Lovely cafes in Warsaw – 3 tips for a coffee break

Whether you're a coffee drinker who always starts the morning with five black coffees, or a coffee drinker who only drinks one cup of coffee with one piece of sugar at a specific time, there are cafes in Warsaw with something for you!

Coffee has been present in Poland since the 17th century and is believed to have been introduced from Austria to the Polish prince Jan III Sobieski. The prince is credited with saving Vienna from an Ottoman siege, yet it was Ottoman culture that brought coffee to Vienna—and, in turn, the beans to Poland. Central European coffee culture flourished, and in many cities, including Warsaw, coffee became an integral part of social life.

During communist rule in Poland (1945-1989), coffee was a luxury item and the few cafes that survived had a limited selection. Kawa Plujka – spit coffee – became common, where you mixed brewed coffee and water in a glass without a filter. It became bitter and boring and the grounds had to be spit out – hence the name.

At the turn of the millennium, large coffee chains began to appear in Poland and coffee consumption increased exponentially in just a few years. By the 2010s, specialty coffee roasters began to appear and Polish baristas were winning international coffee competitions. In Warsaw in particular, coffee culture has flourished in the last 25 years and, combined with the city's love for beautiful and sophisticated pastries, it is very enjoyable to sit down in a beautiful café and order a steaming hot cup of coffee.

We visited several cafes in Warsaw during our trip, here are my three favorites!

Bristol Cafe – Luxurious coffee and perfect service

In the beautiful Hotel Bristol you'll find the café with the same name – Bristol cafe. Here you enjoy your coffee among furniture and decor in art deco style with classic cakes and pastries that are said to use the same recipe as when the café started. The café has been around since 1901 and has the feeling of a classic Austrian Viennese café that has been showered with flamboyant orchids and appealing music.

We ordered two flat whites and two pastries from their overflowing glass counter. Each pastry sounded like a sugar symphony and it was hard to choose the right one. I ended up choosing a pastry with ricotta mousse and my husband chose a pastry with pistachios. Both were served perfectly arranged on the café's plates with gold decorations. The pastries were as delicious as they were beautiful and every berry looked like it had just been picked from the bush.

The coffee was an experience in itself. I rarely feel genuinely delighted just by a layer of milk froth, but when I was served a cup adorned with a Boston Terrier on top, I couldn’t help but smile. Creative and beautifully crafted in perfectly tempered milk. My husband received a coffee with a bear in the froth—not as amusing, but still a little funny.

If you're more into a more luxurious brunch, Polish sturgeon caviar "Oscietra" with potato cake or a raw steak with roasted chestnuts are served all day long.

Bristol cafe
Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44
00-325 Warsaw
Map

Wedel Café – Classic chocolate palace

For over 170 years, E.Wedel has been creating chocolate magic in Poland. The young chocolatier Karol Ernest Wedel came to Warsaw from Berlin in 1851 and opened a candy shop. The chocolate became popular and in 1894 the first café in Warsaw was opened on Szpitalna Street. Since then, many more chocolate lounges have opened up all over Poland, but the original café in Warsaw is still open.

Wedel café is not really known for its coffee, but rather for its hot chocolate. Here you can even order a sample tray with different types of hot chocolate, in case you can't decide. Do you want a bitter dark chocolate or a sweet light one? Do you want cream on top or maybe with coconut flavor? The choices are many and it's hard not to be happy in the soul with all this chocolate.

The premises at Szpitalna are incredibly beautiful and it feels more like you are in a manor house a hundred years back in time than in the middle of vibrant Warsaw. The atmosphere is calm and behind the tempting glass counters you will find lots of handmade pralines.

Here at Szpitalna you can also buy Weber's own chocolate bars and chocolate boxes at affordable prices. At the airport the prices are double.

Pijalnia Czekolady E.Wedel
Szpitalna 8
00-031 Warsaw
Map

LUKULLUS – Trendy and nice

In 1946, one of Wedel's master chocolatiers, Jan Dynowski, opened his own patisserie, Kremówka. The patisserie survived the dark communist years and is now run by the third generation of the same family. When Poland became free, they changed their name to Lukullus, after the Roman general who loved food and who imported cherries and apricots to Poland. Today, Lukullus has seven beautiful cafés with equally beautiful pastries around Warsaw.

Taste. Beauty. Warsaw. Lukullus has a three-word motto that is reflected in all their cafes. They only use honest and organic/reko ingredients in their beautiful pastries and coffee, and all their cafes are located in stylish premises with a nice atmosphere.

We ordered a coffee for a moment of rest after many thousands of steps of sightseeing in a chilly Warsaw and we stayed much longer than we had intended. A café where I could have sat for a long time, people-watching and enjoying something sweet.

LUCULLUS
Chmielna 32
00-020 Warsaw
Map

Have you been to Warsaw? What were your favorite cafes?