Where to drink in Wroclaw – Our top 5 pubs & bars

As part of Meet My City’s blog series on where to eat and drink in Wroclaw, this time we tell you about our favourite places to drink in Wroclaw whilst soaking up the unique atmosphere of some of the city’s most popular bars. 

1.    Pod Papugami (Parrots)

Pod Papugami is located in the heart of Wroclaw’s historic Market Square. In addition to a very interesting food menu, this fashionable venue is well-known for its selection of great beers, international wines and mouth-watering cocktails. 

Attentive waitresses offer table service while hip bartenders rustle up all kinds of spectacular drinks from behind the well-stocked bar, giving the impression that each drink has been lovingly concocted just for you!

The world of movies is definitely the theme of this venue, with movie pictures and film memorabilia on display throughout. The main area of the bar is split across three levels, allowing guests the option of listening to the cool live music downstairs (offered most week nights) or sitting up on the mezzanine where it’s possibly a bit quieter. 

During the warmer month’s you can make use of the stylish outside seating area and enjoy drinks as you watch the world go by. 

In the past, Pod Papugami’s building was the headquarters of the wealthy merchant clothiers – the only place where one could cut cloth and hence the name of a nearby street and building known as Cloth Hall. In 1859 the building was handed over to the City Council and became the New Town Hall and home to the Mayor of the city. These days you will meet our current mayor on the first floor of the Town Hall with his adopted cat Wrocek. 

2.    Mleczarnia 

Located slightly off the beaten track and deep in the heart of Wroclaw’s Four Temples district, is the cosy and characterful cafe bar Mleczarnia (The Milk Shed). 

In addition to a wide selection of draft beers & stouts, wines and spirits, this bohemian arty bar also serves up delicious cakes, refreshing salads and many different hot drinks including a very wicked hot chocolate! Visitors are drawn to the Milk Shed for its tranquil atmosphere. Inside you will marvel at the vast array of old family portraits, antiques and solid furniture, whilst outside, you can sit underneath the huge tree and hang out with Wroclaw’s cool crowd. No table service here mind, so be prepared to queue at the bar for your beers! Great staff, super clean place and well worth a few hours of anybody’s time. I’ll have a Murphys please!

Overlooking the synagogue, this bar is perfect for a drink after you have explored the local area, known as the Jewish quarter. Inside the White Stork Synagogue next door, you will find a permanent exhibition on the history of Jews in Wroclaw and Lower Silesia. Definitely worth a visit in your free time, perhaps on the Meet My City ‘District of the Four Temples’ tour. 

3.    Literatka Pub & Cafe

Literaka Pub & Café is a hidden gem in the midst of many Market Square bars. It is most definitely the place to sample the cultural life of the city and a preferred meeting place of writers, artists, lecturers and students. With a reasonably priced drinks menu, bar staff will serve you either on the terrace or inside at the bar.
You could be forgiven for missing the best bit about this bar, which is the hip back room located at the rear of the building. Visiting live music performers, poets and entertainers of all kinds perform regularly in this cosy room with its own library, comfy leather couches and jazz club atmosphere.    

4.    Hotel Monopol Bars & Terraces

Wroclaw’s Hotel Monopol is from a bygone era. Solid marble floors, oak panelling and high ceilings let you know that without doubt - you are in one of the oldest hotel in the city. With that said, the main bar manages to offer a contemporary vibe while still remaining refined. The draft beers are served ice cold and the cocktails are of the highest quality (and strength hic!). 

Comfy leather chairs and floor to ceiling windows let you drink and take in the stunning view of the Opera House across the street at the same time. During the summer months the fun moves to the Monopol roof terrace where the city’s best DJs and performers entertain with many themed events.

The hotel was one of the most luxurious in Wroclaw and favoured by celebrity guests such as actress Marlena Dietrich, Polish singer Jan Kiepura and Pablo Picasso to name but a few. Rumour has it that in the Monopol bar, Picasso drew his famous Dove of Peace for the first time in 1948. When the Nazis came to power, the arcade portico was added to the hotel entrance in 1937 so Adolf Hitler could gave his speech from the balcony while staying at the hotel in room No. 113.

5.    Przedwojenna    

If you are looking for an authentic place to sample polish drinks and hospitality whilst rubbing shoulders with the locals, Przedwojenna is a great option when visiting Wroclaw’s Market Square. This pub boasts low prices and the bar staff are friendly & quick to serve. Generally open 24/7, so you won’t miss out.

The bar has a very cool mezzanine up top and a seating area in the basement. With only one Polish draft beer on offer, a whole host of bottled beers and probably most types of Vodka, Przedwojenna is more a pub for drinks and snacks than a place to celebrate your golden wedding anniversary! With their simple menu (painted on the walls) you can experience a very authentic pre-war atmosphere whilst enjoying steak tartare, sausages, baked potatoes and many other local snacks.

The pub is located just beside the Saint Elisabeth Basilica, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Wroclaw from the top of the church tower. It is most definitely worth the effort to climb the 304 steps to the top, although probably better to do this before you have drinks at Przedwojenna  ;) ! 

After one of our Wroclaw tours, you can rest and relax in one of those places with tasty dring and a great atmosphere.