This cult cafe is a Cracovian institution, and virtually unchanged since the 1970s, still capturing the nostalgia of those times for its aged clientele and younger folks who first came here with their parents and grandparents. It's a close-knit community of local academics, artists and intellectuals who take their coffee black (typically with a cigarette), their wine red and their days slow. The interior twins as an art gallery and is otherwise as unpretentious as they come. Wonky counters with barstools in the middle of the space effectively force all the patrons into one collection discourse, typically concerning art, politics, and the 'good old days.' While the rest of the city/country/world is slowing 'going to the dogs,' Rio is a safe, dependable space where nothing changes, time slows down, people care about culture and aren't afraid to talk to strangers. It's not only a holdover, but also a holdout against hipster coffee fads, tourist priorities and interior design trends. In Kraków's Old Town, that's a rare and wondrous thing. Don't ruin it for them.
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