Bakowo Zohylina

A karczma is the highland version of a country inn, and Bakowo Zohylina is one of the more traditional examples in Zakopane. The style is timber and firelight rather than fine dining. Meat comes off an open grill, oscypek is on the table, and there is live folk music to go with it. It suits anyone who wants the full goral experience after a day in the mountains.

Cooking here centres on the open fire. Grilled meats are the mainstay, and oscypek, the smoked sheep cheese of the Tatra region, appears both on its own and alongside the mains. This is hearty mountain food built for appetites earned on the trails rather than a light lunch. The menu changes, so treat the venue's own channels as the source for the current dishes and prices.

The room leans into the highlander tradition: carved timber, an open grill and live folk music that turns dinner into an evening out. It gets lively when a band plays, so come for the atmosphere as much as the plate. If you want the same food in a calmer room, its sister venue Bakowo Zohylina Wyznia works in the same spirit.

Good for groups, for a first taste of regional food, and for anyone who wants music with dinner. Less suited to a quiet meal or a quick bite. Vegetarians will find the choice narrow at a grill-led karczma, so check before you settle in.

Zakopane is compact, and the karczma sits within reach of the main pedestrian street, Krupowki, where most of the town's shops, stalls and other restaurants are. For orientation and getting around, see the Zakopane guide.

Worth knowing before you set out: there are two of them on the same street. Bąkowo Zohylina Niźnio (the "lower" karczma) sits at ul. Piłsudskiego 6, while Bąkowo Zohylina Wyźnio (the "upper" one) is further along at ul. Piłsudskiego 28a. Both trade on the same highland formula, so either works.

The rooms lean hard into the goral look: carved wooden furniture, folk art and painted-glass pictures on the walls, with live regional bands rather than piped music. It is a large, popular place, so booking a table ahead is sensible in season. For the current menu and opening times, check with the karczma directly.