The Coffee Scene in Utrecht
As part of our new blog series, we explore the coffee scene in Utrecht! In previous blog posts we covered kid-friendly restaurants, Utrecht-based playgrounds, and Children Boutiques in Utrecht, so check those out for more inspiration! We hope that if you’re new to the beautiful city in which we (Näpp) are based, this will be a helpful guide to navigating Utrecht with kids.
In this blog post, we are exploring the coffee scene in Utrecht. Usually, Amsterdam has been front-and-center in the Netherlands in terms of the place to be for good coffee, but Utrecht is a rising star in this area! As Amsterdam’s younger sibling, Utrecht has always had a bit of an underdog image. But Utrecht is transforming itself into an alternative, hip, laid-back, fun city full of hidden but amazing restaurants, bars, independent shops, music venues, and of course: specialty coffee – without copying the hip and cosmopolitan lifestyle of the city on the Amstel. Working at a small business means that when we’re not at our start-up incubator UtrechtInc, we can be found at one of the many Utrecht Specialty Coffee Shops, and we decided to share our favourite ones with you! Keep reading to In no particular order, read all about the five coffee places in Utrecht we love!
‘T Koffieboontje
This cute but classy coffee place is located along the Oudegracht and recently sold their location at Gruttersdijk to Juuls Hummus. Open from 8:00-17:30 every day this gem serves specialty coffee using the diverse beans from Bocca Coffee Roasters and has a diverse menu for lunch and breakfast with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well. With a cozy window sill, hanging chair and 1920s college chairs you can experience a warm and homely atmosphere, while enjoying your favourite coffee with some friends or getting some work done at the laptop table! Owned by three Utrecht locals Mustapha, Brahim, and Aziz who made their dream of opening a specialty coffee bar in Utrecht a reality, drop by for what is central to them: gezelligheid and a moment for yourself!
MØS Coffee Bar
In the center of the city it’s never difficult to find a nice cup of coffee, but in the outskirts of town this can be a little more difficult! Enter: MØS Coffee Bar. Open just a few months now, this beautiful coffee place can be found in Vogelenbuurt. With its minimalist Scandinavian interior and specialty coffee roasted locally by Keen Coffee, it is the perfect place to meet up with friends or crank out some work! Take your (babysitting) kids along with you, and let them enjoy the small playing area in the corner of the shop while you keep an eye on them from the comfortable couch. The Näpp Team can be found here quite frequently during the week, so if you bump into us be sure to say hi!
Blackbird Coffee & Vintage Bikes
This quite hidden coffee place can also be found along the Oudegracht, and is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00-18:00. Serving specialty coffee from a variety of different roasters – but mostly from their partners Elephant Beans based in Freiburg in Germany. Upon first sight this cafe looks tiny, but it stretches out in a long narrow hallways into a more open space with comfortable seats, opportunity to sit with a laptop, and even a basement filled with vintage bikes in repair. The lovely staff will guide you through their unique coffee experience, making this cafe one of our favourites to explore the coffee scene in Utrecht at!
The Village Coffee & Music
The Village is a cafe with a rough rock ‘n roll exterior, but a loving and warm heart located on the Voorstraat and in the Science Park on the Bolognalaan. It is common knowledge that the third wave coffee culture in Europe has been massively influenced by both Australian and American coffee culture, and the Village is the perfect spot in Utrecht to enjoy it. While sipping on a flat white or a drip coffee, it’s easy to feel like you’re in Melbourne or Portland – some of the most popular cities for specialty coffee in the world. Today, The Village is hosting several live music events as part of the Le Guess Who Festival. It’s 100% free of charge, so be sure to check them out! And lastly, don’t be shocked if there is no wifi connection! It might not be the best place to get some work done but it is the perfect spot to disconnect from the online world for a bit, and connect with your friends and/or family in real life over a cup of coffee or tea! And if you’re an early bird like us: the Village is the only coffee place in Utrecht that opens at 7 am during the week!
30ml
30ml is a relatively new cafe and coffee roastery in Utrecht. Recently, it has been expanding and can now be found in many different locations all around Utrecht! It’s main location is Vredenburg 23, but you can also find it deeper in the city centre at Zadelstraat 11, and Nachtegaalstraat 61. Even if you’re not in Utrecht, you can enjoy this Utrecht-local brand in Rotterdam and Amesfoort as well! 30ml roasts its own beans here in Utrecht, and in the cafe’s you can enjoy the light and modern environment over a cup of specialty coffee and all day brunch! 30ml is the perfect cafe to study or work at, with a mix of individual tables and larger group/laptop tables. By buying a cup of coffee here, you are directly supporting Utrecht’s local coffee roasting scene – great cause for a city of entrepreneurs that need it!
We hope this coffee guide has been helpful to you to explore the local specialty coffee scene! We know from experience that this can be a challenge when you’re on a new city. Coming from your own trusted coffee shop with the barista who knows your order by heart to a new city with a very different coffee scene can be quite the challenge. If you have any other coffee recommendations, share these on social media and tag us!
