I don’t know what it is about “the gentle barbarian” that makes me feel smart, but the second I walk into this place, I feel like I’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole and into a world of gentle beasts and aggressive readers. The bookstore is small, but that’s okay, because I want to read every book between its walls — no more, no less.

Of course, there are also the cappuccinos and the delicious pots of tea ("Apple Loves Mint" is my newest favorite), but if you ask me, Poles do hot beverages fine just about everywhere -- it's the atmosphere that gives your afternoon that special something. Named for a novel by Bohumil Hrabal, that Czech master of sensual prose, this little cafe manages to be intellectual, innocent, and a little bit sexy all at once. The collection is brilliantly edited, the conversation is both animated and polite, and best of all, it smells like steamed milk and dark coffee and fresh raisin rolls.

Czuly Barbarzynca, just up from the river at Most Swietokrzyski, on the corner of Tamka and Zajecza. Save me a seat.

(Photo credit: Magda Dzialoszynska)

5 / 5

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