WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

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CAFÉS
Afryka Coffee Tea House A-3, ul. Kotlarska 32, tel.
(+48) 727 90 16 91, www.afrykacoffee.pl. In amongst
the exotic teas, gifts and other knicks and knacks that always
have us in wallet-out scenarios, Afryka does good tea and coffee
and - whisper it - cocktails. In fact, we have sat and watched as
Afryka has become the preferred ‘drinks-before-home’ venue for
Wroclaw’s classier ladies and gents. Long may it remain so. Also
at ul. Kiełbaśnicza 24 (A-3). QOpen 08:00 - 22:00, Mon, Sun
08:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 23:00. PJA6GBSW
Cafe Bar Monopol A-4, ul. Heleny Modrzejewskiej 2
(Monopol Hotel), tel. (+48) 71 772 37 90, www.monopolwroclaw.hotel.com.pl.
On the ground floor of the peerless
Monopol, this upscale cafe/bar opens early and closes late
providing a perfect setting for the morning coffees, afternoon
teas and evening cocktails that the staff serve up with aplomb.
There’s even an extensive cigar collection if you really want to
fat cat it. Featuring columns, a dark marble bar, fresh flowers
and large windows that open up onto the street, the Monopol is
the perfect place to finalise business deals or take a break from
them entirely. QOpen 07:00 - 24:00. PTAUBXW
Cafe de France A-3, Rynek 20-22 1a, tel. (+48) 785
99 86 64. Small and slightly cramped with an awkward
seating arrangement that makes getting comfortable unnecessarily
difficult, this Parisian cafe is a casual place to
slow things down with delicious coffee or a glass of wine in
the evening from their respectable list. In terms of dining
you’ll find some decent breakfast options and you can pay in
whatever currency you want, but overall it’s rather overpriced
and nothing special. Plus you’re here to experience Wrocław,
not a Polish imitation of Paris. QOpen 08:00 - 22:00, Thu, Fri,
Sat 08:00 - 02:00, Sun 08:00 - 24:00. PA6UGBW
Central Cafe E-4, ul. Św. Antoniego 10, tel. (+48) 71
794 96 23, www.centralcafe.pl. Around the corner from
Pasaż Niepolda and open early - here’s a good place to start
your day. This American-style bakery cafe offers a blackboard
menu (in Polish and English) with plenty of familiar breakfast
options, including bagels and cream cheese, yogurt with
granola and honey, oatmeal loaded with yummy toppings,
pastries, cupcakes, quiche and more - all of it made on site
we’re told. Of course, there’s coffee and smoothies as well,
plus plenty of space to park it and observe the cute clientele
enjoying their oatmeal until your eyes are sufficiently wide
enough to take your sightseeing back into town. The spacious,
high-ceilinged, classic black-and-white interior also
serves as a great place to work or discuss business. QOpen
07:00 - 18:00, Sun 09:00 - 16:00. PTAUGSW
Juice Bars
Frankie’s B-3, ul. Wita Stwosza 57, tel. (+48) 725
38 87 00. The only place of its kind in Wrocław, Frankie’s
takes a trend you’d expect to be popular with kids too
young to drink booze and health-conscious students on
their way home from yoga class and somehow makes it a
fashionable hangout for hip musicians and metrosexuals
with great hair. In addition to some really tasty sandwiches,
try fresh-squeezed juices and shakes combining
all kinds of raw ingredients from broccoli and carrot to
ginger and elderberry inside a stylish, modern interior full
of fashion and culture magazines, indy rock music and
a long marble bar with wall-length windows overlooking
the street. A sandwich and their special ‘hangover’ juice
formula is a great way to sure yourself up after a long
night, and get ready for the one ahead. QOpen 07:00 -
01:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 01:00. PTAVGBSW
Chocoffee B-2, ul. Więzienna 31, www.chocoffee.
com. Quite possibly the best cafe in Wrocław. Found on
the corner of Igielna, the exterior is painted with phrases
and variations of the word ‘chocolate’ in a dozen different
languages. Inside find a quiet, cosy cafe with fine marble
tables, classy wallpaper and comfy couches. A tantalising
number of chocolate and coffee concoctions are available,
hot or cold, to stay or to go. Not to mention the display full of
small sweets, truffles, fudge and other treats. Their chocolate
coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream? - the only reason
we get out of bed some days. A gem. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00,
Mon 10:00 - 20:30, Sat 12:00 - 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 20:30.
