Joley B.
Yelp
Reminiscent of Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, Hala Koszyki is a great space. More than just a shopping center, this place is a gathering place.
Bar Koszyki is a the center of the main floor, with table surrounding it on both sides. Along the outer walls there are mostly restaurant, with a variety of other shops selling books, gourmet candies, and organic selections. Restaurants are a variety of food-court style counters, and sit-down establishments that will probably require reservations on prime evenings. The selection is vast: sushi, burgers, fish & chips, tacos, tapas, and so much more.
My friends and I finally made our first visit to Hala Koszyki after one my middle school students recommended it. This location is relatively family friendly in the early hours of the evening. As the night goes on, I would say it is more bar - appropriate for the after work crowd.
We started the evening with a bottle of prosecco from the bar - complete with bucket of ice, we carried it upstairs to a small seating area that was a little more intimate and suitable for our girls' night get together. First course was fish & chips - though I went for calamari from Port Royal. The calamari was excellent - breaded, large pieces including tentacles (my favorite), lemon, and aioli which was perfect. It was a nice opener.
Second course included tacos from Gringo Bar/Salsowina. I wasn't a huge fan of the chorizo taco, but the shredded beef and chicken, and the gringo chicken tacos were tasty. We liked the mango salsa that topped some of the tacos.
I was tempted to go for Indian from Curry Leaves, because the smell was AMAZING, and it wafted up to our table all evening, tempting me... but in the end we went for tacos.
In true Polish fashion, I went for ice cream (even in winter) at Magia d'Italia Gelati Caffe. Can I just say czarna porzeczka? Perfect.
While waiting for tacos (the wait was a bit long) I ventured into the book shop, and came out with a book on mushrooms. I'm planning a few hiking trips, and wouldn't it be good to have this hand 6.99zl reference book. Can't complain about that!
Live music was playing the particular evening we visited, and the vibe in this place was great. It's probably good that I don't live closer, because I would come here far too often.
Don't forget to check out the upper level galleries, and the lower level shops. There's a lot going on at Hala Koszyki, and it's definitely a place worth checking out - for locals and visitors alike!