancers today features a mix and match of tables, plenty of exposed concrete and a tall entrance curtain through which to swish. Crowned with a veneered, marble-topped bar, it’s a beauty to behold – a point not lost on the Vogue staffers that have made this their domain.

Reginabar

Koszykowa 1

Hip and happening, the concept at Reginabar is a wacky amalgam that mixes elements of New York’s Little Italy with China Town next door. The menu rocks, but find it augmented by a dynamic cocktail list that reflects the crazy things happening in Warsaw’s world of drinks: that means, a ‘Girls on Top’ menu featuring drinks such as Baby One More Time and Wannabe. Lap these up in an interior that joins the retro with the avant garde – for a more subtle style, though shorter hours, check their younger little sister in Mysia 3.

Sakebar By Nobu

Wilcza 73

Filled with light during the day, come dusk the curtains sweep shut to close guests off from the outside world. Sensual fragrances waft around, complementing a luxury menu touting bottles of craft sake that peak at PLN 3,000. Fixed by immaculate staff, cocktails are also prominent and are inspired.

Superfly

Zajęcza 1A

Bathed in the soft light of the 70s style vintage lamps scattered about, the tone is set out front by the wacky board signboard that likens switching to natural wine as “travelling from black and white to intense psychedelic”. As fun as this trip in time is, the wines are of the cutting edge and are ably supported by the cooking of co-owner Oleg.

Va Bene Cicchetti

Waryńskiego 9C

Rich in golds and operatic reds, the stylish Venetian theme includes table legs painted in gondola stripes and a signature mural made from mirrored shards. Drinks are works of art. Tailored around Italian ingredients, these number six interpretations of negroni and a concise roll-call of Prosecco and Martini-based drinks. The speed with which they’re fixed belie the quality at play.

Vhs Bar

Poznańska 7

An 80s-themed cocktail bar snuck inside a pocket-sized brick cellar lit with fun, garish neon and pics of the era’s defining legends. Supremely fun, order cocktails named after figures like Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol and, of course, The Hoff. As for the toilet, well that’s so fantastic that it was deemed worthy of its own individual prize in our Best of Warsaw issue!

Timeless Cocktails

Zaremba Caf

Nowogrodzka 15

Black and white photos referencing the history of this former gentleman’s atelier gaze from the walls onto an interior heaving with brass, terrazzo and blue velvet finishes. A café by day, come evening Zaremba moves into cocktail territory with craft ingredients resulting in drinks like the Hemingway (Maraschino, house-made clarified grapefruit juice, coconut sugar and Zaremba’s own rum blend).