Warsaw has real history and proper culture without forcing it.

The Palace of Culture and Science still dominates the skyline (Stalin’s “gift”) and looks elegant among the newer towers. Queue for the lift, take in the views — worth it even if the wait is half an hour each way.

The Polish National Museum is excellent value (I got in for a nominal 1 złoty on a Sunday) — three floors of art and Polish history that easily fill a couple of hours. Nearby, the Polish Army Museum has outdoor tanks, planes and weaponry free to wander, plus a solid indoor collection covering the Uprising, WW2, and older campaigns (English descriptions available). The Museum of the World of Illusion is a quirky, fun hour of optical tricks.

All Saints Church has a statue of John Paul II and a peaceful spot in the centre (though it was under renovation when I visited).

Football at Polonia Warsaw Stadium or the Polish Army Stadium (Legia) delivers proper atmosphere, pyro, hospitality and cheap tickets — bring photo ID.

Food

Polish food is honest, filling and good value.

Pierogi is the star — in fact you could say I am addicted to it. Try Zapiecek (several branches; the one I hit near the Old Town was cosy, English menu, excellent dumplings including Grandma’s portion and meaty versions, plus roast beef) or GOŚCINIEC Polskie Pierogi on Krakowskie Przedmieście (stuffed cabbage was meh for me, but the Ruskie pierogi and beer were lovely, and the bill stayed low).

Indian Taste does a solid “menu for two” with tikka, butter chicken, samosas and Goa beer.

Late-night kebabs at Café Baguette hit the spot after a few beers.

Simple pizza and beer at Da Gusto after landing worked fine. 

Nightlife & pubs

Warsaw does a good mix of proper pubs and more polished spots.

Irish Pub Miodowa was my favourite — not particularly Irish in staff or connection, but brilliant craic, friendly enough staff, decent pints (including Guinness), wild mix of ages, live music/DJ on weekends, and the kind of place you end up repeatedly.

Beer Station PUB Centrum has great vibes and chatty staff. Podwale Bar and Books is small, cosy and gentleman’s-club quiet — perfect for conversation. Spring sports bar is rough-and-ready with good banter for a pre-match Legia pint.

British Bulldog is fine for a few beers and cod & chips (when the food is on), though the early close and occasional surly service annoy.

INDEKS Bar & Bistro is a solid underground option.

Avoid Dom Whisky (rude, ignorant staff who ignore you), and Emerald Irish Pub (dead and uninterested).

Overall

Overall, Warsaw delivered exactly what I needed: solid drinking, football days out, proper food (especially those addictive pierogi), and enough culture to feel like I’d seen the place properly. Clean, safe, full of civic pride, with a living history and that classic mix of old and new. Friendly once you get past the exterior, excellent value, and it gets under your skin in a good way. One of the best cities in Europe. Go for the pierogi, the Miodowa craic, a Legia or Polonia match, and the views from the Palace.

NIGHT TIME ACTIVITIES 

Irish Pub Miodowa (5/5)

• Miodowa 3, 00-080 Warszawa, Poland

As a regular beer hound who can sniff out a good bar or pub for miles around, I found this Irish bar in Warsaw to be one of the best in the city, nah, even further afield…….. to be honest it was one of the best pubs I had drank in for a long, long time.

Was here a good couple of times during my few months staying in Warsaw. It seemed to be the place I always ended up! And although I did eventually get booted out one night for been a bit naughty, I still love the place……

The staff are friendly, most of them anyway, the patrons are a wild mix of youth and the very old, the pints are decent, and the craic is always on the go. It is an “Irish” bar but has no Irish staff, or real connection to the old country, apart from the identikit Irish stuff one can find in any Orish pub anywhere in the world…….and of course the Guinness on tap. I would say what they lack here they more than make up in unfiltered “craic” and fun…….. might not be Irish but they certainly party like the Irish here.

Has live music, and a DJ banging out classics during the weekends…… both well worth hanging around for……going on well into the night….and with most of the punters hitting the dance floor, young and old together having a good time…..

This place is a must for anyone wanting to spend a good rocking night in Warsaw…….

Strongly Recommended
Atmosphere: 5

Cafe Rock’n’Roll Grill Bar (2/5)

• Mokotowska 4/pok. 112, 00-641 Warszawa, Poland

Not enough attractions to keep three thirsty souls entertained enough to stay.

