Gdansk – Retro Cafe
Gdansk has no shortage of cafes, but this one was well reviewed and their external signage stating that they were “a cafe with a soul” made it sound tempting.
The cake selection, all well presented and looking not inconsiderably appetising. The service style is fairly self-evident, staff welcome customers at the door and show them to a table before returning shortly afterwards to take the order. All nice and easy to understand, I like that approach.
I had intended to order a pistachio coffee as that seemed like something unique, but then I saw later on in the menu that they sold artisan beers and to ask the staff member. I did that and he mentioned that there was a dark beer, which I ordered. He did return to tell me that the beer had coffee in it, but this made me more interested in it than I was before, and then it arrived. Incidentally and as a side-note, I forgot about the pistachio coffee, such is the joy of beer.
What arrived was a milk stout, my favourite of drinks, so this was a delightful choice. It’s a bottle of Barakito from Browar De Facto which is located near Torun, coincidentally my next destination when I leave the Tricity (Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot). An above average beer, a sweetness of taste with a full body and a pleasant aftertaste. The strongest taste is coffee, which is unsurprising, as the beer takes its name from barraquito, a coffee popular in the Canary Islands. This brewery seems to have a relatively limited reach across Poland, so this is a rather decent choice from the cafe.
There’s a retro feel to the cafe, which also had some period music to add to the ambience. It was generally busy during the time that I was there, but never quite full. There’s quite a wide menu available and the cafe also has numerous vegetarian and vegan options for those looking for that. It seems to be, or at least the reviews suggest, a popular choice for those wanting breakfast and they also offer a take-away service.
This is the coconut chia cake and I have to confess to not knowing what the hell a chia is, although a quick look on Google shows that they’re seeds which are commonly used in cakes. A biscuity base (I can’t help but think of this video when writing that) with lots of texture from the seed things and then a sweet sauce on top. I’m not usually a desserts person, but this was a light, but filling, option.
Service was excellent, a friendly young server who was engaging and helpful, so the atmosphere was always welcoming. Given that this was a centrally located cafe in Gdansk it would be easy for the service to be more routine, but it all felt well managed with staff who seemed personable and polite. The prices were towards the upper end of the scale, but the quality was high and I was pleased with my choice of lunch location.
