Specialty Coffee in Wrocław: 11 Cafés in a City of Small Roasters
Where to drink well between the Rynek, the moat and the river, and why so many of Wrocław's best cups are roasted a few streets away.
In 1892 Otto Stiebler became the first person in Wrocław to roast coffee with hot air. His roastery was the largest in the city. It worked out of a former malthouse he had converted at the end of the century, and it brought in green coffee from Ceylon, Java and South America. A decade later he was roasting on electric machines.
The war took the brand along with the rest of German Breslau. The city that rebuilt itself after 1945 was Polish, with a new population, and today the name Stiebler means nothing to anyone here. Only the walls survived. On plac Teatralny they now hold the city's media library.
So specialty coffee in Wrocław did not inherit a tradition. It had to start again, and much of it is now built around small roasters. Seven of the eleven cafés in this guide roast their own coffee or pour from a roastery run by the same people.
That is also why it takes some finding. The Rynek is one of the largest market squares in Europe, and it is given over to beer, pierogi and photographs of bronze dwarfs. The roasters are somewhere else: a street or two off the square, over the moat, across the Oder. You need to know which street.
Knowing which street is the job of Specialty Atlas, a free app for iOS and Android. Every café below has a profile in it, with the beans it is pouring, the ways it brews them and how far it is from you. Download the app before you start walking, or browse the Wrocław city page first if you are still planning from home.
The Market Hall, and over the river to Nadodrze
The Old Town ends in the north at the Oder. On Piaskowa, the Market Hall has stood under the same reinforced concrete arches since 1908, and the bridge beside it leads to Piasek island and the cathedral quarter beyond.
Cafe Targowa on Piaskowa 17 shares its address with the Market Hall. It has been in Wrocław since 2012 and brews coffee from its own roastery, Figa. Espresso and milk drinks, cold brew, and pour-over on V60, Chemex or Kalita, with cakes and pastries for anyone the market has not already fed.
North of the river, Nadodrze is a district of 19th and early 20th-century tenements and small green squares.
Enklawa - Wrocławska Palarnia Kawy on Bolesława Chrobrego 23 says what it is in the name: Enklawa, Wrocław coffee roastery. Its own invitation is just as short: drop in, let's get to know each other. Espresso and milk drinks, matcha, and pour-over on V60, Chemex or Kalita.
East of the Rynek: Biskupia and plac Dominikański
Biskupia is one of the streets laid out with the city's 13th-century charter. It ends at Oławska, which carries on east past plac Dominikański to the moat.
Runty Roaster - sklep firmowy / kawiarnia on Biskupia 4A is the roaster's own shop and café, which is what the Polish half of the name says. Runty roast specialty coffee from selected farms, for espresso and for filter, aiming in their own words for maximum sweetness and clarity. Pour-over, espresso and milk drinks, plant milk, matcha and pastries, with bags of beans and brewing kit on the shelves.
Parrot Coffee on ks. Piotra Skargi 3, the street that runs south from plac Dominikański, calls itself a tropical, plant-filled stop in the middle of town, with specialty coffee and its own drinks and desserts. Filter comes by drip, Chemex or AeroPress. The app knows more about this café than any other on the list: breakfast and lunch, vegan options, espresso tonic, kombucha, fresh juice, decaf, wifi, power outlets, air conditioning and wheelchair access.
Świdnicka, south of the Rynek
Świdnicka runs south from the Rynek, past the Opera and across the moat, towards the main station.
Figa w Barbarze on Świdnicka 8B is Figa's new café, set inside Barbara, a cultural venue at the Rynek end of the street. It sums itself up in three words: breakfasts, bakes, the best coffee. The app adds matcha, bags of beans to take home, free water, and room for both laptops and dogs.
Gniazdo further down at Świdnicka 36 means "nest". Its own description is about people rather than coffee: it wants you to feel good there, and it names kindness and openness as the point. Espresso and milk drinks, matcha, cakes and pastries.
Odrzańska and Nowy Świat: towards the river
From the north-west corner of the Rynek, Odrzańska runs about two hundred metres towards the Oder, past the Gothic church of St Elizabeth. Nowy Świat, a few minutes to the west, once ran along the city's inner moat.
El Gato Coffee Roasters on Odrzańska 8/1 is an artisan roastery with a café attached, and the roaster is on site. Its website says the business grew out of the owners' travels, and that its coffees all score above 80 points, from Ethiopia, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Papua New Guinea and further. Pour-over, espresso and milk drinks, and matcha.
ŁYK.wrocław on Nowy Świat 48 describes itself as the first Polish-Slovak café and wine bar in Wrocław: specialty coffee and wine under one roof. Łyk is Polish for a sip, which covers both. Espresso and milk drinks, matcha and pastries.
