30 cafes worth the trip across Poland, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Poland guides.
Noworolski ★ 4.8 · 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.
Relaks Kawiarnia ★ 4.8 · 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. Order the specialty filter coffee.
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. Order the filter brewed on chemex or v60.
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. Order the filter on whatever roast came out last week.
Tip: Ask what was roasted last week; the menu rotates faster than the printed list keeps up.
Cafe Camelot ★ 4.7 · 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. Order the cafe latte.
Tip: The apple pie is the dish; the back-room library has tables for laptops.
Karma ★ 4.7 · Kraków
ul. Krupnicza 12, 31-123 Kraków
Karma on Kraków's Krupnicza is a third-wave cafe with a roastery in Nowa Huta. Order the flat white. At ul. Krupnicza 12. Booking recommended.
Tip: Closes 19:00 weekdays, 17:00 weekends. Cash and card. Brunch served until 14:00.
STOR Cafe (Tamka) ★ 4.7 · 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.
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. Order the house-roasted single origin espresso.
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.
Tip: After 17:00 the format flips; ask for the wine list rather than the brew menu.
Cafe Mleczarnia ★ 4.6 · 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.
Tip: The hidden courtyard is the table to take. Closes 23:00 weekdays, midnight Friday and Saturday.
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.
Tip: Order whatever is on the single-origin board and a house-baked bagel; the kitchen makes its own.
Coffeedesk Kawiarnia ★ 4.6 · Warsaw
ul. Wilcza 42, 00-679 Warszawa
Coffeedesk on ul. Wilcza in Warsaw is the cafe outpost of Poland's biggest specialty-coffee e-commerce brand, pouring espresso and filter from rotating beans.
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. At Plac Solny 8-9. Booking recommended.
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.
Tip: Arrive after 18:00 if you want the candle-lit Kafka room rather than the daytime cafe.
Wesoła Cafe ★ 4.5 · 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.
Tip: Pour-over and espresso brewed alongside monthly guest roasters. Light lunch menu of salads, soups and wraps.
Ranny Ptaszek ★ 4.5 · 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.
Tip: Eggs Benedict the breakfast pick; the cinnamon bun runs out by 11:00.
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.
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.
Tip: The seasonal pączki flavours rotate; pistachio and rose are the year-round constants worth the visit.
MIEL Coffee ★ 4.5 · Poznań
ul. Święty Marcin 14, 61-803 Poznań
MIEL Coffee on Święty Marcin 14 in Poznań is an airy French-style speciality cafe with a rotating bean board, Chemex and V60 pours, sweet pastries.
Tip: Ask the barista which roast came in this week and pair it with a morning croissant; the seasonal-bean rotation is the reason to come back.
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.
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. Order the pour over with seasonal house roast.
Tip: The cinnamon roll on the counter sells out by 12:00 weekends.
Cytat Cafe ★ 4.4 · Kraków
ul. Miodowa 23/1, 31-055 Kraków
Cytat Cafe on Miodowa in Kraków's Kazimierz is the literary cafe with secondhand books on every shelf and quotes stencilled across the walls.
Tip: Breakfast on a croissant runs until 13:00; an entire wall of boardgames keeps the afternoon crowd seated.
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. At ul. Włodkowica 9.
Tip: The back room of the bookshop is the quietest seat for working between 09:00 and 12:00.
Macondo ★ 4.4 · Wrocław
ul. Pomorska 19, 50-216 Wrocław
Macondo (named for the town in Garcia Marquez's novel) is a tiny Nadodrze cafe-and-curio room: specialty coffee, exceptional teas, handmade goods, small gigs.
Tip: Daily noon to 20:00; check Facebook for the evening events programme, the room turns into a tiny gig space several nights a week.
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.
Tip: The room closes at midnight most nights; useful for a late espresso when the bars are loud.
Lang.fuhr ★ 4.3 · Gdańsk
ul. Aldony 6, 80-414 Gdańsk
Lang.fuhr in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz is a Wrzeszcz cafe-bar on Aldony at the Wajdeloty roundabout, listed in the European Coffee Trip guide. Specialty coffee by day.
Tip: Closes 23:00 weekdays, 22:00 Sunday; sit on the outside benches in summer.
Jama Michalika ★ 4.3 · Kraków
ul. Floriańska 45, 31-019 Kraków
Jama Michalika on Kraków's Floriańska opened in 1895 as Cukiernia Lwowska. From 1905 hosted the Zielony Balonik cabaret; the Mloda Polska meeting room.
Tip: The hot chocolate is the order. The art-nouveau rooms at the back are the photograph; the terrace is the daytime spot.
Cafe Szafé ★ 4.3 · Kraków
ul. Felicjanek 10, 31-104 Kraków
Cafe Szafé on Kraków's Felicjanek is the bohemian living-room cafe west of the Planty: mismatched chairs, daily cakes, third-wave filter on the menu.
Tip: The carrot cake is the dish. Quietest before 11:00 if you want a workspace.
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.
Tip: Skip the front room; the back courtyard garden is the entire reason the room is on lists like.
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.
Tip: Order a cake of the day with the filter; the bakery is in-house and the espresso list is short by design.