Zakopane's aprés-ski scene is lively in winter and surprisingly good in summer too. Krupówki Street has cafes at every turn, and the streets immediately behind it have the better bars — livelier, less overpriced, and with a more local crowd.
For coffee and cake, Café Sabała (Krupówki 11) is the classic Zakopane institution — on the main street, slightly touristy, but with good coffee and a warm interior of timber and mountain art. Pijalnia Czekolady serves excellent hot chocolate, which earns serious points after a wet-weather hike. For beer, the Watra bar on Piłsudskiego is where the Polish climbing and skiing crowd tends to congregate, with live folk music on weekends. Żywiec and Tyskie are the most common draught beers; grzane piwo (hot spiced beer) is the local winter drink of choice and served nearly everywhere.