Somewhere that time slows down and the coffee tastes better than it has any right to. In the middle of Szczecin, at Stoisława 4, inside a restored heritage townhouse, you will find Fresh Start Cafe: a café that pulls people in with its atmosphere, its coffee and a sense that the place is genuinely itself.
The building has a long history. Thanks to the local community and EU funding it went through a full restoration, and the interiors now work just as well for a coffee drinker as for anyone who likes old architecture.
Freshly roasted coffee straight from the roastery
The coffee here comes from the small-batch Colbergcoffee roastery. It is a blend of darker roasted beans from Brazil and India, which suits people who drink their coffee with milk as well as anyone after an intense Italian-style espresso. The roast level keeps the acidity down, so it holds up well against milk in a latte or a cappuccino.
A Szczecin café that invests in proper kit
The coffee is made on Italian-built equipment. Fresh Start Cafe runs a Nuova Simonelli Appia Compact, which keeps every espresso consistent, paired with a Nuova Simonelli MDJ grinder that is quiet and accurate enough to keep the queue moving at peak times.
Home-made cakes in Szczecin
The cakes at this Szczecin café taste as good as they look. Most are made in house, with a short, honest ingredient list. You can also order a cake from the seasonal menu to take home.
The building and why it matters
The café sits in a heritage townhouse that is home to the Baptist Church. Designed in 1855 by A. Mews, the building has seen a good deal of history pass through it. EU funding and a great deal of work by the Baptist community paid for a full restoration, and the result was recognised nationally: in 2024 the building received a commendation in the Polish “Zabytek Zadbany” competition for well-maintained heritage buildings.
Pared-back interiors with a bit of soul
The room is as much of a draw as the coffee. Plain interiors, warm colours and soft light make it easy to stay a while. The bar is the detail people notice: it was built from reclaimed doors that are 170 years old. The place is welcoming to children, and in summer there are tables outside for anyone who wants sun with their iced coffee or iced matcha.
More than a café
What the café earns goes to charitable work and to supporting people in need. Upstairs in the same building there is a beautiful worship hall with gilded detailing, faithfully restored to the original.
Why go to Fresh Start Cafe?
It brings together good coffee, a real building with a history, and a reason to spend your money there. You get an hour off over a decent cup and the takings go somewhere useful.
If you find yourself in central Szczecin, go in. It is the kind of place that stays with you.
The roastery behind the coffee in Szczecin
If what you want from a supplier is fresh coffee and no friction, pick a roastery that can take on the whole of your venue. Colbergcoffee supplies Szczecin with more than beans: espresso machines, grinders, hot water boilers and the rest of the kit. Barista training for your team comes with the partnership. Get in touch to talk about working together.
Update, 23 May 2025
Filter coffee in Szczecin
Since the second half of May, Fresh Start Cafe in Szczecin has been serving filter coffee brewed on beans from the Colbergcoffee roastery. Good news for anyone who likes the clean, clear cup you get from a pour-over or a batch brewer. The baristas at Fresh Start trained for it, so every variable is looked after, from the brew ratio to the water temperature.
Buy fresh beans to take home
You can also buy freshly roasted beans at Fresh Start Cafe. The shelf carries both espresso blends and coffees for filter methods: pour-over, Chemex, AeroPress. All of them come straight from the Colbergcoffee roastery and arrive in small deliveries, so nothing sits around.
A second grinder, a second coffee
Two grinders run every day at Fresh Start Cafe, which means there is a second, rotating coffee alongside the house one. The owners plan to keep a medium-roast arabica from Colbergcoffee in that slot, balanced for espresso, flat white and americano. An everyday coffee: mild but with a character of its own, and a profile that works with milk and on its own.