Quiet for a Saturday night……

Atmosphere: 1

Spring. sports bar (4/5)

• aleja Tomasza Hopfera 11, 00-459 Warszawa, Poland

Good place for a pre match beer in the company of some Legia fans.

Rough and ready bar. Good banter

Easy to get your order in, no fuss.

Service: 4   Atmosphere: 5

British Bulldog Pub (4/5)

• Krucza 51, 00-022 róg, Poland

Ok for a sit down and a few beers. Ventured in and instantly met a few ex pats which was great……..

Good crowd in on a Saturday night, good few locals too that were more than happy to share a few beers with and all……..

Beers were fine, just had regular lagers and all……..maybe one shot.

Bar man needs to lighten up, if he doesn’t want to work in a bar then no one is forcing him……. its the hospitality industry after all, try and smile! Also the fact the bar closes early is a real bummer, especially as its the weekend. Only getting settled then have to drink up and leave. Bit of a joke that.

edit) returned with friend, for a drink and a bite to eat. Ordered some Guinness, which was ok, and cod and chips. service was good, and the food was well tasty……

Food: 5   Service: 1   Atmosphere: 3

Dom Whisky Cocktail Bar (1/5)

• Nowy Świat 32, 00-373 Warszawa, Poland

Worst service encountered in Warsaw, very rude and ignorant staff.

Went in with friend, thought it might be fun to try something different from the usual pints of beer we have. Sat down at bar. No service……………….so asked for a drinks menu……not like we know all the cocktails and mixes off the top of our head….but no menu was forthcoming and when my friend asked for the menu he was scoffed at by the bar man.

Three young men all huddled together, ignoring two thirsty travelers…….. I wonder what could be so interesting in their little pee brains that they forgot they are in the hospitality industry.

Up we went and left the kip

Irish Pub Molly Malone’s (3/5)

• Krakowskie Przedmieście 41, 00-071 Warszawa, Poland

Here twice on my stay in Warsaw, downstairs in the cozy bar rather than the drinking den upstairs.

Not the worst place in the world, nice and comfy and the bar lady was very friendly, nice and chatty…..working well on her own for most periods of the time.

Guinness was ok, and had an Irish whiskey, but also some Belgian beer which as fine.

Second time around, meeting my Scottish mate, who was very peeved that they were not showing the rugby, deciding day and all – Ireland V Scotland – I didn’t particularity care, and if I am honest, i prefer a bar not to show any egg chasing – but he had a point. You would imagine an “Irish bar” might show Ireland playing in the rugby as opposed to seeing some British football. That is called cultural appropriation…a tad bit annoying.

What was more annoying to me was when we kindly asked the bar man if we could request some tunes on the music box (TV hooked up to the YouTube) We were thinking some good music from Ireland and the UK but no the fat lad much preferred to play his hard metal songs of the 90s – Bit weird, and anti social.

Looking at most of the negative reviews on here though it seems I escaped much of the nonsense.

Anyway not a bad place but You are NOT an Irish bar! OK!!!!

(There is a much, much better Irish bar around the corner!)

Service: 2

INDEKS Bar & Bistro (4/5)

• Krakowskie Przedmieście 24, 00-325 Warszawa, Poland

Not a bad little place, an underground joint, which was busy enough on the Saturday night, the staff friendly, and a good place for a few beers and a chat

Service: 5   Atmosphere: 4

Zamieszanie – cocktail bar (3/5)

• Nowy Świat 6/12, 00-400 Warszawa, Poland

Late night beer, had a nice beer and the chat before going home

Ok place, interesting décor and a decent enough ambiance, but having said that its not the kind of place you’d stay for too long……too open and high chairs are not conducive to relaxing…..

I though the pumps at the front of the bar was for some craft beers, little did I know it was cocktails……the bar lady laughed, like how could I not know…….silly me thinking good cocktails are shaken and sometimes stirred, heh I’m not into lady drinks much, ha ha….anyway.

Service: 1   Atmosphere: 3

Podwale Bar and Books (5/5)

• Wąski Dunaj 20, 00-256 Warszawa, Poland

An interesting place, very small and cozy, kind of hidden away with an air of pretense, a well to do place that feels like a gentleman’s club, although somehow I had managed to get through the doors. A place where there is a smart looking fella at the door ready to welcome you in and take your coats, and show you to your seat.

