Some places are about the food. Others are about the cocktails. The Social Praga, tucked away on Brzeska in Praga, is about something far rarer, atmosphere. In a city increasingly polished by developers and cocktail concepts, this is the place that still feels gloriously lived in. It wins our Best of Summer vote because nowhere else in Warsaw rocks quite like it.

Owners Maja and Nick look as though they have just stepped off the stage of a rock club. In Nick’s case, that’s not far from the truth. Before Warsaw he helped manage London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s, and today he swaps jazz legends for conversations with anyone curious enough to pull up a stool. Open from Thursday to Sunday, The Social feels less like a business than a weekly gathering of friends, where discussions drift effortlessly from Warsaw’s changing face to the origins of punk rock. That sense of community extends to the music programme, with everything from intimate acoustic sessions and funk bands to twice-monthly performances by The Social House Band, whose organ-driven blend of R&B and soul has become one of the venue’s signatures.

On our visit, the DJ looked uncannily like Marilyn Manson’s long-lost brother, spinning an impeccable soundtrack of late punk, post-punk and new wave. The soundtrack is never left to chance. Most nights it’s drawn from an eclectic collection of old and new vinyl, spun on turntables with the kind of care that reminds you streaming will never quite replace records. Every song seemed to encourage another Guinness rather than another cocktail. The drinks list has plenty to offer, but in a room like this, a perfectly poured pint of the black stuff simply feels right.
The walls tell stories too. Above the bar hangs a treasured record signed by Booker T. Jones of Booker T. & the M.G.’s. Then there is the magnificent Chesterfield sofa that Nick is still trying to authenticate. Legend has it the couch once lived at Ronnie Scott’s, meaning Van Morrison and Miles Davis may all have rested on its leather cushions.

Perhaps the greatest attraction, however, is neither the music nor the memorabilia. It’s the neighbourhood itself. Curious Praga locals wander in, conversations begin with strangers, and for an evening you experience a Warsaw that still feels authentic, before fashionable reinvention changes it forever. Like the punks who once made Camden legendary, places like this are best enjoyed while they’re still here.

The Social Praga

ul. Brzeska 23, (Praga)