Babruysk may not have the ‘drinking appeal’ of Minsk or Grodno, but this only makes your experience all the more unique. In this beautiful city that sits on the Berezina River, there are no shortage of up-and-coming bars willing to take you in, entertain you, and provide you with great food and drink. There are some cool bars to be found in the city, and this run down is as good as it gets.
For good beer with the locals, head to Krama Zhivogo Piva, which translates as ‘Fresh Beer House’. They have beers from all over the world, including Australia and England. The food menu mixes Belarusian bar snacks with an international offering, so you can expect to find hot dogs, burgers, pasta, salad and steaks on the menu. Some of the staff know a few words of English, but in general it’s a local crowd. It is a welcoming and friendly place popular in Babruysk’s bar scene.
Live football, ice cold beer, well-prepared pizza and a lively atmosphere make Fanat one of the coolest bars in Babruysk. Inside, you can expect to mingle with the locals whilst watching a sporting event, normally football, tennis or gymnastics. The local beers are really cheap and start from around 2 Belarusian roubles (around US$1), and vodka is often ordered by the bottled and shared among a table for an equally cheap price. In hotter months, there is seating outside.
U Fontana is a cosy and casual place for a chilled out drink in Babruysk. The food menu contains typically classic Belarusian dinners with no shortage of meat and vegetable options. The interior has wooden tables and benches, and the brick walls are decorated with some ornaments, pictures and miscellaneous items. As well as beer and local food, it makes a great spot for a coffee or a business lunch, too.
The aptly titled Lobby Bar in Babruysk is open to the public but is also part of the Hotel Bobruisk. It is a well-located and comfortable bar in which to relax. As this city is still developing tourist-wise, it can be a good place for those new to the city to feel at home. At the bar, you can get a glimpse of the local tourism potential whilst enjoying a decent Belarusian beer on tap. Even though it’s part of the hotel, it can be hard to understand the local writing, so look out for the name of the bar in Belarusian (Лобби-бар). Live football is also shown in the Lobby Bar.
This little bar’s rather cumbersome title shortens to Litrushka. This translates to a cross between Lithuania and Russia, which is actually quite close to the truth. Litrushka is a bar and a takeaway alcohol shop all in one. The beers on tap can all be bought and taken home in a bottle, which might be a novelty in some countries but is fairly normal here. It’s more of a day bar than a late-evening venue – a perfect spot for a post-work pint in the evening or a large lunch or dinner in good company. Litrushka is one of the few venues in the city that uses social media, the bar being registered on Russia’s VK.com.
Бар BEERлога doesn’t quite translate into English. It kind of means Beer Log Bar and certainly lives up to its name in terms of beer choices. Lots of local Belarusian beer is mixed with Russian options, and some unique foreign beers are also served here. Beer Log Bar has an outdoor beer garden for the hotter months in the summer. The interior is a small, cosy, no-frills bar area, with beers starting from 2 Belarusian roubles (US$1), making it a cheap place for a cold brew or wine.
For a decent beer by the beautiful Berezina River, head to one of Babruysk’s finest hotels, the Hotel Tourist. The hotel has been one of the most important business venues in the city for years. Out the back, you can stroll by the river on the veranda. Inside, enjoy some of the finest Russian and Belarusian dishes intertwined with an international mix, including a European-style breakfast. There are a good range of soups, salads and desserts. But the real treats are the lunch and breakfast buffets, which serve up well-prepared vegetables and a varying selection of meat and fish dishes. Expect to bump into some businessmen looking to delve into the Belarusian market.
