57. Augusta

If you look for a nice coffee break during a walk at the river (Vistula) and some sunny terrace (if the weather allows) this is a good place to go. Augusta is a small ship on the river with a fancy bar and restaurant, where you find some good quality coffee from Italy.

The service may not be the quickest but while you relax and observe the riverfront in the sun, probably you don't mind to much.

Coffee Index: 7 pln

https://www.facebook.com/RestauracjaAugusta

54. Ambasada Sledzia

Surrounded by locals and some tourist we found ourselves just one street behind the busy Rynek in a really charming cafe: Ambasada Sledzia. Its kind of a student/creative people meeting point. With a really creative interior themed around "fishes" it offers tapas, snacks  cake, all kind of drinks (from coffee to beer) and is really reasonable. Most beverages cost around 4 pln and as you have self service it has a unique but interesting atmosphere. 
We spotted quite interesting people: art students, groups of chatting girls and locals having their after work beer.

The outside but roofed terrace was quite nice, even though some tables where blocked by dishes that people did not bring back inside after eating.

If you are fine with self service, reasonable prices, and maybe some rearranging and clearing tables yourself to find a table - its a nice place.


Coffee Index: 5 pln 
https://www.facebook.com/AmbasadaSledzia

51. Stajna Restaurant & Bar

Perhaps not the most obvious coffee place, however, the Stajna is too much Krakow that we could NOT write about it! It is located in an alley in Kazimierz, and it is famous world-wide; several scenes from Schindler's List were shot at exactly this place.

The houses around are not restored in any way on the outside, but it gives a certain charm to the place. Outside the flats, you can see cloths hanging for drying, so genuine! Stajna is cosy both inside, in their "greenhouse terrace" and outside, where they have decorated the walls with pictures, flowers and details from the former Jewish inhabitants.

On the negative side, there are many guided tours walking through the alley, which could get a bit annoying after a while, however, if you don't want to feel like a exhibition object, there are some special tables "in use for that".

So if you are a Spielberg-fan, or just want to see houses that breath history, this is the place to go. 

http://www.pubstajnia.pl/main/main.php

49. Ciastkarnia Vanilla

At a corner of a street in cosy Kazimierz, you find a lovely pastry shop and café: Ciastkarnia Vanilla. It is very small with only two tables inside, however, outside, they place a few more tables when the weather approves it.

It is a genuinely old place and it is only using old cake recipes and old methods as well as ingredients from Krakow without any conservatives. Thumbs up for that! The variety of cakes is amazing: as it is a special cake-place they have everything from creamy torts, fruit cakes to huge cookies - we are sure everyone can find something really jummy here. Also they offer home made ice cream that looked delicious.

Its a very popular place for locals - we were surrounded on a Sunday afternoon by groups of young people or families and couples having their afternoon cake.

coffee index: 6 pln 

http://www.cukierniavanilla.pl/

48. Nova Resto Bar

A rainy day, we decided to check out an other place in Kazimierz: Nova Resto Bar. It is a huge place, maybe the biggest you can find in the former Jewish Quarter. Around 400 people find a seat in a special designed venture. The orange colour that is a consistent theme throughout the decoration gives a nice retro atmosphere.

A really extended menu offers you a lot of healthy and/or Spanish dishes, american burgers and shakes as well as really jummy sounding ice creams and dessert options. You can really see that they have spend a lot of time and effort to make the menu nice.

When we entered we first thought: "oh man its full, looks like a children birthday party", but after some short waiting we got seated by a rather nice waitress. It was young people, tourists, students and young families with all their children that surrounded us and loud music in the background, still we had a quiet corner and enjoyed our food a lot. However, when we wanted to order dessert with anticipation, we were told that it was rush hour and we needed to wait at least half an hour... 

Coffee Index: 7 pln

http://novarestobar.pl/

47. La Campana Restauracja

In one of the neat streets on the fot of the Wawel hill in the direction of the Rynek, there is a hidden and really pretty green garden where you can sit and enjoy a coffee while listening to the birds singing around you.  

Even though La Campana Restauracja is a restaurant, they offer good Italian coffee and typical very good Italian desserts (the Panna Cotta is highly recommendable). For us, it was like a small trip into a green oasis with the sound of the twittering birds and when looking over the wall, you could glimpse a monastery which gave a particular peaceful atmosphere to the whole place.  