Seven of these eleven cafés roast their own coffee or pour from their own roastery. The beans change, and the app shows what each one has on the bar today, so you can choose the coffee before you choose the street. Specialty Atlas is free on iOS and Android.
The District of Four Temples
West of the Rynek, four houses of worship stand within a few streets of each other: the Catholic church of St Anthony, an Orthodox cathedral, a Lutheran church and the White Stork Synagogue.
OTO Coffee Bar on Świętego Antoniego 28 roasts on site and promises, in its own words, the taste of freshly roasted coffee. Its website says the coffees it sells are tested every day at this bar. Espresso and milk drinks, matcha and pastries.
West of the moat: Szczepin and Tęczowa
Szczepin lost almost everything in 1945 and was rebuilt in concrete panel blocks, with Legnicka as its main road. To the south, Tęczowa passes the old Świebodzki station, closed to trains since 1991 and now home to a theatre and a club, and carries on past new apartment buildings.
DOM WRO Specialty Coffee | Kawiarnia on Legnicka 42 is a pop-up for now: specialty coffee and events, open Thursday to Saturday by its own account, with a full café promised soon. It is takeaway only, with outdoor seating and no toilet. Espresso and milk drinks and pastries.
WAGA monko. on Tęczowa 83B has more history than most cafés get. According to monko, the WAGA was a 1920s grain weighing station with a clock tower that fell apart after the war and was rebuilt this century from the original German plans. Inside, the furniture is birch plywood, tried out first as full-size cardboard models. The coffee is monko's own roast: espresso, americano, pour-over, drip or cold brew.
A morning inside the moat
If you have a morning and no plan:
- Pour-over at Cafe Targowa, next to the Market Hall
- Down Biskupia to Runty Roaster, then on to Parrot Coffee by plac Dominikański
- Across the Rynek to Figa w Barbarze on Świdnicka
- North up Odrzańska to El Gato Coffee Roasters, then ŁYK.wrocław on Nowy Świat
- Finish at OTO Coffee Bar in the District of Four Temples
Seven cafés and roughly three kilometres, without leaving the Old Town. Nobody needs seven coffees. Check the app and stop where the filter looks best.
Put the map in your pocket
A guide is a snapshot. The beans turn over, the pop-up on Legnicka plans to become a café, and new bars open. Specialty Atlas keeps up, free on iOS and Android:
- What is on the bar today. The beans each café is pouring now, with roaster, origin and process, entered by the cafés.
- Nearest first. Every specialty café around you, sorted by distance.
- Filters that matter. Pour-over, plant milk, laptop friendly, dog friendly, takeaway, breakfast.
- A passport with a Wrocław stamp. Scan the QR code at the counter and the visit goes into your coffee passport, stamped for Wrocław.
- Beans matched to your palate. Tell the app what you like once, and it scores every bean against it.
Download Specialty Atlas and open Wrocław. The Wrocław city page is fine for planning at a desk, but the live map, the passport and the bean matching are in the app.
FAQ
Where is the best area for specialty coffee in Wrocław? The Old Town, but not the Rynek itself. Most of this list sits on the side streets: Odrzańska and Nowy Świat to the north-west, Biskupia and plac Dominikański to the east, Świdnicka to the south. Nadodrze, Szczepin and Tęczowa are worth the extra distance.
Can I buy beans to take home? Yes, and in Wrocław it is one of the better reasons to visit. Seven of the eleven cafés roast their own or pour from their own roastery, and the app marks which ones sell retail bags.
Where can I work on a laptop? The app tags Figa w Barbarze and Parrot Coffee as laptop friendly, and Parrot adds wifi and power outlets. Both welcome dogs too. DOM WRO, by contrast, is takeaway only.
How do I get between the cafés? On foot, mostly. The Old Town cafés are a few minutes apart, and Nadodrze is a walk over the river. Legnicka and Tęczowa sit west of the moat, a longer walk or a short tram ride.
Is there an app for finding specialty coffee in Wrocław? Yes. Specialty Atlas is free on iOS and Android. It maps specialty cafés in Wrocław and across Europe, with the beans on the bar today, brew methods, a coffee passport with a Wrocław stamp and bean recommendations matched to your taste.
Next in the series
The series carries on city by city, with the next guide already on the way.
If you run a café in Wrocław and it is not on the map yet, or your profile is missing today's beans, claim your profile and show the people already looking what is on your bar.
Eleven cafés across Wrocław, all of them in one free app. Download Specialty Atlas for iOS and Android.
Written by
SpecialtyAtlas Team
The Specialty Atlas team writes about specialty coffee, the people brewing it, and the cities worth visiting for it.
