A fine vintage indeed: amusing antiques meet quirky coffee inside this treasure of a café…
A fine vintage indeed: amusing antiques meet quirky coffee inside this treasure of a café…
With Hałas and Francuska 30 already doing a rather fine job, leafy Saska Kępa would thrive just as well without one more specialty café on its books. But boxing off Vintage Kolektyw merely as such would be doing it a disservice. More than a café, it has already grown to become a legend in its first 18-months of operation.
Seen as a long, narrow room, find every surface decked out with vintage discoveries from the PRL era. That means everything from Marilyn clocks to rotary dial phones to that Virgin Mary table lamp that you’ve always secretly coveted. Though big buys are possible – tables and Jetson period chairs – it’s the little finds that are the best.
Take your time to peruse a collection that frequently leans into the bizarre: the kind of face masks worn by the BTK killer in Mindhunter; plates painted with erect geezers in BDSM gear; porcelain puppies; rare movie posters; novelty teapots; and antique travel chests for your next pirate adventure. It’s extraordinary.
In line with the experimental look, the drinks offer is similarly unorthodox and involves non-alcoholic wines, kombuchas, homemade lemonades and alternative colas. The coffee is also a big deal, and here you’ll find cold brew and nitro supplied by Czarna Fala roastery, traditional Commie-style grain coffee (plujka) and brilliantly tasty Bombon – that’s a sensory Spanish concoction that marries espresso with sweet, condensed milk. Cookies and cakes can also be found lurking around the counter, though in summer cool down by ordering a mini pot of ice cream produced by Jednorożec.
Despite the copious potential for things to go wrong given the amount of delicate trinkets and little baubles (crash, bang, wallop!), dogs are welcome – a point underlined by an entrance way adorned with photos of fur babies looking for adoption. Set just across the road from Skaryszewski Park, dog owners are naturally high in number and they’ll invariably find their mutts being lavished with attention, cuddles, pats and treats. The staff here go well beyond the call of duty when it comes to making all visitors (with four legs or otherwise) feel well and truly valued.
Al. Waszyngtona 30/36
(Photos: Kevin Demaria)
