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<\/a>But just a short walk outside the Planty \u2014 the slim, leafy park that encircles the Stare Miasto \u2014 there are numerous and coffee shops where you can find a great cup of coffee. I visited six of the eight on my list (one is closed at weekends and the other is too far from the city centre for a flying visit), of which one didn\u2019t serve speciality coffee and isn’t included below, although it did have a nice line in latte art. <\/p>\n
Among the cafes I visited, I found some striking similarities. They all open late, for example \u2014 some as late as 9 pm some days \u2014 and most also serve food, wine, beer and\/or cocktails as well as coffee. They also tend to offer a wide variety of different single-origin beans, in some cases from diverse roasters. And although it\u2019s easy to find Aeropress, Chemex, V60, Kalita Wave and even siphon filter coffee brew methods, the espresso menus tend to be shorter, with \u2018espresso macchiato\u2019 being the only short beverage with milk (asking for a cortado or piccolo generally generated a negative response). The coffee is also very cheap, especially by London standards. Roasters included some from Poland, especially Warsaw, and those from further afield. You will find it hard to pay more than 12 ZL (about \u00a32.50) for a coffee \u2014 even for a hand-brewed filter coffee for one.<\/p>\n
So, if you\u2019re heading to Krak\u00f3w, here\u2019s my speciality coffee starter for five: <\/p>\n
Blossom<\/a><\/b> Java Coffee Company<\/b><\/a>One of the reasons I chose my hotel was its proximity \u2014 a five-minute walk \u2014 to the \u2018coffee showroom and cafe\u2019 of Java, a Warsaw-based roaster. Located in Kazimierz, the historic Jewish neighbourhood, Java occupies a small but cosy and immaculately furnished space on a quiet street. After I\u2019d ogled the gorgeous mid-century furniture, my attention turned to the beautiful, colourful designs on the bags of retail coffee beans.<\/p>\n Tektura is located at Krupnicza 7. Facebook<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>. Two more coffee shops I didn\u2019t have time to visit, but which were on my list: <\/p>\n Coffeece Kawiarnia<\/b>. Mogilska 15A. Website<\/a>. A few blocks east of Weso\u0142a. Note that it doesn\u2019t open at weekends. <\/p>\n Proficiency Coffee \u2014 Coffee Cargo,<\/b> Aleja 29 Listopada 155c. Website<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>. There used to be a Coffee Cargo in town, close to Oskar Schindler\u2019s factory in Podg\u00f3rze, but it has closed and you will now need to journey two miles outside the city centre to sample their coffee. It\u2019s closed on Sundays. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a stroll around Krak\u00f3w\u2019s Rynek Gl\u00f3wny, the grand square at the heart of the Stare Miasto (Old Town), and its immediate vicinity, you might well think that the Polish city has little to offer in the way of speciality … Continue reading
A short walk northeast of the city walls (or where they once were) and an even shorter stroll from the main train station, Blossom is a bright and attractive coffee shop, cocktail bar and all-day eatery. It was my first port of call on Saturday morning and it had a lovely relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, with as many young families as groups of friends and lone diners. I particularly liked the repurposed bicycle seats positioned at the brew bar, but if you\u2019re not quite ready to get back in the saddle, there are plenty of other seating options in the spacious cafe.<\/p>\n<\/a>
The coffee menu has fab typography but was somewhat vague, especially as the coffee beans themselves were tucked away. When I asked what they were serving through the Aeropress, I was given a box containing several bags of beans, most of them from Berlin-based Five Elephant<\/a> and Hungarian roaster Casino Mocca<\/a>. I picked a Kenyan Muthigi-ini from the latter and then scanned the extensive breakfast\/brunch menu. I was in a bit of a rush, so I stuck to the scrambled eggs with bacon, but there were some more exciting dishes, such as challah French toast, and various filled bagels on offer too. My coffee was very well brewed, with very intense redcurrant notes, and the food was tasty and filling too. I had hoped to return another time to try the espresso but it wasn\u2019t on the cards this trip.<\/p>\n<\/a>
Blossom is located at Rakowicka 20. Website<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>
Java was serving four or five single-origin house-roasted coffees as pourovers, and another two were available on espresso. I opted for an Ethiopian Marmora brewed through the Kalita Wave \u2014 the whiskey tasting note attracted me as much as the pretty packaging. And I really could taste the delicate whiskey flavours of the coffee, which also paired nicely with the vegan peanut butter, coconut and chocolate cake I tried. I returned the following day for an espresso-based drink; in the absence of a piccolo or cortado, I ordered the espresso macchiato with a Tanzanian bean, which made for a fine, fruity brew. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>
Java is located at Joselewicza 12. Facebook<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.
Karma<\/a> <\/b>
A few blocks west of the Stare Miasto, Karma is a cosy coffee shop that roasts its own coffee and serves various vegetarian and vegan dishes. There were three single-origin filter coffees, one from Rwanda and two Ethiopians, including the natural Dimtu coffee that I opted for. Brewed as a pourover, it was incredibly flavoursome \u2014 one of the tastiest filter coffees of my trip \u2014 with lovely floral notes. <\/p>\n<\/a>
The food menu was in Polish and I didn\u2019t want to make the barista translate everything, so I stuck to one of the soups I could translate \u2014 a creamy pea and carrot soup, with a side of toasted sourdough. As will become clear once you read my Krak\u00f3w travel guide, a lot of the food I ate in the city was heavy and\/or meaty so it was nice to have a lighter meal. Meanwhile, the cafe was simultaneously buzzing and calm with its rustic d\u00e9cor was a nice place to sit and chill after my busy morning. <\/p>\n<\/a>
Karma is located at Krupnicza 12. Website<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.
Tektura<\/a> <\/b>
Just across Krupnicza from Karma is Tektura, another coffee shop and all-day eatery. The coffee menu was heavy on filter brew methods and I was a little overwhelmed. When I asked what coffees they were serving through the Kalita Wave, the barista told me they currently had an amazing 15 bean varieties available! Rather than making her show me everything, I suggested that I might like a Kenyan or a Rwandan. The proffered Kenyan was from Warsaw roaster Coffee Lab<\/a>, a Kiambu Maasai, so that\u2019s what I went for. I also ordered a macchiato, as I felt I couldn\u2019t completely skip espresso-based drinks while I was in town.<\/p>\n<\/a>
There\u2019s a big communal table at the front of the cafe, which benefits from the natural light from the street, and some smaller tables along the side. I took one of the smaller tables, not quite appreciating that my photos would be bathed in the red light of the neon \u2018kawa to podstawa\u2019 (I\u2019m not sure the exact translation, although kawa<\/i> means \u2018coffee\u2019 and podstawa<\/i> \u2018basis\u2019) sign. There were also some cool Polish Aeropress championship posters. <\/p>\n<\/a>
The macchiato was nicely brewed and came with a latte-art heart (not always easy in such a small drink). Appropriately, given the red tint, and in common with several of the other filter coffees I drank in Krak\u00f3w, redcurrant was the predominant flavour note. <\/p>\n
Weso\u0142a Cafe <\/a><\/b>
Not too far from Blossom and the train station, Weso\u0142a was the last coffee shop I visited before I caught the train back to the airport, and it was also one of my favourites. I was glad there was a short queue when I arrived late on a sunny Sunday afternoon because it gave me a little time to parse the menu, which was divided into kavy bia\u0142e<\/i> (white coffee) and kavy czarne<\/i> (black coffee). Even here, there was no piccolo or cortado on the menu, which skips from espresso macchiato to flat white, and then all the way up to \u2018mega latte\u2019. <\/p>\n<\/a>
I stuck to the other side of the menu, where you could go for an Aeropress, V60 or Chemex (distinguished by size: 200 ml, 400 ml and 600 ml, respectively). They also serve a przelew<\/i>, which I think is a batch-brew filter coffee. Brew method selected, I then had to choose my bean. There were four coffees from two roasters, Roastains<\/a> from Krak\u00f3w and Warsaw-based Coffee Republic (no, not that Coffee Republic!). I chose a Coffee Republic Kii AA+ microlot from Kenya\u2019s Kirinyaga region. Brewed through the Aeropress, it wasn\u2019t the clearest of filter coffees, but it was delicious with tart redcurrant and sweet elderflower notes. It was, in fact, the perfect end to my coffee tour of Krakow. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>
Weso\u0142a Cafe is located at Rakowicka 17. Website<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n