You wouldn’t call Charlotte a natural wine bar, rather, it’s more of a scene bar. Functioning as Warsaw’s trendiest boulangerie/café during the day, it’s easy for normal people to leave traumatized by the catwalk parade of poseurs who’ve made this their home. And yes, the air is thick with the smug air of self-satisfaction. For all this, even the most militant of people haters can’t fail to see its charm.

A local pioneer of the communal table system, it’s only when the little tables fill that people start warily to eye the big wooden block running in the middle. Slowly it fills up, first a corner, then one a couple in the middle, everyone careful to keep a seat or two in between one party and the next. And all of a sudden it’s completely full and you’ve got all these strangers all sitting together and once in a while conversations will merge and sometimes a Facebook friend made. Even those suspicious of Charlotte, leave thinking what a wonderful place to practice the delicate art of flirting. Helping that gently along, find a concise selection of French wines, not to mention that Warsaw drink of 2013: the aperol spritz.