WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

38 RESTAURANTS
Przystań (The Harbour) A-2, ul. Księcia Witolda 2,
tel. (+48) 71 789 69 09, www.przystan.wroc.pl. Decked
with tall blonde wood chairs and tables and decorated with
old nautical illustrations and knot-tying charts, Przystań
nonetheless remains thoroughly modern matching the design
of the well-placed new building it occupies. Across the river
from the main university building, the real reason to dock in
this harbour is the deck seating over the water which offers
great views and actually feels like you’re on a boat. The
concise menu offers pastas, risottos and gorgeous salads
- including the very brave chicken liver salad with apple,
avocado, orange and parmesan. QOpen 09:00 - 22:00,
Fri 09:00 - 23:00, Sat 10:00 - 23:00, Sun 11:00 - 22:00.
(35-68zł). PTAUGBSW
NEW
Restauracja Patio A-3, ul. Kiełbaśnicza 24-25, tel.
(+48) 71 375 04 17, www.hotelpatio.pl/restauracjawroclaw.
An absolutely excellent restaurant, well worth
visiting whether you’re staying in the upstairs hotel or not;
in fact walk-ins would be wise to take advantage of the
business lunch (served Mon-Fri, 12:00-16:00), which offers
a delicious meal that shows off the skill and craft of the
chef and is worth much more than the 24zł you pay. Choose
between two dining areas - the bright, open building atrium,
or the more elegant burgundy and black dining room with
Klimt reproductions and creative glass chandeliers adding a
bit of class. Recommended. QOpen 06:45 - 23:00. (35-75zł).
PTAUGSW
Soho B-3, ul. Szewska 8 (entrance from ul.
Oławska), tel. (+48) 71 788 60 06, www.soho.wroc.
pl. An appealing budget breakfast and lunch spot, Soho
has taken a tight menu of basic Polish fare and lightened
it up with Italian flair: local kitchen classics come with
fresh herbs, Mediterranean ingredients and actual attention
is paid to their presentation. The same can be said
of the waitstaff whose dapper digs and professionalism
convey a refinement that has made Soho an extension
of the office for briefcase carrying thirty-somethings. A
smooth organic interior of wooden tables and leather
chairs with a downstairs grotto and fish tank round
off this surprisingly stylish budget lunch bar. QOpen
08:30 - 24:00, Mon, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 24:00. (10-70zł).
PTAGBSW
Spinacz F-4, ul. Więzienna 21 (Galeria Italiana), tel.
(+48) 693 97 40 05. Another winner for the shabby-chic
set, this small corner bar features semi-stylish seating
your dad might have made in wood shop in 1971 and
paper tubes hanging from the ceiling. Students, backpackers
and other post-teen job dodgers love it - enjoying
cheap ciabattas, soup, salads, cutlets and pastas
between cigarettes and fiddling with their hair - and we’d
agree that it’s pretty great, particularly the potato and
cheese fry-ups served in the skillet. Open late and the
perfect place to re-fortify yourself during a protracted
night out on the town. QOpen 12:00 - 23:45. (10-22zł).
PAGBSW
Vincent E-4, ul. Ruska 39, tel. (+48) 71 341 05 20,
www.vincent.wroclaw.pl. Set over numerous levels
Vincent is all woodcutters timber beams, warm corners
and dusky lanterns. It looks like an old country inn and the
food reflects the surrounds; manly servings of steak and
duck, but the menu changes regularly and they often have
theme menus crafted around a particular cuisine or ingredient.
Not the cheapest meal in town, but certainly worth
the visit. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Closed Sun. (22-64zł).
PTJA6XW
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
Wieża Ciśnień E-7, ul. Sudecka 125a, tel. (+48)
71 367 19 29, www.wiezacisnien.pl. Affecting the
look of a fairytale castle the second floor of this former
water tower is now home to Wieża, one of the few restaurants
in town that qualifies the taxi bill (about 15zł).
An uncluttered design features plenty of red bricks,
whites and dark woods, and definitely hails from the
‘less is more’ school of thinking. The chef does the
rest with a great seasonal menu that is focused, but
not limited to grilled meats. In June the fantastic third
floor open-air grill-bar opens, and on Sundays from
12:00-17:00 there’s a babysitter on site; order a meal
a la carte and your kid eats free. You can get there easily
via buses 144, 127 or 136. QOpen 12:00 - 22:30.
