The Most Cozy Coffee Spots in Krakow

For some, coffee is life. For others, it’s a nice way to spend some time with a friend, or a good pit stop during a day of shopping. Personally, we at Taste Vodka tend to do most of the backend work involved in arranging amazing vodka tastings from a comfortable local cafe. It definitely helps get the creative juices flowing to get a change of scenery. Plus… Caffeine.

We’ve rated these coffee shops based on these main categories: Coziness, Value, Coffee and quality.

For this list we’ve specifically avoided the commercial giants like Starbucks, Costa etc. Krakow is a city with a great selection of small local cafes, serving great coffee at half the price of Starbucks. If you want something more personal and with a bit more local spirit, we’ve got you covered.

Drukarnia – Nadwiślańska 1

You can find a lot of dilapidated, hipster-style places in Krakow. Sometimes they look crap, sometimes they can pull it off. Drukarnia is a bar that falls squarely into the latter category. The seating doesn’t score well in terms of comfort. However, the casual atmosphere and coffee make up for it.

 A normal white americano (without any additions) is some of the best coffee in Krakow we can find. There’s unfortunately no wifi, so you’ll have to run off your phone if you want to sit down to do some work here. God bless free roaming within the EU is all we can say to this.

Kawalerka – Brzozowa 20

Speaking of good coffee we should also give an honourable mention to a place that also does amazing tea. Maybe we’ll write another article about Krakow’s best tea houses… watch this space. Kawalerka is a hidden gem. It’s on the edge of Kazimierz, but still close enough to the main square. Kawalerka’s got a great selection of home-roasted coffees of different origins, and some with different flavour infusions. If you’re a bit of a coffee fanatic who loves Columbian dark roast, Kawalerka is your place. They also offer a wide selection of brewing options. They’ll even make your coffee with an aeropress if you like.

As mentioned, Kawalerka has an insane selection of teas. They vary throughout the year and they try to match their tea choices to the season. In summer expect more fruit-flavoured teas, and in winter expect your spiced options, and chocolate-orange flavoured teas. You can also just go with a quality earl grey or black tea if that’s your thing. Comfiness levels are good here, with sturdy cushioned chairs around iron legged tables. It’s nice and quiet here too – great for working. 

Tribeca – Plac Szczepanski 9

The best coffee in Krakow (or so they say). It’s certainly very good. They not only do good coffee but also do really decent lunches, cakes, and breakfasts. Tribeca is in the same building as an art gallery, and it’s evident from the interior that whoever was in charge of decorating Tribeca knew what they were doing. Works of art hang on the walls, and cool art deco lights and shades hang from the unusual curved ceilings. They even made the windows look good with large wooden frames. Tribeca’s also one of the larger coffee shops on our list and would easily seat a group of 20 for example.

Coziness levels are high here. You can have straight backed chairs with decent cushioning, heavy wooden tables, and sofas. They’ve also got a nice outside seating ares within Plac Szczepański just off the main square. It’s slightly more expensive here than some of the other coffee places on our list. However, the coffee does come in a larger mug, more like the buckets of coffee you get in the commercial shops.

Bomba – Plac Szczepanski 2

Another Cafe with an excellent Street view. Bomba is a trendy little bar by night, and a hip cafe by day. They do cakes, a selection of drinks, and of course very decent coffee. The music in Bomba during the day is really chill and well chosen. It’s the comfiest in terms of seating on our list so far. Downstairs is decked out mainly with sofas and upstairs has some nicely cushioned chairs. Everything is pretty low profile, so you’re almost reclining as you sip your java. Which is perfect if you’re like us and like to lounge a little as you do your work.

They’ve also got some outside seating area. It’s really up there for Krakow’s street view options over-looking the Plac Szczepański. In summer, events are held on the square and children play in the fountains, and in winter the square is dusted with snow. This really makes the coziness aspect here that much more prominent. Perfect for cracking through a few pages of your novel, or adding a few line of code to your new android app. Or just kicking back with some friends.

Cheder – Józefa 36

Cheder is a comfy and unusual coffee shop. It’s very different to your normal bistro or cafe. They make your usual lattes and cappuccinos etc., but what you want to try in Cheder is the Israeli or Arabic style coffee. It comes in a large brass coffee pot, it’s black, and it’s spiked with various different spices depending on which you’ve ordered e.g. ginger, cardomom, cinnamon. Honestly we’re not sure exactly what they’re putting into the coffee but it is smashing.

Cheder tends to play cool, mellow music. There are some nice standard wooden tables and chairs or there’s a few bean bags too, near their bookshelves & board games, to stretch out on if you’re planning on spending a couple of hours there. It’s also a little more hidden. You won’t bump into Cheder if you’re walking around the usual spots in Krakow, so add it to your Tripadvisor places to see. You’ll not regret it.

BaniaLuka – Szewska 13 & Plac Szczepanski 6

Banialuka doesn’t have the comfiest seating and the coffees are’t huge. BUT, it is cheap. It’s also always bustling and it’s got great people-watching windows. A coffee here will set you back about 6 zloty or €1.50. If you are going to go out and try to mingle with the locals in Krakow and have a fun night out there’s a fair chance you’ll find yourself in Banialuka at 9/10pm. If you go for a really crazy night out you might wind up there at 5 or 6 in the morning. They also usually play all the big football games. 

If you want to sit somewhere central and sip on your coffee in Krakow for a few hours, with an almost unbeatable street view, Banialuka is a good call. They don’t stock any fancy syrups. You won’t get a pumpkin spiced latte or any of that garbage. You’ll find yourself loving this little place. It’s also home to the most reasonably priced hot wine in Krakow during the winter (but more of that in a future blog post).

Columbus – Szewska 27 & Starowislna 27

Columbus is the closest coffee shop on our list to a Starbucks. In all honesty we were hesitant to add it at all. It is a chain coffee shop that exists across Poland. You’ll find your syrup-laden, sprinkled, cream-topped spiced mocha latte frapuccino or whatever here… However, they do make decent coffee. It’s also home to the comfiest seating on the list by far. They’ve got big plush armchairs and sofas spread out across decently sized shops. If you happen to be living in krakow, or you wind up drinking a lot of coffee here, they’ve got a loyalty card giving you a free coffee every 6 you buy.

Great if you like the starbucks vibe without the multinational corporation headache. Also great if you want decent coffee and a spot with reliable internet to spend a few hours working on your laptop. Oh and one final thing, Columbus on the corner of Dietla and Starowislna is right between Kazimierz and the Old town on a large crossroads. It’s got a cool street view with plenty of people walking back and forth and trams driving by. Columbus is also a place that many tourists don’t think to stop for a cup of coffee. So basically, there’s always great seating available in there and never a long line.

Check out our other articles if you’re after some of the best spots for craft beer in Krakow or maybe a nice rooftop bar.