Muchos is not on the beaten path so you might have missed it but seek it out and you’ll find tapas, hammocks, and a great selection of booze. Located five minutes walk from the Old Market Square, its one of the best non-tourist watering holes in the city. Some wild theme parties take place downstairs as well. We met up with co-owner Karolina to find out how it all got started and we discover a few funny stories.
Hi Karolina, you used to be called ‘Muchos Patatos’. Why the name change?
People used to always say ‘Let’s go to Muchos.’ Plus we changed the key visuals of the place, especially the interior. We hired a marketing company and they helped us to come up with our hashtag theme: ‘What happens in Muchos, stays in Muchos’ and we felt it was a good moment to refresh the name too.
I heard a funny story about the original name ‘Muchos Patatos’. Can you tell me about it and if it is true?
Hahaha. Sure. It’s a true story. My husband ‘Konczal’ is a musician and he used to travel around Poland organizing Latin concerts. He and his friend decided to open a club on Szewska street in Poznań and they called it ‘Muchos Patatos.’ Actually, as far as I know, it was the first Latin club in Poland. The first in Poznań for sure. He didn’t know so much Spanish and thought muchos patatos meant ‘lots of potatoes’ in Spanish. The correct spelling is actually muchas patatas, so he wasn’t far off. Anyway, he never knew for years that it was wrong until one day The Buena Vista Social Club played in Poznań and turned up to Muchos Patatos for a jam session out of the blue. They laughed and told him about the mistake but in fact, in Cuban slang, it actually meant a bunch of funny short guys!
So did he decide to correct it?
No! The place was really popular and well-known so there wasn’t a point to change it at that time. 🙂
Does your husband still play?
Definitely! He loves it. He’s busy with our other restaurant Tośka Cantine located in Poznań’s Opera House but he still plays from time to time with the same band.
So how did you meet?
We met in a place called Piwnica 21 which used to be just around the corner from Muchos Patatos. I was a bartender but I used to also sing in a cover band and he was looking for artists to hire for a concert he was organizing. He must have liked my vocals because he actually offered me a chance to sing in his band called ‘Young Band’ and we sort of hit it off from there 🙂
So you were working right next to his club. Did you keep popping into each other’s place to see each other?
Of course 🙂 He would sneak away to see me at Piwnica 21 and I would sneak out to see him at Muchos Patatos 🙂
Do you organize live music now at Muchos?
We have a stage so we organize live events from time to time. You should keep a lookout on our Facebook page.
You have a foosball table here also, fancy a game?
Of course. get ready to lose though:)
I won by the way 🙂
When you enter Muchos for the first time, it doesn’t look that big but in fact, it’s huge, right?
Yes. On weekends we get over 300 people. What you see when you walk in is called the Siesta Zone where you can sip cocktails, eat tapas, or even chill in one of the hammocks. A sort of pub atmosphere. Downstairs is the Fiesta Zone where we have a resident DJ called DJ URIEL. Saturdays are ‘Party Hard’ nights with some popular dance and Latin hits until 04:00 in the morning. There is always an amazing vibe on Party Hard Night 🙂
Latin clubs seem to be popular in Poland. It’s almost guaranteed to work. Why do you think they are so popular?
Hahaha. Nothing is guaranteed but most of the year in Poland it’s cold and grey so I suppose it’s a way to escape the greyness. Latin music is associated with happiness, cocktails, palm trees, and sunshine. We like to think that maybe we bring a little piece of that to Poznań.
You said you were and still sing, right? What if you had the opportunity to be a worldwide star? Would you leave this all behind?
I remember I used to have a really boring office job and I used to help my husband out with the club from time to time. At that time I was wondering what to do with my life. My husband told me to quit the job and figure it out and we traveled to the United States and made a sort of road trip around 11 states. It was incredible but it was then that I realized that I was where I should be, in Muchos. I made it formal and bought some shares and made it full-time. I have an amazing husband and I really love what I do. I’m so so happy that I couldn’t imagine I could be any happier so being a worldwide star doesn’t appeal to me anymore.
So if you never met your husband at Piwnica 21 all those years ago you probably wouldn’t be talking to me now. What do you think you would be doing?
I think I would have been a book translator! I have a degree in Spanish Language and I love books. I’ve always wanted to write a book. A novel maybe.
Maybe there’s still time!
For sure. When I’m like 60 or 70 I will write a book about all the secrets of Muchos. Hahaha