(39-96zł). PTAGBS
Złota A-3, Rynek 6, tel. (+48) 71 716 59 29. This
eager to please Rynek restaurant might be trying a bit
too hard. The staff is super friendly and the diverse
menu dabbles in everything from pizza and pasta to
fish stew and grilled steaks, traditional Polish dishes
and vodka snacks. It’s a lot to take in, but makes a
handy visor to shield you from the glare of one of the
most gaudy interiors we’ve seen in some time. Looking
like something from Disney’s Aladdin, the abundance
of bright blue sky ceilings, gold leaf and rainbow glass
tiles are only outdone by the small room designed to
evoke melting ice cream (actually, that’s our favourite).
Fortunately there’s seating on the market square in
summer, where you can still enjoy the excellent service
and good food. QOpen 08:00 - 24:00. (32-80zł).
PTA6UGBSW
Italian
Amalfi B-2, ul. Więzienna 21, tel. (+48) 71 343
67 84, www.amalfi.pl. Another of the numerous
establishments to have recently sprung up on this
inconspicuous backstreet, this one is another Italian.
Being named after that small coastal town near
Naples, the expectations are high. Although we weren’t
overwhelmed it did not disappoint by any stretch of
the imagination - especially as we were eating pizza
for breakfast. The setting is exceptionally authentic;
think terracotta tiles, large olive oil bottles and Italian
landscapes covering the walls. With appropriately
competitive prices, the place actually represents
very good value. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. (23-88zł).
PTAUGBS
Cantina B-2, ul. Nożownicza 4, tel. (+48) 71 324
17 96, www.cantina.wroclaw.pl. There are a slew of
fine Italian restaurants popping up Wrocław’s Old Town
that maintain traditional and high standards for Italian
fare. Cantina does so with gusto. With mahogany décor,
mandarin oranges and wine bottles in the windows, and
the Italian tricolour above the entrance, there is little
doubt you are entering a celebration of Italian cuisine.
Despite opening a couple of hours earlier, don’t expect
to order a meal before 2pm as the chef ventures out each
afternoon for the fresh ingredients of each day’s menu.
As such the small daily menu sports about twenty wellknown
Italian dishes including one or two soups, salads
and desserts. The wine-list is quite large considering the
modest size of Cantina, and of the one hundred or so
wines they offer about eighty come from various regions
of Italy. Like many spots in Wrocław, they stay open until
the last customer leaves, so take your time tasting as
many wines as you can handle. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
(23-68zł). PTA6VGBSW
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
RESTAURANTS
Water Tower
Water Tower E-7, ul. Sudecka 125a. Modelled on
a medieval castle, this architectural masterpiece only
a short taxi drive from the centre shouldn’t be missed.
Originally designed by Karl Klimm, an eminent Breslau
architect and the brains behind the Zwierzyniecki Bridge
(J-4), the 63m tower was built between 1903 and
1904 and supplied water to the residents of southern
Wrocław, with the base of the building used to house
employees. From its beginnings this fairytale tower
was equipped with an electric lift to whisk visitors to
the top for panoramic views; costing 10 pfennigs, a
clear day would afford sightseers uninterrupted views
of the Sudety Mountains 100kms away, and a red flag
would wave from the top whenever viewing was deemed
particularly good. The sculptors Taschner and Bednorz
added several intricate carvings to the sandstone,
including medieval style bas reliefs depicting winged
beasts engaged in gruesome scenes, and a spectacular
fountain spouting water from the underground spring
below the building. During the 1945 Siege of Breslau
the tower served as a military observation point, and in
spite of heavy shelling in the immediate vicinity survived
largely unscathed. Up until the ‘80s it continued to function
as a water plant, though black with soot and pockmarked
with bullet holes. In 1995 it was purchased by
Stephan Elektronik Investment who promptly launched
an ambitious plan to restore it to its former glory. Based
on a design by Wacław Bienasz-Necholson countless
cash was committed to the project, its rejuvenation as
a city icon completed with the addition of the Wieża
Ciśnień bistro and restaurant.
September - December 2012
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