Down by the river

Not so long ago, the Wisła banks were best avoided on summer evenings, unless your idea of fun is cans of warm Zywiec and a punch-up. However, over the last couple of years a range of seasonal bars have opened and deck-chairs have had their usual civilising effect. But, if you’ve got a taste for good beer, are there any good choices?

Walking down from the pl Zamkowy and turning left onto the promenade, the first place you come to is ZygZak. It’s a steel structure with less than comfortable stools lining both sides of the long bar and a second floor over the bar area with stairs you can walk up to discover the staff haven’t bothered putting any seats up there.

ZygZak: OK, I could have seen the lack of seating up there

 There are four taps, all of which should serve beer from the Maryensztadt brewery, including some which are found only here and the bar next door. But at five o’clock on a Saturday afternoon only two of the four taps were hooked up, so the choice was between Belgian Blonde and what the barman called “pils”. Presumably that was the Czeska 11 I’d enjoyed a few weeks before at Same Krafty but the barman was a bit hazy about details such as the beer’s name. Anyway, I ordered a small one, paid nine zloty and got a beer that can be charitably described as a shadow of what I’d enjoyed before elsewhere: it was very malty with little in the way of hops or bitterness; it was also rather warm and flat. Perhaps sticking to bottles might be a better idea, they did appear to have most of the Maryensztadt range, but ask the barman to let you put a hand on the bottle before he pops the lid.

Pretty much next door to ZygZak is Puzzle. The two bars appear to share the same owner and have the same beer policy: nothing but Maryensztadt on tap (apart from Dzik cider, which is certainly one of Poland’s better ciders). However, there’s also a fairly decent double-wide fridge with Maryensztadt beers and some imported gems such as Lindemans Pêcheresse and Deleirium Tremens. I had plenty of time to study the contents of the fridge in depth while the barstaff finished an extended conversation and eventually inquired if I wanted something. I did, but that beer was off, as was my second choice, leaving exactly the same two options as at ZygZak, which makes you wonder why they bother having a second bar. But at least the bottle I had was cold and the terrace spacious.

Puzzle: who needs tables when you have packing crates?

Going further down the river are Kontainer and Fiesta i Siesta, but with only the likes of Zywiec on offer, I gave both a swerve in no uncertain terms and kept strolling down the promenade.

Wolne Chwile: far better than it looks

About a mile north of ZygZak and Puzzle is Wolne Chwile – craft beer nad Wisła. That’s probably the longest name found along the river, even without including its new ‘as known as’: Kufle i Kapsle Saison. Yep, this is the summer bar featuring co-operation from the same people who have given us the excellent Kufle i Kapsle on ul. Nowogrodzka and the vastly under-rated Kufle i Kapsle Żoliborz next to Metro Marymont, so with a pedigree like that you can confidently expect a bar well worth your attention. And it most certainly is that, and more.
The double-wide fridge has a good selection of Polish beers and a few import, although with fairly predictably lower numbers of the pricy kind. Eight taps offer safe choices, such as Czerska 11 (10zl) for casual bypassers, to more adventurous offering, such as Table Brett (10zl), for those who see it as a destination bar. Every time I’ve been there’s also been something pricer, such as Kriek or Lindeman’s Cassis, at a price a few zloty lower than what you’d pay in the city centre, giving you a chance enjoy a pint of something you might avoid due to budgetary or looking-like-a-big-girl’s-blouse concerns. Another highlight of my last visit there was the Maisel’s Weisse, an absolute bargain at 12zl a pint.

The runners and riders at Wolne Chwile

Although Wolne Chwile is a lot quieter than ZygZak and Puzzle, and offers much more of a sense of being out in the countryside among the grass and the trees, none of these places can be described as peaceful: the Wisłostrada is just too close and too loud. And the beer disposal facilities leave a lot to be desired too. But with that said, if you fancy a few hours in a deck-chair surrounded by greenery sipping top notch beer at very reasonable prices, Wolne Chwile is pretty much impossible to beat. There’s nothing wrong with either ZygZak or Puzzle: they’re both perfectly acceptable bars and are a fair bit easier to get to than Wolne Chwile. But for me the much better choice and slightly nicer surroundings make Wolne Chwile my riverside bar of choice.

Riverside drinking: cheers!