Living in Krakow means developing a complicated relationship with your own city centre. The Rynek is genuinely one of the great squares in Europe and also, most weekends, effectively a theme park. The venues directly on it are priced and staffed for people who will never come back, and the stag circuit has claimed a good number of the surrounding streets.
White Chocolate deliberately sits slightly outside that. We are a few streets off the Square, one floor down, behind an unmarked door. Visitors find us, but they find us on purpose rather than by walking past, which changes the composition of the room considerably.
Off the Circuit
The practical effect of a discreet entrance on a side street is that nobody wanders in. Every person here made a decision to come, which filters out most of what makes the central strip tiring.
It also means the room does not turn over every forty minutes. People arrive, take a salon and stay.
A Room You Can Come Back To
There is a difference between a venue built for one visit and one built for regulars. Six private salons, a bar that takes its work seriously and staff who recognise returning guests are aimed at the second kind.
Midweek in particular the crowd is overwhelmingly local.
When to Come
If you want the least touristic version of the venue, Sunday to Wednesday is the answer. The city centre is calm, the salons are easy to book and the room is mostly people who live here.
Weekends are busier and more mixed, and still a considerable improvement on the Square itself. Open nightly from 20:00.
Frequently asked questions
Is it mostly tourists?
It varies by night. Midweek the crowd is predominantly local. Weekends are more mixed, though the discreet entrance and the dress code keep the balance very different from venues directly on the Rynek.
Which nights are most local?
Sunday to Wednesday. These are our calmest nights, the easiest to book, and the ones where you are most likely to be surrounded by people who live in Krakow.
Do you take stag and hen groups?
We do host them, but by reservation and within our dress code and house rules. We are not a stag-circuit venue and the atmosphere is managed accordingly.
Is it easy to book as a regular?
Yes. Call +48 534 506 899. Midweek availability is generally good and we are happy to keep a preferred salon in mind for returning guests.
Where exactly are you?
ul. Św. Tomasza 16, 31-183 Kraków - a few streets from the Main Market Square, down a set of stone stairs behind a discreet entrance.