Piątkowe Picie: Best Bars in Gliwice, Śląsk Province

When I arrived in Gliwice in October 2017 to watch the Germany v. Northern Ireland under 19 football match, I didn’t really expect to love the city that much. Nor would I expect to decide to prolong my stay or even to tour the bars and make a “Drinking Friday/Piątkowe Picie” feature on it but life is full of surprises and suddenly, I was having fun again in the bars in Gliwice! I even got a job blowing up balloons!

Both before and after the football match (where I was the only Northern Ireland fan in Gliwice), I enjoyed the bars and cafes in the city. Here are my favourite places to drink.

1.Pewex Extra Pub (a PRL Bar)

Put simply this was my favourite bar in town for the decor and overall style. You might have read that I love PRL style pubs, and covered my first eight on here and my favourite ten on Culture Trip. The thing I loved about Pewex Extra PRL Pub was it was kind of hidden and looked closed. Yet when I walked down the steps I was amazed at such a throwback to the old times – knick nacks on the walls, a dirt cheap menu and some cool designs on the walls.

I had my post match lunch and pint in here. Beers for just 6 zlotych (pint) and sausages / kielbasa for just 8 zlotych make this a pub typical of why I love living in Poland!

https://www.facebook.com/PewexGliwice

2.Dom Alchemika (The Alchemist’s House)

Before you even enter the Alchemist, you are aware that there might be something cool about this venue. The window at the front shows glasses normally vacated by chemicals in some chemistry or biology lab. But here, those glasses are reserved for the best cocktails in town. I got talking to the excellent staff in here – Janek, Julia and Nalja and loved the idea of the venue.

Not only do they serve these great cocktails, but they have three great tap beers with a difference – I tried the main beer (Platan) and then the Piwo Jagodowe (blueberry) option – which was delicious. I visited on a USA themed night as well and the staff were blowing up balloons, so I helped them!

It was also in here that I met two cool girls – Agata and Emmy and we started talking about travel – they were just back from the USA.

 

3.The Hemingway Club

Taking a leaf from the book of a travel writer, Ernest Hemingway, this should and could have been my favourite bar in town. The interior design was great, there was a chance to try the oldest beer in Polish literature and the bar had some charm. My only complaints though are the price (dearer than the rest) and the no Wi-Fi. I would have loved to have blogged in here, it seemed perfect.

In 2014 I slept in the Hemingway Inn in San Jose in Costa Rica. Later in the same year I drank in the Hemingway Pub in Ohrid in FYR Macedonia and in January 2015 I also had my first beer in Finland in the Hemingway Pub in Helsinki. So this was kind of the fourth “Hemingway pilgrimage” on my journey and an accidental one.

4.Ministerstwo Śledzia i Wódki (The Ministry of Herring and Vodka)

Part of the chain known as Ministerstwo Śledzia i Wódki, this was the fourth Polish city that I have visited a venue from this group and they are simply excellent. Expect cheap drinks, busy bar, hard to find a seat and some classic old school newspaper cuttings on the walls and yet more gimmicks and reminders of communist times.

5.Momo

Situated slap bang in the centre of Gliwice’s Stary Rynek (Old Town Square), this was actually my coffee stop option but they have two huge fresh barrels of the locally brewed Śląskie beer Tyskie to drink in the heart of Gliwice.

6.Nowy Gwarek

To dance the night away or sit on balconies admiring the local talent, Nowy Gwarek Gliwice is the place to be. With its central location and long opening hours, you can feel like the party never stops. I always feel I’m getting a bit old for clubbing, but the late opening hours meant I could enjoy a final drink in here before getting the train to Katowice.

https://www.facebook.com/Gwarek.Gliwice/

I am sure there are many more cool bars, cafes, pubs, clubs and restaurants in Gliwice but these were my pick – and all in the city centre near the Old Town Square – Stary Rynek. It was a great city to explore!

Here are some videos from my time in Gliwice, regrettebly I didn’t make a video in the stunning Pewex PRL Pub: