Getting lost in the neighborhoods of Warsaw 🇵🇱

Originally from small town Poland, Alex Tęcza moved to the capital to study physics. In Warsaw he discovered a love for specialty coffee—and small shops and quiet moments in neighborhoods like Praga-North and Mokotów.

On my first visit to Warsaw, friends took me on the walk Alex mentions, up Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście streets into Warsaw’s Old Town. Warsaw traces its roots deep into the Middle Ages, but its infrastructure is one of the youngest in the world after a retreating Nazi army leveled it block by block in 1944. Warsaw today is a fascinating mix of old and new, with a vibrant culinary scene which Alex explores below.

*STOR Cafe in Warsaw, Poland. Photos courtesy of STOR*

Filter: What do you like to do for fun around Warsaw?

Plenty of opportunities to do something fun in Warsaw, that's for sure. I really like Praga-North district, as it has its unique, mid 90s to early 2000s vibe, with plenty of interesting shops and buildings. Make sure to enter some of the patios, there are some hidden gems! I would start from ząbkowska street and probably try to get lost—I think that's the best way to discover this district. I recommend Pyzy Flaki Gorące if you are a meat-eater :)

In the summer, I really like to take a stroll from the city centre to the Vistula River—walkways by the river with famous "stairs" are well-known for hectic, late-night parties, but they are charming during the day.

Last but not least, Mokotów district has plenty of coffee shops, great restaurants, and quick bites. Take some food and coffee with you and take a walk to Pole Mokotowskie—I've never been to New York but that's how I imagine Central Park.

My go-tos in Mokotów: Pollypizza Neapoletana, Panna Pracownia, Gringo Bar, and Po Drodze coffee shop.

STOR Cafe in Warsaw, Poland. Photos courtesy of STOR

Filter: What makes the stairs by the Vistula River famous?

The stairs are a well known spot for Warsaw citizens for a party in the summer, as drinking alcohol on the street is illegal in Poland, but the "stairs" are like an enclave near the city centre.

Filter: If a good friend came to visit, where would you be sure to take them?

We would start our day with breakfast in one of the city's very good bakeries—there's like 30 of them in Warsaw. My favorites are probably Baken and Panna Pracownia. Then we would get to the Old Town, and visit one of the museums worth visiting. For lunch, either a ramen at G-Ramen or a Neapolitan pizza at Nonna, both amazing places. After that, we would start our evening with a polish craft beer at Relax Cafe Bar, actually one of the oldest speciality coffee shops in Warsaw. You can really feel the Warsaw vibe there as it's located in Pasaż Wiecha, very busy passage in the exact center of the city. Then, if we wanted to party we would probably visit Bar Studio—if not, El Koktel would be our best bet.

Filter: What do you like to do to escape the city?

Well, there are two things I do.

Firstly, I cycle a lot. That's how I got to know the city actually, as I just took my bike to escape the university and workload and just ride somewhere—I've learned the districts and city very well that way. On the weekends, bike roads in the city centre get busy, so I like to explore more suburban areas with my earplugs in, bumping hip-hop classics.

Secondly, football (or as you call it, soccer) is really big in Poland. I started going to Legia Warsaw league games just to escape work, but this year I've been to almost every home game. The atmosphere at the games is absolutely electric, as Polish fans are known for their TIFOs and Flare shows. Sports is something that takes my mind off coffee related stuff. I think it's quite unique for foreigners how sports events look like in Eastern Europe.

*Alex Tęcza is general manager at STOR Cafe in Warsaw.*

Filter: What touristy things in Warsaw are worth the hype?

Museums: Warsaw Uprising and Polin—both totally worth it.

Łazenki Park—not on the weekend though as it gets busy. Take some nuts for the squirrels as they are very friendly.

Walk along Nowy Świat street, then Krakowskie Przedmieście and then you get to the Old Town square—all worth it. I would totally enter one of the book shops along the way.

Filter: Where are your favorite hidden gems and green spaces there?

In the summer I would totally recommend going to the Targ Śniadaniowy ("brunch market"). It happens on the weekends in Żoliborz and Mokotów from the beginning of May till the end of September. Cuisine from literally every country is available there, starting from polish dumplings and finishing on Japanese okonomiyaki.

Hidden gems: AURA Bar, Bar Okęcie (for traditional Polish food, super good quality, super cheap), and Ulubiona Bar for traditional Polish bar experience—only cash though!

Green spaces: Plenty of parks and forests in Warsaw. My favourites are Park Skaryszewski and Kępa Potocka.

Filter: What's another coffee shop around there that you really admire, and what about them stands out to you?

I can easily recommend two coffee shops. I think we share the same mindset oriented on quality. Błysk Espresso Bar is one of them—super small, cosy place in Żoliborz. Locals really love this place and it's always nice to chat with the baristas there.

El Cafetero is the second place—they also roast their own coffee - I've never drunk a badly extracted coffee there. They recently opened a second place in Śródmieście, a joint coffeeshop and a roastery, so You can see the owner, Konrad, roasting coffee while you're there.

Filter: What makes Warsaw feel most like home to you?

Warsaw is really a great city to live in. It feels like home because of the people—I met almost all of my friends and acquaintances through coffee. I think it's not easy for people from smaller towns in Poland (like me) to get along with the rhythm of life in Warsaw. Now, I can't imagine living anywhere else—as I own a roastery with my business partner, work here, have my friends (second family), and even found love here. I can't ask for anything else really.

Filter: How did you end up in the Warsaw coffee scene?

I come from Świnoujsćie—a small city located on an island at the border with Germany. I am an islander! I found out about speciality coffee through a friend in my last year of school. I moved to Warsaw to study physics at Warsaw University of Technology.

I got more and more into coffee visiting coffee shops, as in my hometown there wasn't any. Then I started working in Relax Cafe Bar as a barista. I learned a lot about coffee there. After 3 years, I decided it was time to move somewhere else, and one day later I got a call from Krzysiek Rzyman, owner of STOR and my current business partner in ROST Coffee That Cares. We got along really well, as I think we share the same values about the specialty coffee industry and we are quite orthodox about it.

Filter: Can you share about your role at STOR?

I started working in STOR 3 years ago, as a head barista & manager. As the company grew, my role has changed. Recently I moved to the general manager position, as we have a new head barista and a manager, both wonderful people doing their jobs better than I probably did :) Right now my concerns are long-term planning, equipment, hiring and training new baristas, supervising, and of course, I am responsible for all the f---ups :)

Work is really rewarding because you can easily see effects of your work. Working in a cafe and roastery is a very substantial job, that's what I love about it. And of course, exploring the flavours of coffee and things you can do to modulate them. The most important thing is to do all of that in the most sustainable manner.

Filter: If you could move to any place in the world just for the coffee scene, where would you move, and what shop would be the biggest reason?

Well, I love Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Visited both of those cities last year and tried a lot of cafes and roasteries. Main differences I found out about are:

- People treat jobs in coffee like "real jobs." In Poland some people don't take roasters seriously, not even speaking about the baristas.

- Roasters and cafes are even more oriented on quality. In Poland big roasteries usually rely on their dark robusta blends or poor quality "Santos" Brazilian coffees, and have like a specialty "segment." I think it's not that common in Amsterdam or Copenhagen—I can't imagine roasteries like Prolog or Friedhats doing something like that.

Filter: Anything else you’d like to add?

Everyone reading this, feel free to write us a DM when you are in Warsaw—we always love to have a chat, and of course visit STOR and try some coffees from our roastery!

You are doing a great job, Josh, I'll make sure to check out Filter whenever I travel abroad.

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