PA6UGS
NEW
Cocofli E-4, ul. Włodkowica 9, tel. (+48) 71 756 99
90. The name is a strained acronym for coexistence, cooperation,
friendship, love and identity, but we would have
gone with something along the lines of ‘cobobaga’ (coffee,
books, bar and gallery) to better get at the many facets of
this friendly establishment. Culture should probably be in
there somewhere as well, since this place has become a bit
of a meeting place for it. Creating an antiquated intellectual
aesthetic thanks to a mish-mash of furnishings including a
wall-length bookshelf, old telephone switchboard, and unique
decorative art with portraits of luminairies from Wrocław’s
Jewish past, Cocofli’s selection of comics and children’s
books will make you wish you spoke Polish. Here it’s possible
to get your coffee with rice, soy or almond milk, or enjoy a
glass of wine or a local microbrew. Only a couple doors down
from the very similar Wydawnictwo, which we’re informed will
close in mid-September, Cocofli is ready, willing and worthy of
picking up the slack. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00, Fri 11:00 - 01:30,
Sat 12:00 - 01:30, Sun 12:00 - 23:00. PAUGBW
Coffee Planet A-3, Rynek 7, tel. (+48) 71 796 45
40, www.coffeeplanet.pl. Much more than the corporate
coffee franchise the name suggests, this smart venue has
an artsy atmosphere, a great choice of caffeine highs and
cocktail considerations, a dance-floor and weekly events
that include DJ sets, photo exhibits and even drag queen
shows. Crowded with couples, lap-toppers and after-work
unwinders throughout the day and night, Coffee Planet is one
of the better all-around venues on Wrocław’s market square.
QOpen 07:30 - 23:00, Sat 09:00 - 23:00, Sun 10:00 - 23:00.
PA6BXSW
Czekoladziarnia E-4, ul. Włodkowica 19, tel.
(+48) 71 797 57 16, www.czekoladziarnia.com.
pl. Filled with grinding contraptions and the rich smell
of roasted coffee beans, everyone from empty-nesters
to first-daters fill this place. Dimly lit and equipped with
a few sofas this is a top choice if you’ve got an hour
to lose. The name refers to the numerous sweets and
treats found behind the counter, including the option of
enjoying a chocolate fountain, while local artists have
opened a women’s fashion boutique (‘Ubieralnia,’ open
Mon-Fri 11:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-14:00) in the adjoining
salon. Making it even better, they now also offer Czech
beer for those whose weakness isn’t for sweets. QOpen
10:00 - 22:00, Fri 10:00 - 23:00, Sat 11:00 - 23:00, Sun
12:00 - 21:00. TAGSW
Falanster E-4, ul. Św. Antoniego 23, tel. (+48)
609 66 13 30, www.falanster.pl. One of Wrocław’s
most switched-on venues, this hip hangout takes on
many guises, including gallery, bookstore, free trade
cafe, concert venue, and counter-culture meeting
grounds, wearing all of them well simultaneously, and
with complete seriousness. Head here to hang with local
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
artists and activists, while enjoying delicious coffee and
perusing an expanding selection of English-language
books from Kraków’s Massolit. Recommended. QOpen
10:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 04:00, Sun 10:00 - 24:00.
A6EGSW
Fika Cafe & Drink Bar F-4, Rynek 7, tel. (+48) 71 790
40 92, www.cafefika.pl. If you’re looking for an upscale
café with summer seating on the square, a chic interior, Italian
food, coffee and cocktails…well, there’s a few to choose from
at this point. But Fika stands out with a spacious modern
interior, great coffee, light breakfast options, subtle music
and some stellar window seating when it’s too frigid to take
a table outside. Alternatively, head downstairs where you’ll
find a second bar and warmer atmosphere (and you won’t
have to look at those head-scratch-worthy floor to ceiling
photos of a vampy teenage girl). QOpen 07:30 - 24:00,
Fri 07:30 - 02:00, Sat 10:00 - 02:00, Sun 10:00 - 24:00.
