BUNKIER CAFE KRAKOW

Bunkier Cafe is one of a kind – with a garden in the middle of the Planty Gardens open all year round. The transparent walls are open in warm weather, and lowered when it’s cooler. You could order a delicious coffee or an exceptional unpasteurised draught beer.

In Krakow, there are only a few places where you can drink tank beer. One of these places is Bunkier Cafe.  This is a method – unique in Poland but used in countries with the highest “beer culture” – of distributing, storing and serving beer. Tank beer is the freshest, tastiest and best chilled, and can also be served as the Czechs do. 

Adjacent to the “Bunker Sztuki” Gallery, one of Poland’s most important contemporary art institutions. Its history dates back nearly sixty years, and is artistically independent, and funded by the City of Krakow.

Bunkier Cafe is one of the most popular bars in Krakow and it's not hard to see why.  Located next to the University and the Old Town on Planty Gardens, the large greenhouse-style atrium is split into a smoking and non-smoking areas, each with a collection of dark wood tables and chairs.

The highlight though is the Tank Beer, .  .

We've spent many a night in the Old Crow, working our way around the menu of excellent cocktails and unfamiliar labels and editions. OK, our budget doesn't stretch as far as one Texan oil baron and whisky collector whom we were introduced to previous visit who boasted about previous purchases from the massive whisky collection, that had included the 1,300 Franc dram of 1963 Glen Grant 50 year old and the 1,100 Franc pour of 1964 Final Edition Bowmore Black Label 31 year old, one of the most sought after whiskies around.  That said, there is plenty here to match any budget between CHF15 and CHF1,300 so you can explore those rare offerings, without having to buy a bottle, which take in all the Scottish islands as well as Japan, USA, Ireland, Canada, Taiwan, India, UK, Austria, Germany, New Zealand and many from around Switzerland.

The rum collection is also impressive with the 50 year old Appleton Estate Jamaica Independence edition being the highlight at CHF750 and gin fans are catered for with over 70 choices, including a 1960's Booths High & Dry, a 1980s Beefeater Crown Jewel, and the evasive Monkey 47 Distillers Cuts 2011 and 2013 editions.  On one visit, we asked if they had the rare and beautiful Tanquery Malacca, to which Javan returned with two bottles "would you like the 2012 edition in the glass bottle, or the 1990s edition in the plastic bottle?".  This is rare drinking at its best.

The Champagne list is equally impressive for a bar of this kind, taking in most of the big houses with Delamotte being the house pour by the glass.  The soft drinks list is one of the best we've seen in Switzerland too with root beer, cream soda, ginger ale, apelsaft and even vegan drinks joining the many choices of tonic.

The Old Crow should be everybody's first choice when in Zurich, bars this good are as a rare to find as their collection.

Bunkier Cafe Krakow

pl. Szczepański 3a

31-000 Kraków

Tel. +48 12 431 05 85

www.bunkiercafe.pl

map / directions

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