Top Cafes in Poland

Drukarnia Cafe ★ 4.7 · Gdańsk

ul. Mariacka 36, 80-833 Gdańsk

Drukarnia Cafe in Gdańsk works a former printing house on Mariacka, the city's most photogenic street. Filter and espresso from a rotating list of European roasters: Bonanza, Doubleshot, Casino Mocca and more.

Tip: Arrive before 11:00 weekends for a seat by the front window; the upstairs runs quieter.

Nieczapla Coffee Roasters ★ 4.7 · Gdańsk

ul. Wajdeloty 3, 80-437 Gdańsk

Nieczapla in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz is the cafe in front of one of Poland's most respected micro-roasteries. Apple-cranberry-jasmine bright filters, espresso pulled tight, a four-table room and a roastery in back.

Tip: Ask what was roasted last week; the menu rotates faster than the printed list keeps up.

Relaks Kawiarnia ★ 4.7 · Warsaw

ul. Pulawska 48, 02-559 Warszawa

Relaks on Pulawska in Warsaw is the bike-shop-turned-specialty-coffee room staffed by former Polish barista champions. Beans from The Barn Berlin and a rotating cast of European roasters.

Kawana Palarnia Kawy ★ 4.6 · Gdańsk

ul. K. Wallenroda 7, 80-243 Gdańsk

Kawana in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz is the cafe attached to one of the Tri-City's best specialty roasters. Single origin espresso, filter flights, retail beans by 250g bag to take home.

Tip: Closes 18:00 weekdays and 16:00 Sunday; not a late-night room.

SEZON ★ 4.6 · Gdańsk

ul. Grobla I 3, 80-834 Gdańsk

SEZON in Gdańsk is a Grobla I cafe by day, natural wine bar by night, with a tapas menu and bread from Nowy Chleb. The room is small, the espresso is sharp, the wine list runs to Moravia and Austria.

Tip: After 17:00 the format flips; ask for the wine list rather than the brew menu.

Stragan Kawiarnia ★ 4.6 · Poznań

ul. Ratajczaka 31, 61-816 Poznań

Stragan Kawiarnia in Poznań is the city's foundational speciality-coffee room, on Ratajczaka 31 since the early 2010s, roasting under the Craft Coffee Roasters label and brewing on Chemex, V60 and Aeropress.

Tip: Order whatever is on the single-origin board and a house-baked bagel; the kitchen makes its own.

STOR Cafe (Tamka) ★ 4.6 · Warsaw

ul. Tamka 33, 00-355 Warszawa

STOR on Tamka in Warsaw is the original location of one of the city's first third-wave coffee shops. Pour-over, espresso, plant milk by default, mismatched mid-century furniture, regulars at the laptop tables.

Paloma ★ 4.6 · Wrocław

Plac Solny 8-9, 50-061 Wrocław

Paloma on Wrocław's Plac Solny is the city's most serious specialty-coffee bar, Ukrainian-owned and roasting on site. Filter, espresso, retail beans and a tight pastry list.

Tip: Bring a laptop on a Tuesday-Thursday morning; weekends fill from 10:00.

Józef K. ★ 4.5 · Gdańsk

ul. Piwna 1, 80-831 Gdańsk

Józef K. in Gdańsk is the cult Piwna Street cafe-bar named for Kafka, lit by mismatched lamps, walled with old books and impossible objects. Coffee from Nieczapla, spirits all evening.

Tip: Arrive after 18:00 if you want the candle-lit Kafka room rather than the daytime cafe.

Kawiarnia Czkawka ★ 4.5 · Gdańsk

ul. Wajdeloty 12, 80-437 Gdańsk

Kawiarnia Czkawka in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz holds a Wajdeloty unit two doors from Nieczapla. Rotating European roasters, brew bar built on V60 and Chemex, the kind of cafe locals walk past Drukarnia to reach.

Tip: Quietest on a weekday morning. Closed Sunday.

