Music

Chlodna Cafe is a great cafe to just take it easy and enjoy life, drink something warm and eat one of their freshly made sandwiches. On Sundays after 12:00 they offer great and affordable brunches which I highly recommend.

The café is located on the corner of Zelazna and Chlodna street which once connected the two parts of the Warsaw ghetto during the second world war. Recently the Isreali writer Etgar Keret moved into the world’s narrowest apartment just at that corner, so if you are there, you should definitely take a look and see the apartment’s exterior.

The café is also a great place to meet people who are interested or somehow connected to culture or music. If you visit their blog, you’ll see dates and details of upcoming events which are frequently organized in the café. As they recently remodeled into a late night comedy club, I would definitely recommend checking out their schedule as some events are also in English.

I also highly recommend visiting the cafe during late evenings as it’s full of interesting people and good beer! 

If you enjoy well-preserved buildings and exquisite original interiors, make sure you visit this baroque work of art (yes, the Palace in Wilanów can really be called that) and its landscaped, spacious gardens.

No matter the time of the year, Wilanów never loses its immense old-world charm: in the wintertime it is mystical and noble, spring and summer lots of tourists flock to the Palace and some refreshing relaxation can be enjoyed in the rose garden (no sitting on the lawn though), autumn is a perfect time to observe newly-weds throwing leaves around while being photographed. You will be amazed by the dignity with which even school groups move around.

Most importantly, Wilanów has an outstanding collection of works of art, including frescoes. To name just a few of that great collection: Rembrandt, van Dyck, Rafael. Of course, as you can imagine, the list is much longer but I don’t want to spoil the “Oh, look who painted this” effect for you.

Balsam is a relaxed place to be on a Friday or Saturday evening and night. They don’t have any posh guests (most of the time). You will definitely meet some people who just came out of their beds, and some night owls.

Balsam hosts good concerts (this will mostly be some little known but very pleasant bands or DJs with chill-out music. But I have also heard some hip-hop music here).

They have a lot of space at the front. I just love standing outside, with a glass in my hand, watching people talk and listen to the nice music played inside.

This place is famous for some of the best concerts in Warsaw. The atmosphere is quite amazing, as the price (usually quite high…) of the tickets determines the fact that only great fans of a given artist are inside. The bar makes a great impression (the back-lit wall of the bar is made of hundreds… thousands… millions of bottles!).

One thing that I particularly like about Fabryka Trzciny (translation: Trzcina’s/ Reed Factory) is its courtyard where you can drink you beer, or simply chat to your friends when your ears get tired inside. This is definitely one of the most laid-back and pleasant places to be on a late Saturday night. Maybe the winter isn’t quite as pleasant as the summer, still it’s worth a visit!

Fabryka Trzciny also has a branch at Krakowskie Przedmieście. It’s called Skwer and it also attracts many tourists. In the summer period, many open-air concerts take place here and of course it’s double the fun to sit outside and have the music played right in front of you.

How cool, I thought as I entered this new place well advertised by Lanberry who sang there on a Friday some time ago. A quite spacious interior and original designs (black chandeliers, huge mirrors in metal frames, high-polished bar). The owner/manager has taken care of even the smallest details: interesting wallpapers, baskets, scented candles, blankets, frames, vases.

This joyous combination of details is accompanied by excellent food and even better wines (the wine list contains more than 30 wines from all over the world, I must say the red Ochagavia ’09 was absolutely brilliant. They keep the wine in a fridge, however, so some wine connoisseurs may be shocked). Make sure you also try their warm apple pie with ice cream – I think this was the best one I’ve ever had in my entire life!

There are new concerts to come, for example in the “Music is a woman” series where young/new artists are invited to play in “Absurd”. Check here for more info. At the end of May there will be a fado concert + Portuguese music: JOÃO de SOUSA & Fado Polaco, I can’t wait!