Błysk Espresso Bar

Błysk — the name means "flash" or "gleam" — is a small espresso bar in northern Żoliborz that punches far above its size. The room is a vintage-inspired charmer, all warm retro details, but the coffee setup is anything but nostalgic: regulars come for a rotating choice of three different espresso beans, an unusual and welcome luxury that lets you actually compare and choose.

Behind the bar are baristas who, as one reviewer put it, "actually know what they're doing and care about the details" — the kind of place where the same drink is dialled in properly every time. That attention is why Błysk shows up so often on locals' shortlists of the best coffee in Warsaw, full stop, not just the best in its neighbourhood.

It's a little out of the centre, but Żoliborz rewards the trip. Come for the three-bean espresso flight and stay for the gleam.