Piece of Cake ★ 4.5 · Poznań

ul. Święty Wojciech 27, 61-749 Poznań

Piece of Cake in Poznań is a small cafe-gallery on Święty Wojciech, run by Ania and Kuba pouring single-origin coffees from Five Elephant, Audun, Koppi and Nomad.

Tip: The cake counter changes daily; ask the barista which slice was baked that morning.

Pączuś i Kawusia ★ 4.5 · Poznań

Rynek Łazarski 8, 60-732 Poznań

Pączuś i Kawusia on Rynek Łazarski in Poznań, open since November 2016, pairs warm fresh pączki with speciality coffee in a Łazarz market-square room founded by Natalia, Magda and Olek.

Tip: The seasonal pączki flavours rotate; pistachio and rose are the year-round constants worth the visit.

Coffeedesk Kawiarnia ★ 4.5 · Warsaw

ul. Wilcza 42, 00-679 Warszawa

Coffeedesk on Wilcza in Warsaw is the cafe outpost of Poland's biggest specialty-coffee e-commerce brand. Rotating beans from Five Elephant, Gardelli, Johan & Nystrom, La Cabra and Kofi Brand.

Pijalnia Czekolady E. Wedel (Szpitalna) ★ 4.5 · Warsaw

ul. Szpitalna 8, 00-031 Warszawa

E. Wedel's chocolate cafe on Szpitalna in Warsaw opened in 1894 in Emil Wedel's tenement, descended from the 1851 chocolate house. Crystal mirrors, mahogany furniture, and the original drinking-chocolate menu.

Kawana Łąkowa ★ 4.4 · Gdańsk

ul. Łąkowa 16, 80-743 Gdańsk

Kawana Łąkowa in Gdańsk Dolne Miasto is the roastery's downtown room, fifteen minutes' walk from the Old Town. Glass front, communal tables, a brew bar that opens at 09:00 and closes at 18:00.

Tip: The cinnamon roll on the counter sells out by 12:00 weekends.

Noworolski ★ 4.4 · Kraków

ul. Sukiennice, Rynek Główny 1, 31-013 Kraków

Noworolski inside the Cloth Hall on Kraków's Rynek Główny pours coffee in Józef Mehoffer's art-nouveau rooms since 1910. Krakow artists, Habsburg-era trade.

Tip: The art-nouveau rooms are the photograph; the terrace on Rynek Główny is the better summer seat.

Minister CAFE ★ 4.4 · Poznań

ul. Ratajczaka 34, 61-816 Poznań

Minister CAFE on Ratajczaka 34 in Poznań is a speciality coffee room with house beers from Ministerstwo Browaru on the same site, a long-stay back room and a vegan-friendly menu.

Tip: Order an Aeropress in the afternoon and switch to a Ministerstwo Browaru pour after 18:00; same room, different pace.

Cafe Bristol ★ 4.4 · Warsaw

ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 42, 00-325 Warszawa

Cafe Bristol in Warsaw has poured coffee since 1901 from inside the Hotel Bristol. Viennese-chic interiors, kremowka and raspberry cream desserts whose recipes have not changed in a century.

Charlotte (Plac Zbawiciela) ★ 4.4 · Warsaw

Aleja Wyzwolenia 18, 00-570 Warszawa

Charlotte on Plac Zbawiciela in Warsaw is the French-style bakery-cafe that anchors the city's trendiest square. Croissants from 07:30, glass-roof terrace, French wines by the glass after dark.

Cocofli ★ 4.4 · Wrocław

ul. Włodkowica 9, 50-072 Wrocław

Cocofli on Wrocław's Włodkowica is a bookshop by day and a wine bar by evening, with specialty coffee through the morning. Polish Lower Silesian wines on the by-the-glass card.

Tip: The back room of the bookshop is the quietest seat for working between 09:00 and 12:00.

