A charismatic joint accessed by the esoteric bookshop on the ground floor. A young crowd occupies the random furniture morning, noon and night. Great music, cheap beer and umbrellas dangling from the ceiling. [...]

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A bright, modern cafe off the main square, specialising in ice cream with fresh fruit and nut toppings. All that's missing is some outdoor seating.
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Enjoy coffee, sandwiches and wine in a chic basement cafe that acts as a decent place to regroup following a day of battling the elements outside. Clean-cut and upmarket, and a popular break spot in between shopping and sightseeing missions. [...]

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Hidden at the back of a hallway and down some steps is one of Kraków's better kept Rynek secrets. The arched cellar decorated with bits of dismantled church organ overhead is good for a candle-lit coffee. [...]

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Sit at a table in the front window with Tuscan frescoes enlightening your conversation or creep further back to one of the dark and private booths. Real cappuccinos for 6.5zł. [...]

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This charming cafe has been a Podgórze mainstay for some time now - the first, and still one of only a few places on this side of the river with anything resembling an 'atmosphere.' Characterised by excellent coffee (available to take home by weight), cakes and salads, mellow music and a clien [...]

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At the back of a cool courtyard is where you'll find this little diamond-in-the-rough's hiding place. Sandwiches for 6-8zł and a small selection of fresh-baked desserts. A warm and quiet escape from the stampedes on Grodzka. [...]

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Framed film stars overlook modern starlets stirring their chocolates while silent films play in the background of this curvy, creamy cafe/bar. Marrying movies and chocolate, Camera Cafe offers a wide range of chocolate cocktails - and we're not talking about powdered cocoa, here; more like spoonable pudding. A number of other sweet indulgences are on hand, as well as good breakfast options and a few other savories. And, this being PL, you can get yourself a white russian any time of day. Overall, Camera Cafe is a great place to take a date in the evenings or even get some work done via wifi in the afternoon.
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Opened by the Jewish Culture Festival Association in a former prayer house, Cheder continues Kazimierz's obsession with its past, serving as a Jewish cultural centre and cafe. A large open space with wooden furnishings, Cheder hosts lectures, film screenings, concerts, exhibitions and other events [...]

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Expect the mass-produced charm of a Starbucks inside this chain venture, and while the atmosphere is non-descript its success is a direct reflection of the quality found within these walls. Kraków has an abundance of good cafes serving bad coffee, so it comes as a relief to find a place that g [...]

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An elaborately elegant atmosphere prevails inside this classically decorated local legend. Gramophones, suitcases and other ephemera tastefully clutter this classy upscale venue. Flawless bartenders are there to guide your way through the impressive list of tortes and beverages. [...]

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Kraków's first and only laudromat cafe, Frania is full of bright walls, retro furnishings, local art and laidback, laptopping students giving it the kind of atmosphere you might expect to find in a youth hostel common room. A full bar for coffee and less innocent libations, boardgames, wifi and their own cafe computer conspire to make brightening your whites in one of the seven machines discreetly tucked in the back room a lot less of a chore than you'd expect. In fact don't be surprised to find yourself spending time here even if a rampant taxi hasn't just showered your trousers in street sludge.
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Reinventing itself as a cafe and French bistro, Guliwer has pared down its menu to paninis, pastries, cheese plates and other snack samplers. The emphasis is now on wine, coffee and wifi with older couples going halves on a caraffe while perusing the day's papers or enjoying the street scene through the wall length windows. White textured walls, a timbered ceiling, pleasant atmosphere and soothing music make Guliwer a worthwhile venue, great for a date, getting work done, or grousing breakfast.
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A bright café decked out with ceramics, glassware, figures of angels and tiny little trinkets. They’re all for sale, and best of all you can sit down and tank back some caffeine while mulling over just what picture will end up in your suitcase. Surprisingly, the choice of beer here outdo [...]

