Shisa Club (Krakow, Poland)

Sisha Club, ul. Sienkiewicz 3, Krakow, Poland.  Located in the Old Town area of Krakow.  This is also a down stairs bar, with the restaurant Il Forno being upstairs. When you go down the stairs you enter the Middle Eastern world, everything looks like you are not in Poland but some where in the Middle east.  It is broken up in to several rooms with seating long the walls.  One room has cushions and pillows all around the room.  There is a curvy sit up bar that can sit about 4 or 5 people.  They have a full bar.  I can't say anything about the food in the Club but the restaurant up stairs is very good.  If you are looking for a good Polish style bar than this is definitely not the place.  If you are looking for some thing out of the ordinary....maybe this is it.

Sports Bar ZRH (Zurich, Switzerland)

Sports Bar ZRH, Zurich Switzerland airport in the main terminal, just by all the expensive shops in the secure area.  Available only to travelers and a great place to wait for connecting flights.  This bar is very wide open and very comfortable with a massive big screen TV and several other flat screen TVs all showing sports....good thing since it is called Sports Bar!  The sit up bar can easily seat 20 people comfortable.  You can get Coca Cola products in the glass bottle!  There are a lot of tables and chairs and it was never crowded when I was there and had a few hours to kill. They have a full kitchen which is very close by but not visible in the pictures.  One thing that they were advertising on cards on all the tables was, Rindstartar or beefsteak tartar which came with bread and salad for 25 Swiss Francs.  The service was just OK, I kind had to flag down the waitress a few times, but other than that is was very good! lying through Zurich and need a drink or a bite to eat, check this place out.

Tygiel Pub (Krakow, Poland)

Tygiel Pub, Senacka 9, Krakow, Poland  www.facebook.pl/tygiel.pub  I very interesting place just off the main drag and shopping area of Krakow in the Old Town area.  The patio area out side is much different from the pub its self.  It sits about 14 people or so.  When you enter, you go down stairs and half way down there is this cool brick tunnel area that sits about 15-20 people.  You continue your way down which feels like a story and a half down.  They have a small sit up bar and a iron spiral stair case to a small seating area just above the bar.  They have 2 or 3 types of beer on tap, but I went with the Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka.  The bottle has a stem of grass in the bottle with a slight grass taste to it.  Can't tell you about the food as I did not eat here.  Interesting place for sure!

Bar Warszawa de Luxe (Warsaw, Poland)

Bar Warszawa de Luxe, Krakoewskie Przedmiescie 79, Warsaw Poland, right in the heart of Old Town.   This bar is well located and right by the Palace and shopping areas. There is a big side walk patio area with seating in front and along the side with nice comfortable chairs.  The bar is kind of a two story bar, in actuality it is open in the middle and in the back part of the bar there is an area that wraps around and looks down to the bar.  The sit up bar is very small and sits about 5 people. The waiters are dressed in plaid shirts, blue jeans and Poorboy hats.  The furniture consists of antique tables and chairs.  The wine worked out to be about $3.50 Canadian/ USA for 2 two glasses.  They had a couple of types of beer on tap.  I am guessing large varieties of beer on tap is not big in Poland from what I have seen.  there were various food specials, but I did not try the food, yet most others were eating brunch when we were there and it look very good.  Service was good and the waiters spoke fairly good English.  If I am here ever again I would like to sit out side and watch everyone pass by!

Pijalnia Wodki I Piwa (Warsaw, Poland)

Pijalnia Wodki I Piwa, ul, Nowy Swait 19, Warsaw Poland.  This little bar is in Old Town Warsaw, and is located in the heart of the shopping district.  They have two sit up bars, the front one seats about 10 people, and the back one seats about 10 people.  The prices here are amazing, you can get a glass of wine or beer or Vodka Coke for $ Zloty or around $1.33 Canadian/ USA dollars!!  The food is around 8 Zloty or about $2.50 Canadian / USA dollars.  There is a side walk patio that seats about 15 or so people.  The service was very good and the bartender was very professional.  The walls were adorn with old Polish news papers.  There were 2 types of beer on tap. If you get stuck going with your wife shopping, this place is right in the heart of the shopping area....let her shop while you relax! 

Karczma Polska (Legionowo, Poland)

The Karczma Polska, Zegrzynska 8a, 05-119  Legionowo, Poland. In other words it is just on the outskirts of Legionowo, and Legionowo is about 20 kilometers or so from Warsaw, Poland.  A very cool little cozy bar with seating inside for about 30-35 people at picnic style tables.  There is no sitting up at the bar but you can stand if you wish.  They have two Polish beer on tap and lots of Vodka to choose from.  I went right for the Vodka and a Coke Light.  The Coke Light (as does regular Coke) comes in the glass bottle!  For a Vodka and Coke it cost  6 Zolty or about $2.00 US/ CDN which is a pretty good deal.  There was a a group of people having a get together when I was there and they had bottles of Vodka on the table.  I stood up at the bar and talked to the two owners, a husband and wife team,  They only spoke Polish so he brought out his lap top and used Google translate so we had a nice chat.  I was told that they make traditional Polish food, the bad part was I ate just before I arrived.  Bad move on my part as I got to see the food being served.  Quite a few people stopped in for lunch and a beer.  The bottle beer which is Polish comes in very large bottles.  Everyone was very friendly and having a good time!  There is one toilet or as they call it here "WC" for water closet.  It is for both sexes.  In front they have a patio area on the grass with tables chairs and sun umbrellas.  The interior was rustic with some animal heads and pelts on the wall, but not over bearing.  A fun place and I wish that I had found it earlier on during my trip as I did not have a chance to go back! Get out and see the world and if you do stop by and try the Karczma Polska for sure!!

Coalmont Saloon (Coalmont, British Columbia) CLOSED

Coalmont Saloon, in Coalmont British Columbia, Canada.  Where is Coalmont you ask, well it is about 1 hour west of Osooyos B.C. or about 3 hours East of Vancouver.  You take Highway #3 then when you are in the town of Princeton you go north over the one lane bridge towards Tualameen, B.C. and it is about 20 minutes from Princeton.  That was easy!  The hotel and bar are 100 years old and boy if the walls could speak! The Wonderful woman who runs the hotel and the bar is a delight to talk to.  She heard our dog barking outside and told us that we could bring him in to the bar, the best day of his 12 years of life, sitting in the bar!!  If you want lunch, forget about it, but you can bring your own.  She does serve dinner.  It is in an old mining town with tons of interesting history on the west side of the Okanagan so the weather is great!  We heard that it  has ghosts, and the Vancouver Paranoramal Society has been there 3 times taking all of their fancy ghost cameras.  We did see pictures that they took of a ghost who had her arm cut off.  It relates to the story of a prostitute that was murdered in a house near by 80 or 90 years ago and had her arm cut off.  You can come down and follow up on that stuff. They have cougar, tiger and cheetah skins on some of the furntiture, cool touch.  It is like you walked in to a Hotel and Bar 100 years ago.  Check out the 3 rd photo above of the lobby of the hotel.  By the way the rooms are $40.00 per night. A 5 minute drive towards Tulameen and there is a beautiful lake and Priovincial beach. There is also a great camp ground just north of Tulameen, but I recommend a reservation!  The people were so friendly and told us a lot about the history not only of the Hotel/ bar but of the town!  If you like old bars steeped with history and character this is your place.  If you want fancy prim and proper, this isn't your place.  I really enjoyed it here!
Summer 2013 CLOSED   Re opened new owners and called the Coalmont Hotel