Bema Cafe ★ 4.4 · Wrocław

ul. Drobnera 38, 50-257 Wrocław

Bema Cafe sits on Drobnera in Wrocław's Nadodrze, a small specialty room with one of the city's best brunch boards and a serious pour-over set-up.

Tip: Weekend brunch books up by 11:30. Mid-week 09:00 is the calmest version.

Charlotte ★ 4.4 · Wrocław

ul. Świętego Antoniego 2, 50-073 Wrocław

Charlotte on Św. Antoniego in Wrocław is the city's busiest French-style cafe-bakery hybrid, open from 07:00 most days. Croissants, breakfast plates, evening wine.

Tip: The room closes at midnight most nights; useful for a late espresso when the bars are loud.

Cafe Camelot ★ 4.3 · Kraków

ul. Świętego Tomasza 17, 31-018 Kraków

Cafe Camelot off Kraków's Świętego Tomasza is the wood-panelled folk-art cafe that ran the city's coffee tradition through the 1990s. Apple pie and a laptop crowd.

Tip: The apple pie is the dish; the back-room library has tables for laptops.

Karma ★ 4.3 · Kraków

ul. Krupnicza 12, 31-123 Kraków

Karma on Kraków's Krupnicza is a third-wave cafe with a roastery in Nowa Huta. Filter, flat white, vegan brunch, a back garden in summer that the laptop crowd takes.

Tip: Closes 19:00 weekdays, 17:00 weekends. Cash and card. Brunch served until 14:00.

Cafe Mleczarnia ★ 4.3 · Kraków

ul. Meiselsa 20, 31-058 Kraków

Cafe Mleczarnia in Kraków's Kazimierz is the old courtyard cafe behind the Tempel Synagogue: wooden chairs, hot apple cake, a leafy garden hidden from Meiselsa.

Tip: The hidden courtyard is the table to take. Closes 23:00 weekdays, midnight Friday and Saturday.

Wesoła Cafe ★ 4.3 · Kraków

ul. Rakowicka 17, 31-510 Kraków

Wesoła Cafe east of Kraków's Old Town runs third-wave coffee in a Rakowicka villa with Coffee Proficiency beans on pour-over and espresso, plus all-day brunch.

Tip: Pour-over and espresso brewed alongside monthly guest roasters. Light lunch menu of salads, soups and wraps.

Ranny Ptaszek ★ 4.3 · Kraków

ul. Augustiańska 5, 31-064 Kraków

Ranny Ptaszek in Kraków's Kazimierz opens at 07:30 with sourdough toast, eggs Benedict, V60 filter and a counter the early-morning runners and laptop crowd share.

Tip: Eggs Benedict the breakfast pick; the cinnamon bun runs out by 11:00.

Weranda Caffe ★ 4.3 · Poznań

ul. Świętosławska 10, 61-840 Poznań

Weranda Caffe on Świętosławska 10 in Poznań is a courtyard cafe steps off Stary Rynek, with a leafy back garden, an all-day brunch and a vegetarian-friendly menu under the Weranda Family group.

Tip: Skip the front room; the back courtyard garden is the entire reason the room is on lists like this.

PLAN Cafe ★ 4.3 · Poznań

ul. Za Groblą 2, 61-860 Poznań

PLAN Cafe on Za Groblą 2/1 in Poznań is a small modern cafe in the Old Town with speciality coffees, homemade cakes and tortes, and a pavement-bench summer setup outside.

Tip: Order a cake of the day with the filter; the bakery is in-house and the espresso list is short by design.

LAGACCA Cafe by Brisman ★ 4.3 · Poznań

ul. Woźna 21, 61-776 Poznań

LAGACCA Cafe by Brisman on Woźna 21 in Poznań is the continuation of the legendary Jeżyce Brisman, now off the Old Market Square, with espresso, drip and Chemex on beans from verified roasters.

Tip: Ask for the day's filter at the bar; the rotation is the most reliable signal of what is best right now.