But having said all that, I liked this place. as it is small it gives the drinker a good chance to have a good conversation without silly pop music blaring out or crowds of drunken young men strutting their stuff. I could get used to bars like this!

The bar staff were friendly, the beers and the cocktails we had, were all good, and I would like to return to this place.

Service: 5   Atmosphere: 4

Beer Station PUB Centrum (5/5)

• Lwowska 17, 00-660 Warszawa, Poland

Small little pub but with a lot of good vibes, especially the night we were in, with very friendly staff and a good happy atmosphere in the bar.

Bar staff were very chatty and friendly.

Nice vibes, good beer and absolutely loved the positive atmosphere emanating from the place. If I have the chance I would love to return.

Service: 5   Atmosphere: 5

Emerald Irish Pub (1/5)

• Al. Jerozolimskie 4, 00-375 Warszawa, Poland

Irish man in Irish bar drinking Irish beer, left bitterly disappointed.

Sunday night, dead, was only customer and no chat with bar man, who was more interested in hiding out the back.

Tut Tut Guinness was just about ok.

Service: 1   Atmosphere: 1

Belgian Elephant Pub (3/5)

• Freta 19, 00-227 Warszawa, Poland

Bit of a novelty in downtown Warsaw, but if you are a lover of Belgian beers and all things sour then this is the place for you.

I am more a stout and cheap lager man myself, so I guess I’m too uncultured for the likes of this place, but still where there is beer then I am usually to be found.

Loving the décor, really made a great effort within the bar, lots of beer memorabilia dotted all around. Brilliant.

Wasn’t a whole lot in for a Saturday night, a bit dead in fact. Or so we had thought when a large group of Belgian ex pats walked in and set themselves at large tables, ready for a night of drinking. Unfortunately this was to be an exclusive event, and other customers were told to leave as the bar was to close.

Tells you all you need to know about this bar in my humble opinion. Buy our expensive beer, and pee off…….but hell maybe cause I’m Irish…lol.

Edit: this happened a few years ago. Something is up with Google’s AI that is making me re-upload old reviews To reply. It did happen, what would I gain from lying, tsk. Your reply proves my point😊
Service: 1  Atmosphere: 3

PLACES TO EAT 

Zapiecek (5/5)

• Świętojańska 13, 00-288 Warszawa, Poland

AND PLACES TO SEE

Muzeum Świat Iluzji / Museum World of Illusion (4/5)

• Rynek Starego Miasta 21, 00-272 Warszawa, Poland

Quirky museum but fun and well worth a look.

Not the biggest place in the world but enough to while away an hour and a lot of interesting things to see and try out…….optical illusions, tricks of the mind and lightning displays, etc…..

All Saints Church (3/5)

• Pl. Grzybowski 3/5, 00-115 Warszawa, Poland

Lovely statue of the great man himself, Pope John Paul, an icon in Poland.

Would have loved to go into the old church myself but there was Sunday service so.

Also they are doing up the old building so its not so pretty on the eye at the moment, still a nice peaceful place in the centre of Warsaw.

Polish National Museum in Warsaw (5/5)

• Al. Jerozolimskie 3, 00-495 Warszawa, Poland

As a person more used to the football and the beer, I decided why not get some real “culture” for a change, so on an early Sunday morning I headed over to the National Museum of Warsaw, which wasn’t too far away from where I am staying.

The entrance fee was a nominal One Zloty (20 cents) and in I was. I had no plan of what I wanted to see, so went in with no ideas or specifics, just have a walk around and look at some great art work.

I have to say it is a very impressive museum, and I did learn a lot about Polish history from it….. some wonderful paintings and I was happy to while away a few hours here.

Three floors though, and if, you are like me, and want to see as much as you can, going down every nook and cranny, then you will spend about 2 or 3 hours here easily.

Suffice to say, I was well knackered after it all. It was great to see a lot of young kids around, getting a good education and learning. There is also a play and learning room for young kids, which if you have young kids, I do, is a great idea. Well done to the museum on that one.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable few hours.

