Hard Candy - Krakow, Poland - reviews?

Sounds to me like it needs a bunch of big guys to go in there and smash the place to pieces...

Why don,t the town council close the dam place down , or are they getting some dosh from the place..?

This bar is spoiling the reputation of a fine city..it needs to be sorted...

No doubt there's some serious "back handing" going on with local councilors, its something that should be sorted...... but it probably wont :(

Hey people,

See the online article at the Krakow Post-website [dated 1 december 2009] about scam activities in Krakow bars, they also notice Hard Candy Music Bar Krakow. Today I checked the location/address of the worst known criminal bar. See down below the location, which you have to avoid to go there at every costs!! Forever.

Let's hope local authorities will close this bar. And important too to forbid these criminals to start a new bar or change it's name.

Address inpopular scam bar:
Hard Candy Music Bar Krakow in Krakow is:
Ulica Szewska, housenumber 18 !!! [.............it's downstairs]

Yes, Hard Candy Krakow is a scam.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!Don't enter!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ordered a simple cocktail in Hard Candy Krakow. Expected to have pay around 40 PLN zLotty but they told I had to pay 850 zLotty. I refused and was nearly beaten by a fast called bouncer. They lead me to a cash machine. Pffffff.. horror.. Payed 1000 PLN zLotty and also they refused to give me the change money of 150 back.

They deserve a cocktail back ..... A flammy one.... A molov cocktail. Throw and be a hero.

Thats the article that I had the joy of taking up!!!
Shame though, music bar used to be a great hang out, to play dart ect upstairs. Downstairs was always shoddy, I am not surprised at how it has became.

If anyone is caught out, then a simple, where is my receipt should do. If not then leave and head for any central point where police should be.

This seems to be a new fashion...rip off the tourists ect. But many bar owners in krk are totally against this and will tell you where not to go. I'd say keep off szewska all together. I made mistake of giving kebab owner a 100 note, then went on the ****, when i realised i had been ripped off i went back, at first he said he never served me, so i threw my kebab back at him and asked if it was the same paper he had. I got my 87z change, but i guess a lot wouldnt.

Ben/Dtaylor,

Interesting article about scams in Krakow bars like Hard Candy.
When you have troubles, some suggestions:

List of Police Stations Close to the Krakow Old Town

Rynek Glowny 27 – on the Main Square on the side of the Town Hall Tower, near the Pod Baranami Cabaret.

Szeroka Street 35 – a Police Station in the Kazimierz District.

21 Lubicz Street – a Police Station near the Krakow Train Station.

2 Krolewska Street – this Police Station is a bit farther away, in the direction of the Bronowice District.

This is so unbelievable. I remember reading about such scams long ago, in communist press, which tried to prove how degenerated the Western capitalism can be.

I did some googling. It seems the problem touches foreign tourists mostly. The forums are full of complaints in English and hardly anything in Polish.

The articles throwing light on the problem started appearing last year. They say the scam is organised by Latvian conmen who moved their business from Riga to Krakow.

Even a half years ago the citizens of Latvia have a place in Krakow . Now the control of at least five . There are also increasing number of customer requests , mostly from abroad, who feel cheated in these clubs. Although badly it affects the image of our city , Krakow authorities can not solve problemu.Na if they intend only to warn tourists in the leaflets that come up at the airport in Balice. Riga City Council , where entrepreneurs from Latvia also engaged in the activities , were more effective. - Police controlled the premises every day , very carefully checked the license to sell alcohol , occupational health books , etc . - Says "Gazeta Krakow " Laila Ivana from the office of the city of Riga.

Let`s make a list of of scam bars:

Hard Candy on Szewska Street near Mc Donald`s
Saxon Club on Św Tomasza Street.
Flames on Florianska Street

PS. The girls who tempt tourists are not Polish or Russian, but Latvian.

Good research Pavian,

I won't say what we did here online... but we have did something in the name of to protect others.. If the local authorities will be brave then it's operation count down ... :-)

Good work Maarten...get this place shut down...

HARD CANDY MUSIC BAR IST RAUBERBANDE!!!!
Wir haben da 940 zLotty PLN verloren. Schande fur Krakau.

Yep, this is the place I was helping a couple of English journalists from Warsaw investigate. They wrote an article soon after.

I don't know what local authorities would do; maybe not so fast and serious as in the UK?

A suggestion:

Every victim of Hard Candy Music Bar has to send an email to the local police!
Let's them collect info about these tragedies. Email address will be to find online.
They also have a servicepoint/emailaddress for the British language/foreigners.

Security
If you are a victim of crime, report it to the police immediately. If you cannot communicate in Polish the police are obliged to provide a sworn interpreter/translator

The police stations in central Krakow are located at:

Police Station
Rynek Główny 29
tel. (+48) (12) 6157317
accessible 24h /7

Police Station I
ul. Szeroka 35
tel. (+48) (12) 6157711 (12)
accessible 24 h /7

Hello discussion board,

If Latvian criminals are involved in the scam activities then I suppose it should be easily to dismantle their scam locations forever and to let them loose their polish passport/stay document? Or are they too dangerous to stop with scamming tourists?

Maybe the local politicians don't find it necessary to stop these criminal people?
Would be better for the peace/rest and harmony in Krakau.

So.. avoid to go to HARD CANDY KRAKOW... at all costs

Latvia is in the EU... they don,t need any documnts do they...?

Think you are right. But are still thinking criminals have to be bounced out of Poland/Krakow.... An applause for people who know a final solution.

Yes...kick em all the way to Latvia..

The Krakow police is practically helpless. The Latvian smart guys operate within the law of free trade and business: in a free country, everybody may demand ANY price for the goods or services they sell in the market.

They were kicked out of Riga, Latvia, by certain "undemocratic" moves of local authorities. I mean harrassing the business premises by inspections, raids etc.


They have found Polish partners who deal with the police etc.

Hyea guys. Just a heads up that I should have said earlier but it must have slipped my mind. In Krk all bars and clubs are obliged to display a "menu" or price list of the drinks they are selling in the bar. So always make sure that you have a look when buying, if cant see one, you can always ask at the bar for it ;)

I am sure that the Polish government in Krakow could manage the same tactics....

I wonder if that place has any regular customers.

Probably..but not the kind you would want to drink with...!

poland getting the latvian problem get rich quick rip off the tourist, but latvia went bust with a bank, greedy russian pigs

One poster who com-lained in some forum said they used a trick with double menu cards. The normal one is displayed at the beginning, later replaced by higher prices one. I am not sure if it should be believed. This would be just too much.

It is strange, cos I have very fond memories of this place and I have never had any bad experience but I guess its cos the bar staff and door staff knew us all. It was the very first place I kissed my ex fiance on the night before new years eve after she came back from her home town to tell me she wanted to be with me :)

So I'm thinking all this crap started around summer last year with the Saxon Club.

I have send some complains very detailed described about Hard Candy to several local authorities, including the police in Krakow. Did't got a response email back.. until now (-:

And what was the response ?

Maarten,

Hope they will use it. The best hit would be an unsuspecting undercover operation in cooperation with tourists. But before that will happening.. could be a couple of years.

All goes not very fast here in Krkw.

Unfortunately nothing until now.
Have send it to the email address of the local police which is set up for foreigners in the English language.

krakowpost.com/article/1726

Just an article I remember reading back in Krk ;)