Coffee Index: 6 pln

No WiFi

http://www.lacampana.pl/en

46. U Ziyada Restauraja i Kawiarnia

In the basement of the Przegorzaly Castle where the Center of European Studies of the Jagiellonian University has classes, there is a fancy café: U Ziyada Restauraja i Kawiarnia  that is well worth visiting for example on a Sunday. Since the castle is situated on a hill, the Kawiarnia has a splendid view over the whole Vistula valley that is lovely in summer times.

They offer many forms of Lavazza coffee in a fancy environment and both inside and outside, this café is a neat experience. Perhaps it is not the cheapest café in Krakow, however, if you count the  view and experience as well, then you get value for your money. 

Caffe Americano 7,50 pln

http://www.uziyada.krakow.pl/

45. Kawiarnia Pod Baszta

Up on the Wawel hill, there is Kawiarnia Pod Baszta, a tourist café to serve the guests of the hill who are in need of a break between visiting all the museums and attractions. It is mainly a café and they serve many kinds of coffee and cakes. A special offer is a coffee and a cake for 13 pln! Still, they do also have some food, for example soups, pierogi (polish dumplings) and salads.

Kawiarnia Pod Baszta is a typical tourist café, but its outdoor terrace is quite nice when the sun is shining and you can sit outside and look at the splendid view of the Wawel Cathedral and the Castle. A funny remark is that even though you are at perhaps the greatest tourist attraction in Poland, the waitress still spoke very weak English. 

Coffee Index: 9 pln

No wifi available 

(On the picture down to the right, it is a mushroom soup, served in a bread bowl. Very typical food for Poland!) 

http://kawiarniapodbaszta.com/?sLang=en

42. Restaurant Club Loża

After a long and hectic day we needed to consume some more coffee at night. On the Rynek we visited an other outside cafe: Loża.

Its a neat place, where you find tourists as well as rather well-heeled Cracovians. The service is excellent and real trained waitresses serve you with high quality standard. Therefore, you pay generally higher prices for their drinks and foods as usual in Krakow.

If the wind geta a bit cooler at night, warm blankets are available to use while you have your coffee and watch the usual night spectacular at the Rynek.

Coffee Index: 8,50 pln

http://www.loza.pl/index.php/

40. Café Słodki Wentzl

Do you want some really yummy and fancy deserts? Then we have found you a good place to go: Café Słodki Wentzl.

The service is sometimes a little bit slow but still the variety of sweets is mind-blowing. They offer home-made ice cream (sundae), strudel in many different kinds, polish cakes and sandwiches. Also the coffee is really good and for example the cappuccino is the biggest cup we have been served so far in Krakow (for 8 pln).

Of course you are surrounded by tourists, but also local families with their children, seniors and businessman enjoy the goodies they serve in the sun.

Coffee Index: 7 pln

38. Caffe Zacmienie

Behind the Rynek, you can find a cute, relaxing and very green garden café, Caffe Zacmienie. In the mornings, it has a local crowd with old Polish men discussing the latest happenings. However, at night, the café turns into a bar that actually has happy hours (Cocktails and shots), something rather unusual in Krakow.

A big plus was the sweet waitress that actually gave us small pieces of apple pie with our coffee for free. It was a nice gesture that we highly appreciated! Maybe the coffee taste and quality was not the best we ever had but to sit in a quiet and green hidden garden cafe, entered over a small entrance bridge, not far away from all the Rynek hustle and bustle is worth visiting.

https://www.facebook.com/caffe.zacmienie.szczepanska3

30. Chajim Kohan

In the corner of a market square in the Jewish neighborhood, you find a piece of history in Chajim Kohan. Outside this building, you find typical signs from Jewish shops that used to be in this area, clearly a major tourist attraction. Therefore, while seated in the café, you feel almost part of a historical exhibition as guided tours frequently pass by. The atmosphere of the square is fantastic, it is a place to sit for hours and just feel like a part of traditions from a long time ago. If you rather would like to sit inside, the interior is neat with a remarkable collection of old artifacts that wisper of a lost time period in Krakow's Jewish history.

The menu does however not reflect its Jewish history, it is quite normal for any café. A big plus was that when we were there, we were quite picky and changed the orders which was no problem with the waitress. Another interesting thing is that they have live performances in the evenings with traditional Jewish music.


This is a place to love, to go to when you have a lot of time, to sit in the summer evening breeze, to take it in with all your senses, to feel part of a lost culture and go back in time.

Coffee index: 6pln
No wifi

29. Café Mini

In the middle of ul. Grodzka, there is Café Mini Cukiernia and Kawiarnia. It is quite a touristy place, but still very nice. The terrace is in the shade, which can be pleasant after you've spent a few hours in the Krakow summer sun.