Polish Army Museum (4/5)

• Cytadela Warszawska – Pawilon Południowy, Gwardii 4, 01-519 Warszawa, Poland

Hot on the heels of the National Museum, I quickly ventured into the war Museum, a stones throw away……

Immediately noticeable is that on display outside, and free to wander around, is a very decent collection of all sorts of armory and weaponry of tanks, rockets, bombs, jets and planes, a good collection of the beauty of war! Good to walk around and take a selfie. I pretended I was in Ukraine, and some actually believed me!

To go into the museum itself, it costs 20 Zloty (4 Euros), a very reasonable price.

The museum is very well spaced out and you head in one main direction and end of on a good tour of various campaigns that Poland was involved in, from the Warsaw uprising, the WW2 campaigns (In the UK as well-Polish air bombers), the fights with old foes like Russia (and Ukraine, which was surprising to me), ….and a general overview of the style of the uniforms and weapons of those times…. its quite extensive and very informative, with descriptions in Polish, obviously, and in English.

It was a long walk around, over an hour or more, and it was very good.

The only negative I might have is that there could be some interactive side to the museum, something more hands on – try on some similar styled war time uniforms, or hold some replica weapons, etc.

Overall, well worth a look, if for nothing else to see and learn about some of Poland’s long war time history.

Polish Army Stadium (4/5)

• Łazienkowska 3, 00-449 Warszawa, Poland

Legia Warsaw V Lechia Gdansk, 2-1

Location: Warsaw, April 2022

Good game of football, Legia deserved their win, although they had to hold on near the end…..

Crowd and support were fantastic, very noisy all through the game, nice bit of pyro at the start and a lot of good chants and flag waving……good support. Lechia fans too, singing most of the game, credit to them too.

Beer was flowing nicely, and fast food was on the go too……..

Facilities are fine, getting to and from ground no hassle…..

Club shop decent……..bought a scarf and hat.

No trouble getting match ticket, roughly 13 euros, although bit fecking annoying to be asked for ID to go to a football game, tsk tsk

All in all good fun and will be back again if possible! 

Polonia Warsaw Stadium (5/5)

• Konwiktorska 6, 00-206 Warszawa, Poland

Came here for the game of Polonia Warsaw V Unia Skierniewice which the home team won 2-0.

An hour early, got my ticket, which as a foreigner I need to bring some photo ID to get in, nice and quick into the ground and immediately shepherded in to a VIP lounge. Great, and nice beers at the ready, Met two young lads from Amsterdam, and so the craic was flowing.

Game started, very decent crowd in for what was a lower league game, good noise created by the home supporters too…….. Game was good if not a little pedestrian…..but home team completely in control.

After the game hung out with a lot of home fans who were very hospitable, and shared with me some of their vodka. Ended up in the supporters bar in the ground……

All great fun, and the Polonia Warsaw fans made the occasion an unforgettable day out.

Good atmosphere, football and beer, and the craic at the ninety, I hope some day I can return. (I lost my camera that night too, god dammit, and with it all my pics of the day – but its long in the memory so that will have to do!)

Palace of Culture and Science (4/5)

• Pl. Defilad 1, 00-901 Warszawa, Poland

Lovely looking Tower, given to the Polish from Stalin as a gift back in the day…..

Nowadays its a cultural marker in a modern city surrounded by nice and shiny high rise office towers……it still holds its elegance well, and is a beautiful building to look at from below.

Going to the top, or at least some of the way to the top, one has to queue a little as its busy……. and with only one lift working on the day…..it did take half an hour to first buy a ticket, then get inline for the lift……

But at the top, the views are great, and one can see as far as the eyes can go of the city of Warsaw in all its splendid glory.

Great views at the top. Going back down again, another bit of a wait to the bottom…….another 20 or 30 minutes ….but I didn’t mind really as the lines were moving, just slowly!

Worth a visit to see the skyline of Warsaw

AND THE REST

Siłownia 24/7 Nowy Świat Warszawa | Well Fitness (5/5)

• Świętokrzyska 3, 00-360 Warszawa, Poland

Cheap gym, that is open 24 hours, which is very handy, has two floors of exercise machines, weights, etc. and plenty of options for a workout…

Easy to join up, staff were very helpful and I also found it no problem un-subbing.

I didn’t have any of the issues a lot of people seemed to have…..

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