The Best Bars in Biskupiec, Poland

In the heart of Biskupiec, in the old town square, you will find this charming little venue. Restauracja Pub Na Rynku literally translates as ‘restaurant and bar in the square’. It’s a cosy bar by night, and a good restaurant and coffee shop by day. The bar has Warmiński-style pierogi (Polish dumplings from the Warmia region) and a good range of locally crafted Kormoran beers. A quirky and innovative interior features paintings and a map of the town. Staff members are friendly and the venue attracts a lively crowd on Friday and Saturday evenings.

This is a small local bar that is a great place for a cheap beer, live sports broadcasts on TV (mostly football) and a game of pool. With the Łomża beer on tap from 4 złotych ($1 US), cheap local bottles and snacks like paluski (salted breadsticks), this Polish pub couldn’t be more authentic. Expect the locals to come in after work on Friday for a few good jars of Polish beer while watching football. In the hotter months, there’s a beer garden out front. Bar u Marka is a small venue and a good bar to visit if you are coming or going, as it is just a few minutes walk from the train and bus stations.

Stara Kaflarnia is probably the most diverse and quaint drinking den in Biskupiec. Situated just across from where the old brewery once was, this place acts as a bar, a restaurant, a party venue, a hotel and a social meeting centre all in one. There are regular events held here, both private and public. The cosy bar and restaurant are like a step back in time with vintage decor and lack of windows. A superb range of Polish food is available, including hearty soups like barszcz and the famous Pierogi Ruskie. There is regional and national Polish beer on tap plus a typically wide range of vodkas to satisfy the national spirit of choice. Predictably, it gets busiest on Friday and Saturday evenings and can be quiet on cold mid-week nights in the winter.

Down by the riverside, opposite Biskupiec’s main church (St. John’s Catholic Church), is this cosy bar situated in an old mill. The bar’s name means ‘station’ (or boat stop) from the Warmia region, and it’s a handy place to pop in for a quick drink. The bar and restaurant are in two separate rooms in the same building. On Friday nights there is karaoke in the lower part of the bar. Food is served during the day, and on weekend nights it is one of the busiest bars in the town. There is outdoor seating in the summer months and a range of Polish beers on tap. You can also try a famous hot beer here (grzane piwo or grzaniec).

Despite being a small town, Biskupiec boasts what could just be one of the coolest steak restaurants in the region. The reason being is that Steakownia triples as a butchery, an eat-in restaurant and a bar. This means you can buy a beer, choose your steak from the meat counter and wait while the chefs cook it to your preference. Their purple cabbage salad is an unexpectedly delicious accompaniment. There is also a good wine menu, and soft drinks are available as well. Please note that during the week, the restaurant closes at 8 pm.

The town’s most famous Hotel (Hotelik Atelier) has a fine bar, which is open to the public and offers a relaxing vibe, cold beers and tasty food. The Hotel Atelier Bar is a good place to meet business associates, mingle with tourists, catch up with locals and watch live sports. It is a large, open-plan bar with an international beer selection that includes Heineken and Desperados. It is also a good place to watch live football on weekends with English Premier League, Polish Ekstraklasa and German Bundesliga matches all shown.

This place, known as Under, is somewhat of a local ‘secret’. It is situated in a residential area on a shy street, away from the main town centre. Judging from the outside, you might not even know there is a bar here. Once inside, go down the stairs (hence the title ‘Under’) and into a dark and lively basement bar and club. On weekends this is the place to be seen in Biskupiec. There is a large dance floor, table football, a DJ and plenty of drinks to keep you going until the wee hours. If you can’t find it, check the map on this page or just ask locals for the secret club.