Café Mini offers warm and cold coffee and a lot of sweets, cakes and pancakes or waffles with fruit, cream, other toppings and jam of which, many various kinds are available  It is also possible for a quick ice cream or a coffee to take away.



On the bad side, when we went there we wanted something for breakfast which they did not have. The pancakes were really sweet and very big portions. Maybe you would consider it nice if you like sugar, but otherwise, it could be considered a little extreme. Another disadvantage, was that they did not have toilets for their customers.

To sum up, perfect place to sit in the shadow and eat something REALLY sweet. Good if you are strolling the ul. Grodzka and need a break. The worst place to go if you are actually hungry for a sandwich or something more substancial.

Coffee index: 5 pln
No wifi on the terrace

Facebook page

27. Bunkier Sztuki

Sunny day and having a walk around the city? Then you should enjoy the Bunkier Sztuki in the northwest part of the Planty (the green park around the old town). Bunkier Sztuki is a café inside a big greenhouse, which is opened up on one side if the weather is good. If there is one of those bad weather days, they close the transparent shield and you can still sit inside with an "outside" feeling. 

It serves different kinds of coffees, salads, sandwiches and freshly-squeezed juices. The crowd is a cool mixture of businessmen,  students and creative people. Its a bigger place which fits around 150 people and the whole place is divided into smoker and non smoking area. Also attached to the cafe is a gallery, if you feel the need for some art and culture after your coffee, check it out.

Coffee index: 7pln
Wi-Fi availbale

http://bunkiercafe.pl/

26. Castor Coffee Club

On the corner of the Rynek, next to the St. Mary's Basilica, you'll find a great place, the Castor Coffee Club. It is a big place, with an outside area and two floors, where you can easily fit bigger groups. An extensive coffee menu (oriental coffee, ice coffees, fair trade products) as well as sandwiches and desserts are available. 

Due to its location, you have to keep in mind that you will be surrounded by a tourist crowd. If you would like to sit in comfy chairs and relax a bit with whatever kind of coffee suites you? Castro Coffee Club is an option. You can recognize it by its beaver symbol and yellow colour. They have convenient opening hours: 07:00-22:00, so you can stop by whenever you need.

WiFi available but slow version
Coffee Index: 6 pln

http://www.castorcoffeeclub.pl/index.php?id=onas

25. The Piano Rouge

If there is sunny weather the Rynek is a fantastic area to visit - find yourself a nice place to have a coffee or drink right in the middle of it all. While watching people stroll around, counting the horse-drawn carriages,  you will hear several languages around you. An unique Krakow atmosphere. The question is: where to go on the Rynek? 

One option we tried was The Piano Rouge. It is best known for its live jazz bands at night and special interior but their outdoor terrace is equally so. The service is good and it's a spot on the Rynek to enjoy a sun-trap in the afternoon (if weather conditions are sunny!).

Coffee Index: 9 pln (Cappuccino)

http://www.thepianorouge.com/en.html

19. Café Restaurant Europejska

Situated on the Rynek Glowny, Café Restaurant Europejska is the perfect place to visit if you want a genuine "Central European" experience. The classic, baroque-style interior makes you feel like you have traveled back in time to Vienna at the end of the 19^th century and are having coffee in an elegant café - the height of sophisticated culture (Kaffeehaus-Kultur).

The prices here are a little bit more expensive but you have a lot of choice. Different kinds of coffees (e.g. Vienna style) and food are offered. The bar is extensive with various kinds of liqueurs. During summertime, you can sit outside in the sun and watch the people strolling around the Rynek with the Santa Maria church and the Cloth Halls as a spectacular view. 

Wifi available (slow internet)

Black coffee: 8 pln 

17. Santos Kawiarnia

Under reconstruction - NOT OPEN NOW (29.03.2014)
In the middle of ul. Grodzka, one of the main tourist streets between the Rynek and the Wawel, there is Santos Kawiarnia. The interior is one of a typical café, however, inside you will find a great surprise! The main reason for visiting is their outdoor terrace. With comfortable chairs in the sun, you can enjoy a relaxing ice coffee, flavoured coffees or a sweet snack on your way from the old town to Kazimierz. The crowd is comprised of mostly tourists and therefore, the staff speak good English. While you are seated, you can watch the tourists strolling by and also have a brilliant view of the Wawel castle that is located just behind you.

Coffee index: 7,50 pln (Espresso)

No wifi available on the terrace.