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One of Kazimierz's most underappreciated venues, Kolanko has plenty going for it. The main attraction may be the large summer garden with plenty of shade, sun and greenery, but the onset of winter can't take anything away from the cheap menu of soups, salads and creatively-stuffed sweet and savoury crepes which have become ensconced in local legend; nor the delicious and too-often overlooked local amber and dark beers on draft. Quirky attic knicknacks combined with klezmer and world music selections give Kolanko 6 an escapist atmosphere well-appreciated by couples, laptoppers and loners like ourselves. Recommended. [...]

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Wonderful. What looks like your standard Sunday ice cream parlour hides a huge secret upstairs. No, not the steady stream of pretty girls who spoon their sweets here; instead the children’s playground: it’s enormous. Heaven sent for parents tired of dragging the kids from museum to muse [...]

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A true labour of love, filled with dusty shelves groaning under the weight of thousands of titles with broken spines. This is not just the best English language bookshop you'll ever find in Eastern Europe, but also an atmospheric café where budding playwrights convene for muted whisperings and American cookies, bagels, pies, the best drip coffee in town, and now wine thanks to the recent opening of a wine room. Ground zero for ex-pats, the bulletin board is an important community rallying point. Often organising lectures and literary events, Massolit also has free English-language storytimes for children every Sunday morning from 11:00-12:00. A requisite pilgrimage point for foreigners; don't miss it.
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Homesick for the hospitality of your service-with-a-smile homeland? There's nowhere in Kraków more American than this cafe and sweets shop, owned by a nauseatingly nice family from Minnesota whose eager conviviality is so jarring it's akin to genuine culture shock. But you don't have to grovel for a visa to enjoy the outstanding baked goods found here, including peanut butter, mint-chocolate, chocolate walnut and classic chocolate chip cookies, brownies, baked oatmeal served with heavy cream and even ice cream with cookie chunks folded in. It's all fantastic, fairly-priced and flagrantly American - just like the filtered Starbucks coffee and the jar of Lifesavers candy on the counter. God bless it. A smaller, more central location at ul. Sławkowska 18 (C-2, open 10:00 - 19:00, Sun 12:00-17:00) serves more as a cookies and coffee-to-go (free refills!) stop with little seating, for those unable to find the main cafe hidden behind Kino Kijów.
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Take a seat in this local classic inside the Cloth Hall and breathe the history. Opened in 1910, this is where Comrade Lenin would come and read the papers before going on to achieve greater things, while WWII occupation later saw Noworolski become the top haunt of Nazi nabobs. Things have changed little in terms of style and service since then, making Noworolski a bit of a creaky throwback favoured today by well-dressed locals in the autumn of their years, but the exquisite art nouveau interiors are among the most decadent in town and well worth a look whether you stay for a coffee or not. Unfortunately the aging splendour of this locale is currently being swallowed by the endless construction on Cloth Hall, but it resolutely remains open. [...]

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A huge variety of quality coffees. Whatever you choose will be brewed individually on a little gas burner and served to you in a teeny-tiny little cup while you admire the burlap coffee-bag décor surrounding you. If you like what you taste, the café sells brewing equipment and coffee. [...]

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A charming veteran cafe just off Mały Rynek on Embassy Row, Siesta is a great place to rest the feet between strolls of the Old Town. Moderately decorated with framed pictures and adobe colours, Siesta attracts groups of all ages and pursuits, thanks in part to its long-standing as one of [...]

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Allegedly the best ice cream in the city, and we’ve found no reason to dispute the claim. A bland interior should not deter visits, this café proves that the Rynek is far more than just a case of dodging tourist traps.   [...]

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Krakow, summer morning, 11am. In Your Pocket's most junior member of staff (aged five) wants an ice cream. Perusing Tribeca's not unimpressive ice cream menu he picks out the biggest. Dad orders, sultry waitress replies 'we have no ice cream.' Cue wobbly lower lip from Pocket Junior. Friendly waitr [...]

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Many places in Krakow claim to be 'far from the maddening crowd'; this one is the real deal. On the northern edge of the Planty just seconds from the train station and a quickstep from the Rynek it barely seems feasible, yet it's true. Sup a coffee or two on the glorious terrace here, surrounded by [...]

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