PTA6GBSW
Kalaczakra B-3, ul. Kuźnicza 29a, tel. (+48) 71 372
35 71 ext. 35. A budget beauty, with stone clad flooring
juxtaposed against walls of weird artwork, dimmed lighting
and gentle looking yogic folk. Run by the same people
behind the next door Kalambur, so expect much of the
same spaced-out spirit, as well as an array of healthy,
planet-conscious eats. Check out their film screenings for
something really potty. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00, Sun 11:00 -
24:00. T6UGBSW
Kawiarnia Literatka A-3, Rynek 56/57, tel. (+48)
71 341 80 13, www.kawiarnialiteratka.pl. A splendid
cafe/bar on the main square, patrons can be seen and
seem book-smart under the outside awning or retreat
into the two-floor interior filled with framed portraits of
literary luminaries and ceiling to floor shelves straining
under the weight of Polish hardbacks. Decorated with
dark wood furnishings, red drapes, chandeliers and an
illuminated globe, Literatka’s artsy elegance outclasses
most market square options, and has become a favourite
place for puffers since the smoking ban. Shame that
the music sometimes lets the show down, or we would
spend most of our time there. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00.
A6BXSW
Milano Piu F-4, ul. Świdnicka 4a-6, tel. (+48) 600 00
64 84, www.milanopiu.com. Another stylish red, white
and mahogany Italian masterpiece just off the Rynek on
Świdnicka. The fancy décor and wait-staff make it almost
too classy to be dubbed merely a café. The menu is exactly
what you would expect for an Italian establishment here in
Poland, although it’s bigger than your typical café. Inside you’ll
find a picturesque homage to the city of Milan, and they even
accept Italian currency (euros) if you’re too lazy to change
your money and want to pay extra. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00.
PAUGBSW
Monsieur Cafe A-3, ul. Więzienna 31, tel. (+48) 71
313 11 92, www.monsieurcafe.com.pl. This charming
pseudo-French cafe is a great place to start a day in
Wrocław, dimly gazing out the street side windows with the
morning’s first cuppa. Though they don’t serve ‘breakfast’
per se (that would be anti-European or something), there’s
a great daily ‘lunch special’ that basically serves that
function: a slice of quiche or panini sandwich with tea or
coffee and a green vitamin shot. For those more interested
in the hair of the dog than drinking grass, check out the
nice beer selection or French wine list. Croissants, muffins
and fresh-squeezed juice are also at hand. QOpen
09:00 - 22:00. PTA6GBW
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
CAFÉS
Muffiniarnia B-2, ul. Szewska 27 - 27a, tel. (+48)
605 16 15 14. Greatly benefiting from a larger space cleverly
located next door to the comparably cheek-pinchingly
cute Słodkie Czary Mary candy workshop, this colourful
cupcake cafe is savouring the sweet taste of success.
Though the interior is less precious than previously, it’s
still all rainbow candy stripes and cupcake knick-knacks.
In addition to the selection of muffins (chocolate, caramel,
berry) and fashionable cupcakes for 5zł - a fair price
compared to similar baked good boutiques in Kraków and
Wawa - there’s now proper coffee available, as well as
shakes and smoothies (our Oreo shake was delicious).
That there’s a steady flow of walk-ins to try to these
small, adorable indulgences is hardly a surprise: they’re
cheap, chic and tasty. QOpen 08:30 - 20:00, Sat, Sun
12:00 - 20:00. PA6UGSW
Sufi Cafe B-3, ul. Kuźnicza 65/66, tel. (+48) 881
58 49 49. Unlike your typical Polish ‘cafe’ that blurs
the lines between cafe and bar, combining coffee and
beer, civil conversation and boisterous boozing under
one roof, Sufi Cafe is having none of that business. This
dead serious cafe celebrates only one thing and that’s
the coffee bean. With a variety of roasts and brewing
methods, Sufi should satisfy even the most exacting
connoisseurs. A subtly Eastern interior of gold walls,
scalloped arches and Islamic chanting as background
music evoke the quiet, calming atmosphere that makes
Sufi a great place for finding the inner peace that the
name suggests - be it by concentrating over a computer
in the front, or meditating with a book in the cushioned
second room. Best coffee in Wrocław? Sufi is certainly
on the short-list. QOpen 08:00 - 21:00, Sat, Sun 09:00
- 21:00. PAGBSW
September - December 2012
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