Kawiarnia — Poland's café culture, old and new

Kawiarnia is the Polish word for café, and Poland's coffeehouse culture ranges from long-established, traditionally styled cafés in historic city centers to a large and fast-growing modern specialty coffee scene in recent years. Traditional kawiarnie in cities such as Kraków and Warsaw often occupy historic buildings and lean toward a classic, sit-down café atmosphere with pastries and cakes alongside coffee.

Poland's café culture has both an older, more formal tradition — historically associated with literary and social gathering spots frequented by writers and intellectuals — and a newer wave of specialty coffee shops that has grown substantially in Polish cities in recent years.

As in much of Central Europe, coffee at a kawiarnia is generally meant to be enjoyed unhurried, often alongside a pastry or cake, and table service in a sit-down setting is the norm rather than a quick counter order.